The 2022 Pipeline Welding Conference was held September 13–14 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, La. The event centered around the significant role welding plays in pipeline construction.
The 2022 Pipeline Welding Conference was held September 13–14 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, La. The event centered around the significant role welding plays in pipeline construction.
Scott Witkowski was chair of the event and Eric Carlson and Jimmy Mayberry were co-chairs. Witkowski shared the following thoughts about the event.
It’s been eight years since AWS held the Pipeline Welding Conference — far too long in my esteem. While on a typical phone call with the AWS staff in Miami before COVID-19 hit, I asked a question: Why had there not been a Pipeline Welding Conference like the one I had attended back in the summer of 2014?
The answer was simple. The chairman of the last Pipeline Welding Conference had gotten too busy to move forward with another one. Being the spontaneous individual that I am, I asked if I were willing to take on that job as conference chair, would AWS let me run with it? The answer was a resounding yes, and we were off to the races.
I thought back on what made that conference eight years so memorable, and the answer was twofold. First, it was a great topic. And second, it was the location. How can you beat having an event at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans? Without hesitation, I knew the event had to return to the Hotel Monteleone. AWS got busy contacting the hotel, and I got busy picking co-chairs for the event.
For more than 20 years, I have worked with Jimmy Mayberry and Eric Carlson out of the AWS Houston section and in the pipeline industry. Each of them brings to the table both field construction experience and extensive welding engineering reviews. They eagerly came on board as co-chairs, and we worked to complete the vetting sheet with speakers and topics, choose dates, and find sponsors to support this event.
The one thing about the pipeline industry is that we stick together no matter what trade each of us performs within the industry. We all bring valuable knowledge to the table. So, when the calls went out, we all went to work to bring this conference together.
The excitement was high, and anticipation was as well. The closer we got to the event, the more excited everyone was to see what we had in store for them. When the day finally came to begin the conference, it was better than we ever imagined it could be. Exhibitors, sponsors, guest speakers, and attendees alike all had a great time during the presentations and the networking event. Everyone was thoroughly engaged in the topics of discussion, and we received very positive and informative feedback from the perspectives of welders in the field as well as metallurgists from around the world. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of people, and we cannot thank each of them enough for their interaction and involvement during the conference.
The attendees of the 2022 Pipeline Welding Conference enjoyed networking opportunities during the event.
I would truly say that the 2022 Pipeline Welding Conference was a great success, and I thank AWS staff for helping make our vision come to life. I look forward to our next pipeline event and take this opportunity to throw my (cowboy) hat into the ring to chair the next one.
This article was written by Scott Witkowski (vice president, Republic Testing Laboratories) for the American Welding Society.
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