Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc, was installed as the 48th President of the NTEA during the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on March 7. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill.
Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc, was installed as the 48th President of the NTEA during the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on March 7. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill.
Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc, was installed as the 48th President of the NTEA during the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on March 7. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill.
Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc, was installed as the 48th President of the NTEA during the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on March 7. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill.
Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc, was installed as the 48th President of the NTEA during the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on March 7. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill.

Indianapolis may not be the place for Peyton, but it's once again the place for NTEA's showcase event

April 1, 2012
PEYTON Manning has left the building. But he apparently was the only one who did. While the Indianapolis Colts' future Hall of Fame quarterback was announcing

PEYTON Manning has left the building. But he apparently was the only one who did.

While the Indianapolis Colts' future Hall of Fame quarterback was announcing the end of his 14-year reign in Indy at Lucas Oil Stadium, The Work Truck Show was bustling with people and excitement across the street in the Indiana Convention Center.

The Work Truck Show, held in conjunction with the 48th annual National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Convention, achieved a new record with 10,408 industry professionals attending the show.

The show occupied more than 500,000 square feet at the Indiana Convention Center, with a record 563 exhibitors filling the show floor with vocational trucks, components, and equipment.

NTEA executive director Steve Carey said the growth of the event reflects improving market conditions.

“This is the second year in a row that The Work Truck Show has achieved new records for attendance, exhibitor participation, and product launches,” he said. “We will build on this momentum as we prepare to bring an even bigger event back to Indianapolis in 2013. In response to growing demand, we're expanding next year's show floor — and have already sold 92% of available space.”

New products continue to be a significant draw for show attendees. This year, more than 120 exhibiting companies launched at least 140 new products, including alternative fuel systems, vehicle components, truck equipment, and full-size trucks. Among the many notable launches were a new CNG pickup truck from Ram Trucks, General Motors' bi-fuel 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 HD extended cab pickups, four new cranes from Palfinger North America Group, the CHARGE Clean-Power Series of controls for snow-removal equipment from Henderson Products, in-vehicle equipment from Sortimo NA, and EcoBoost technology from Ford Commercial Truck.

The Green Truck Summit, produced jointly by the NTEA and CALSTART, achieved history with a record-breaking 772 attendees — 13% above last year's total. US Secretary of Energy Dr Steven Chu provided the keynote address.

Attendees had the opportunity to drive or ride in cutting-edge green vehicles on the streets of Indianapolis during the Green Truck Ride-and-Drive sponsored by Hino Trucks. The event featured 23 vehicles representing a variety of alternative fuels and technologies.

More than 60 educational sessions were offered at The Show, covering a broad range of timely topics.

Nearly 1550 guests attended the event's formal kickoff at the Opening Reception on March 5 at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.

The NTEA welcomed George W Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, as the keynote speaker at the President's Breakfast & 48th Annual NTEA Meeting on March 7. In front of 1700 attendees, he offered his thoughts on eight years in the Oval Office, the challenges facing our nation in the 21st century, the power of freedom, the role of faith, and other pressing issues. President Bush also participated in a Q & A session.

Frank Livas, president of Brake & Clutch Inc (Salem, MA), was installed as the 48th president of the NTEA during the breakfast. Livas accepted the gavel from immediate past president Steve Sill, president of Aspen Equipment Co (Bloomington, MN).

Also during the breakfast, NTEA senior executive director Jim Carney was celebrated and recognized for his contributions to the truck equipment industry over a career spanning 36 years with the association. He will retire from the NTEA on April 30. Carney also recounted the early days of his time with the industry and association, and recounted the growth he has seen throughout the decades as well as conveyed optimism for a bright future.

Members of the Young Executives Network (YEN) attended the YEN Leadership Workshop and Networking Reception on March 6. During the event, presenter Steve Miller, marketing strategist of The Adventure LLC (Federal Way, WA) discussed how to recognize and determine brand promise, as well as how to examine business to help ensure what you say is actually what you do.

The NTEA Demo Theater, conveniently located on the show floor adjacent to the NTEA booth, featured 30-minute live demonstrations presented by NTEA experts. Sessions were open to all Work Truck Show attendees on a walk-in basis.

Indy is no longer Peyton's Place. But The Work Truck Show likes it enough to return in 2013 for an unprecedented third straight year.

About the Author

Rick Weber | Associate Editor

Rick Weber has been an associate editor for Trailer/Body Builders since February 2000. A national award-winning sportswriter, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Fort Myers News-Press following service with publications in California and Australia. He is a graduate of Penn State University.