Convention Highlights
Daily Highlights
Wednesday Afternoon Sponsor Cabanas Several sponsors hosted guests poolside on Wednesday afternoon. There are only 11 cabanas and were offered to Presenting and Diamond level on a first come first served basis!
Wednesday Evening Welcome Reception This kickoff Meet & Greet event is your opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new contacts while enjoying food and drinks on the lawn at this beautiful resort.
Thursday Sessions began the business of our time together with a morning general session, an economic overview, and our keynote speaker. Our afternoon session featured three rotating workshops. See below for our scheduled speakers and details on the workshops.
2023 Vendor Expo was held from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday and booth space is available to sponsorship tiers Silver and higher. Sponsors are important partners for the convention and the Vendor Expo provides maximum exposure to directly promote your products and services to the used truck industry.
Friday Tour Activities — There were a variety of tours to choose from that are unique, fun, and memorable. These tours filled up quickly so sign up asap! See the tour options below.
Honoring Our Veterans — Veterans are our Heroes and almost every year Veteran's Day falls during the UTA convention! We continued our tradition of honoring those who have served. Fill out this FORM to be included in our celebration for next year.
Friday Evening Awards Dinner & Live Music —The UTA Convention closed with our Cocktail Reception and Awards Dinner as we gathered to celebrate the year. The evening was highlighted by the Marvin F. Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award presentation, followed by live music by the Billy Brown Band!
Honoring Our Veterans
Once again we honored our members who have served. There were posters and slides recognizing our military individuals. If you or someone at your organization has served, please click the link below to submit your service information and photos and we will include you next year. If you filled this out already you don’t need to resubmit unless you want to update your information and/or photos!
Thank you for your service!
Our 2023 Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Ross Shafer
Ross Shafer has the most intriguing comedy and business background of any speaker on leading through change, reinvention, and resilience.
Ross’s funny and energetic style was honed as a headlining comedian and host of TV’s Match Game (ABC), The Late Show (FOX), Almost Live! (NBC and Comedy Central) and Love Me, Love Me Not (USA).
Embracing his humorous world view explains why Ross risked buying and selling 23 companies (each rescued from bankruptcy) and earning the savvy to author ten insightful business books. Ross’s fresh takeaways are fun and sticky… and he delivers the creativity to ignite and inspire front line staff as well as senior executives.
Steve Tam, Vice President, Analyst
ACT Research
As Vice President at ACT Research, Steve Tam is one of two principal commercial vehicle market analysts. Since being promoted to his current position in October 2008, he was appointed to the Board of Directors and became a Managing Member of ACT Research in September 2016. He also leads the used truck market efforts for ACT. Other responsibilities include project and database management; and collection, analysis, and reporting of specialty data series. In addition to being frequently sought after as a guest speaker at industry events and giving presentations to private companies, you will often see him quoted in industry publications, newspapers and business periodicals.
A graduate of Indiana University, Steve has also served in the military and spent time in various accounting positions at two Fortune 500 companies before joining ACT Research in 2000. He has been involved in the commercial vehicle industry since 1993 and has been vital to the growth of ACT Research over the years.
Chris Visser, J.D. Power
Chris Visser is a leading go-to source for commercial truck market intelligence. Chris has been watching the used truck market since 1998, and is the architect of J.D. Power and NADA’s commercial vehicle valuation processes. In his career, Chris has experienced multiple used truck boom-and-bust cycles, and is an expert on the fundamentals that drive the used truck market.
Thursday Afternoon Rotating Workshops
From 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm had three workshops filled with valuable information by expert speakers and panels, followed by Q&A sessions. You won’t want to miss out on these!
The New Era of Trucking — Electric Semi Trucks
EPA Changes — 2024 & 2027 EPA/Carb Changes
Understanding Used Truck Warranty & Finance
Friday Activity Options
Golf Scramble
18-hole Golf at the UTA Convention is BACK! And what a better place than the beautiful Canyons Course! TPC San Antonio is a private resort only accessible to guests of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa and Members. As part of the prestigious TPC Network, you will receive the same preferential treatment and exclusive amenities normally reserved for PGA TOUR professionals.
This Friday activity option is filled.
Do You Need to Rent Clubs? Click HERE Now!
Skeet Shooting
We’ll take a short bus ride to a local shooting range and test your skills with the clay pigeons. All the necessary gear is provided.
This Friday activity option is filled.
Located along the edge of the beautiful Texas Hill Country, the National Shooting Complex is not only 671 acres of peaceful rolling hills and picturesque countryside, but to firearms enthusiasts throughout the United States and beyond, this complex is known as one of the most complete sport shooting and recreational facilities in the world.
Guests will experience the sport of sporting clays, often referred to as “golf with a shotgun.” Sporting clays is the closest thing to actual field shooting of all shotgun sports and the courses are designed to simulate the hunting of ducks, pheasants, other upland birds, and even rabbits. Guests will receive a full instruction and safety training session prior to the activity as well as all equipment and ammunition needed to experience one of Texas’ favorite sports.
Gruene, Texas Tour
This Friday activity option is filled.
On the banks of the Guadalupe River, Gruene is part of the area known as the Hill Country Coast and is rich in Texas history. Hop on the bus and explore this historic town. You’ll find all kinds of dining from coffee shops and sandwiches to fajitas to fall-off-the-bone ribs all within walking distance. Gruene is also filled with locally-owned eclectic retailers in this quaint historic district.
San Antonio Riverwalk
This Friday activity option is filled.
The Riverwalk is one of the most beautiful places to visit in America and a San Antonio must-see. What a better way than to stroll the area with your UTA friends! There are a plethora of eating establishments and plenty of shoppes to peruse. Don’t forget to soak in the incredible architecture that lines this historic river area.
Spouse/Guest Excursion
to Pearl
This Thursday activity is filled.
Thursday afternoon, our spouses and guests will be whisked away to the quaint area known as “Pearl” while our industry professional attendees learn and participate in workshops.
Pearl is a historical district and culture hub in the center of San Antonio. People live, work, and gather here. The property was a brewery from the early 1880s until 1999, when Pearl beer moved its operations elsewhere. Pearl is home to many spirited visionaries who each paint a unique portrait of our past, present, and future. From culture to cuisine, explore to your heart’s content.
The Grand Finale—
Friday Night Awards Dinner
The 24th Annual UTA Convention ends with the cocktail reception, a plated meal, and a celebration of several industry awards. These include the Best at Expo from Thursday’s vendor fair, the Dealer Group’s Members of the Year, the New Members Committee’s Rookie of the Year and most importantly the UTA Marvin F. Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award presentation.
Be sure to pack your boots or boogie shoes because after the Awards Dinner we will dance the night away to live Rock and Country music by the Billy Brown Band.
You won’t want to miss this special evening to close out the best used truck industry event of the year.
© 2023 UTA
