WCOWMA-BC hosted its annual Convention and Trade Show from Thursday, February 28 to Saturday, March 1 in Abbotsford, BC. There were over 280 people in attendance! 

We hosted a wide range of presenters who covered a variety of topics, including Maximizing Profit in Business, Finding Property Legal Documents for Filings, Linear Loading, Setting Your Business Up for Sale and Exiting, Building with Awareness: Responding to Unexpected Archaeological Finds during Ground Disturbance, and so much more. 

Check out our Instagram page or visit us on Facebook for pictures. 

Trade Show

With twenty-six booths of technologies to see and touch, including mini-excavator games, there was no shortage of fun at the trade show on Friday. In fact, it was our biggest trade show to date and filled the new trade show space at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Centre. For that, we want to extend a huge heart-felt thank you to all of our exhibitors. The trade show is an integral part of the show, and it wouldn’t exist without the hard work of our exhibitors. 

Annual General Meeting

Elections were held at the Annual General Meeting on Friday, February 28, 2025 for the WCOWMA-BC’s Board of Directors.

Thank you to departing board member Bruce McColm for all his hard work over his many years of service on the Board. Thank you as well to Barry Rumsey who has dedicated a lot of time to serving on the Board, most recently as our president. Barry will assist the Board for one more year as Past-President. There was a lot of shuffling of positions this year, and we are pleased to welcome to new board members Jamie Schenkeveld and Thea Wallace!

2025 WCOWMA-BC Board of Directors
President: James Stiksma
Vice-President: Craig Sapriken
Secretary-Treasurer: Chris Bayley
Director: Trefor Digby
Director: Krista Podwin
Director: Jamie Schenkeveld
Director: Thea Wallace
Past President: Barry Rumsey

Banquet Dinner

Attendees were well-fed and entertained at the banquet dinner on Friday night. We welcomed Lars Callieou, whose laughter-inducing journey has taken him to the Just for Laughs Festival in Montréal and earned him a 1-Hour comedy special currently airing on The Comedy Network. Following Lars’ show, we awarded prizes galore. 

Scavenger Hunt winners:

• One-year membership with WCOWMA-BC: Jim Skiba
• $100 NAPA gift card: Liesbeth Glotze
• $50 Mark’s gift card: Charles Gamble
• $10 Tim Horton’s gift cards: Brian Gray, Michael Payne, Dave Rowlandson, Janice Armstrong, Cody Adam

AGM attendee winner:

• wireless speaker: Graham Baker

Business card draw:

• hole saw kit: Travis Moreau

Banquet dinner prizes:

• hole saw kit from WCOWMA-BC: Andrew Olsen
• hole saw kit from WCOWMA-BC: Ryan Pearce
• wireless speaker from WCOWMA-BC: Kerry Rand
• insulated lunch bag from WCOWMA-BC: John Richardson
• hats and tape measures: Jean Robinson, Agatha Kerkoff, Herman Kerkoff
• thermal shirt from Darryl Bjorgaard: Ian Ross
• bottle of GlenFarclas single malt scotch from Premier Plastics: Kevin Lowe
• Canucks tickets from MCM Sales/Polylok: Henry Wall
• Nespresso coffee machine from Canwest Tanks: Megan Hatley
• Blue Aqua garden hose from Southern Irrigation: Donovan Hough
• Milwaukee Packout from Eljen: Allan Zirk
• Tough as Nails ice cooler from SJE Rhombus: Chris Carrier
• $25 Mastercard gift card and swag bag from FRP Mocoat: Kalevi Lustig 
• $50 Mastercard gift card and swag bag from FRP Mocoat: Sheldon May
• $100 Mastercard gift card and swag bag from FRP Mocoat: Ole Westergaard
• Wheelbarrow from EMCO: Mike Crawford
• Remote control excavator from KALA Geoscience: Andrew Olsen
• Remote control excavator from KALA Geoscience: Charles Gamble
• Remote control excavator from KALA Geoscience: Ole Westergaard
• Milwaukee Packout from WCOWMA-BC: Thea Wallace
• 300 IG Dose Tank from Infiltrator Water Systems: Rick Evans

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to our exhibitors for their generous gifts. 

CPD Points

Proof of CPD points will be emailed out to attendees within the next few weeks. Please be patient as we collate the data from the Convention and Trade Show so we can ensure accurate CPD reports for all attendees.

Did You Miss the Convention and Trade Show?

Stay tuned! Recorded conventions will be available shortly for those who missed the event and need to gain CPD points or who just want to watch out of interest. Registration information to gain access to the full convention program recordings will be available in the next couple of weeks. Contact the WCOWMA-BC office to be put on the waitlist for registration information: 604-424-4462.

Save the Date

We’ve already started planning for 2026. Mark your calendars and join us in Nanaimo on February 26, 27, & 28, 2026!