2025 American Pipeline Contractors Association APCA 2025 Mid Year Meeting Oct 8-Oct 11, 2025 – Alabama

This Event Reminder is Sponsored by: Southwest Pipe Services, leaders in Pipeline Abandonment and Pipeline Asbestos Abatement

Wednesday, October 8
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM Leadership Development Program: Contract Administration/Negotiating Skills
We like to call ourselves builders. The industry calls us contractors. So, it is important that we understand some basic contracting terms and clauses to manage project risk more effectively. We will explore how to improve our ability to negotiate better terms and solutions. Because change orders are a normal part of the construction business, we will discuss how to manage them more proactively. Finally, we will examine conflict and learn some skills to resolve it in a positive way.

$500 per person includes all educational materials, professional instructor, and breakfast and lunch on Wednesday.

12:30 PM – 5:00 PM Board of Directors Meeting
Includes lunch.
Open to APCA Board of Directors only.

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM APCA Welcome Reception
Join us on the Grand Ballroom Patio for a beverage with fellow APCA members.

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM Welcome Dinner
APCA President Kevin LaBauve welcomes fellow APCA members to Point Clear and the 2025 APCA Mid-Year Meeting at this casual dinner. Catch up with friends and colleagues, old and new, while enjoying delicious food and cool beverages.

Thursday, October 9

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Member & Spouse Breakfast
Everyone is invited to this tasty breakfast.

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM Opening General Session: Creating a Limitless Culture with Ben Whiting
This high-impact, high-amazement keynote inspires you to create a culture where the impossible is possible and human connection has no limits. Ben Whiting crafts a jaw-dropping experience that will transform your organization and equip your employees with the skills and mindset to unleash their full potential.

You will leave with:

• Concrete techniques for communicating more effectively and engagingly at work and at home
• Actionable insights on creating an authentic connection with every interaction
• Tools for sustaining a mindset that empowers you to thrive through change, innovate courageously, and find fulfillment in your work
• An unbelievably fun experience with lessons you will never forget!

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Government & Industry Relations Panel
Led by the APCA Government Affairs team Ben Brubeck and Jaime Steve and the APCA Government & Industry Affairs Committee, this session details the committee’s recent initiatives, maps out its upcoming activities, and asks members about the issues that are affecting their businesses. Representatives from government and industry will provide brief reports on issues relevant to the pipeline construction industry. All APCA members are encouraged to attend and to participate in the discussion.

1:00 PM – 6:00 PM APCA Golf Tournament
The Lakewood Club, a sparkling resort member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, had its beginnings in 1944 when Perry Maxwell, the designer of the Tulsa Southern Hills Country Club and site of the 2001 U.S. Open, brought his extraordinary skills to Lakewood. Rolling fairways and tight greens, spring fed lakes, meandering streams, and stands of mature trees make the course both beautiful and challenging.

200 includes greens fees and box lunch. 70 extra for rental clubs (comes with 2 sleeves of balls).

1:15 PM – 4:30 PM Taste of Fairhope Tour
This tour will introduce you to the hidden gems and beloved favorites located in downtown Fairhope, showcasing the best of the town’s culinary scene. Enjoy the signature dishes of the town along with stories about Fairhope’s unique founding and thriving culture enjoyed today. This three-hour walking food tour highlights some of the best local restaurants and flavors in town!

$150 per person includes, transportation, guide, 6 tastings, 3 signature cocktails, taxes, and gratuities.

6:30 PM Free Night
The Grand Hotel is home to the Bayside Grill, offering mouth-watering local fare including sandwiches and wood-fired pizzas, and Southern Roots, featuring estate grown farm-to-table fare in a chic but casual atmosphere. The Fairhope area is home to several great restaurants from Italian to seafood to Asian/Mexican Fusion to steaks, including Gambino’s Italian Grill, Kingfisher Seafood, Dragonfly Food Bar, Char 32, and the Wash House Restaurant.

Friday, October 10

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Breakfast
Open to all attendees.

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM APCA Associate Member Meeting
APCA’s Associate members hold a panel discussion on topics that affect manufacturers and suppliers in the pipeline construction industry.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Using the APCA Market Penetration Study to Win New Business
A wise man once said, “The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” As we look forward to a potential new wave of pipeline and station infrastructure construction, who will build it? In this session, Continuum Capital shares the results of the APCA Market Penetration research and discusses how you can share the results with your customers to reinforce the value, safety, and performance success that APCA members can deliver. The study results demonstrate that since 2010, merit shop contractors have grown more and faster than their union competitors in each wave of activity. The capabilities of merit shop contractors in scale, workforce access, equipment availability, and safety performance are now well established. You can get in front of potential growth in construction activity, demonstrate the value of APCA membership, and utilize the research results to position your firm and your customers for success. Use this session to focus your energy on building the new!

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM Recent Developments in Employment Law
Greg Guidry, a labor attorney with years of experience representing employers in the pipeline construction industry, will update members on all of the significant labor and employment law developments of interest to employers that have occurred in recent months. Included will be federal legislation, federal regulatory and other federal labor agency actions, important court decisions, and other developments that impact the workplace. The discussion will also include practical tips for dealing with these developments, where appropriate.

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM APCA Regular Member Meeting
Open to APCA Regular (Contractor) members only. The meeting will be a fast-paced and frank discussion that touches on the various segments of the industry and promotes the sharing of insights and opinions from contractors working in different market sectors all over North America.

1:15 PM – 5:00 PM Delta Explorer Cruise
Nobody knows the waters of the scenic and historic Mobile-Tensaw Delta better than the licensed captains of Historic Blakeley State Park’s Delta Explorer. The park is the lower delta’s longest-running boat tour operator and offers regular excursions into what many people call one of America’s natural wonders. Journey by boat through these tranquil waterways and discover this incredibly diverse ecosystem.

$100 per person includes transportation, guide, 2-hour boat tour, taxes, and gratuities.

7:30 PM – 10:00 PM APCA Farewell Dinner
Join the group in the Magnolia Ballroom Foyer for cocktails followed by a sumptuous dinner in the Magnolia Ballroom. APCA President Kevin LaBauve, WHC Energy Services, will deliver his state of the association/industry address. The evening will conclude with live music & dancing.