b'FOGHORN FOCUSMariTrends 2022F rom ports far and wide, PVA members traveled to Covington, Ky., for MariTrends 2022, gathering in person for the first time in two years. Reconnecting with old friends and meeting new members, it was good to be out from behind a computer and back face to face. A late change from the beaches of California to the rivers of the Midwest didnt hamper the turn out, with nearly 400 attendees at the March event. Stand-ing along the banks of the Ohio River, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center was home to more than 60 presentations, the MariTrends exhibition floor, cocktail hours, lunches, and networking events. The convention kicked off with Thursdays meetings of PVAs Safe- A central component of every convention is the education sessions, tyandSecurityCommittee,RegulatoryCommittee,Membershipwhich began early Friday morning. In recent years, members have re-Committee, and Legislative Committee. The committees comprisequested more roundtable discussions, and they were a highlight of this vessel and associate volunteer members who collaborate to identifyyears event. While information is always readily shared among mem-and seek solutions for top issues and concerns in the industry. Thebers, the pandemic has brought new challenges from coast to coast and Legislative Committee discussed CERTS grants, testing for marijua- the opportunity to gain insights from others experiences was more na impairment, and right to repair, among other topics. The Safetyuseful than ever. Attracting and retaining employees was top of mind and Security and the Regulatory Committees held separate morningand the theme of the first session of the day, with significant audience sessions, but joined forces in the afternoon to hear from guest speak- participation. Members shared creative ways theyve developed to reach ers Captain Morgan Turrell of the NTSB and Captain Dan Cost ofpotential employees and to cultivate work environments where people the U.S. Coast Guard.want to stay to build a career. Other roundtables touched on topics ranging from emerging food and beverage trends to best practices for Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds, was the settingfire prevention to managing parts and supplies shortages. The common for Thursday nights leadership dinner. Billboards around the park, in- thread through each was the willingness of members to engage, openly side and out, flew PVAs flag making for a spectacular opener for thetalking about difficulties theyve faced, offering solutions theyve found, successful convention ahead. and helping each other find ways to excel moving forward. FOGHORN 8'