One of the highlights of this year’s UTA or Used Truck Association convention was an off-road Jeep tour of the Sonoran Desert, which might have been the same desert that helped inspire the imagery in the song “A Horse With No Name” (America). Unlike the tone of the song, though, the tour was an absolutely awesome experience with real cowboys driving the Jeeps! The tour was organized by Wild West Jeep Tours.
It has been 24 years since the first organizational meeting in Chicago with the Blue Book Advisory Board, and 23 years since it was chartered on May 16, 1988, when it was then known as the Used Truck Sales Network (USTN). The name was changed to NUTA or National Used Truck Association in 1993, and shortened to UTA in 1994.
For 8 consecutive years PWP Studio has captured the UTA Annual Convention, making it the longest running event we’ve been covering. Every year there is a different destination with the same old wonderful people! Last November 2-5, 2011 it was held in the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Another highlight of the convention was the keynote speaker, who was no less than Tom Flick. Known for delivering speeches that make an impact on everyone in the organization, his message at the convention was very motivational. I especially enjoyed his description and definition of the difference between leadership versus management. We would definitely recommend him as a guest speaker for any group.
Aside from the Jeep tour, the UTA members and guests also enjoyed a Golf Scramble at the Talking Stick Golf Club, a Taliesin West Insight Tour at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, the River Float which involved a cool ride down the Salt River with a beautiful view of the Arizona desert, and casino lessons from an expert which meant using the complimentary casino chips!
