District Texas Spring 2009 Meeting
Meeting Recap

Waco, Texas
March 21, 2009

MBAA DISTRICT TEXAS convened its Spring 2009 Meeting at the Marriott Courtyard Inn in downtown. Sparkling Waco, Texas on March 20 & 21, 2009. On Friday night our host OI set up and catered a wonderful hospitality room with delicacies to accompany members' beers. Principal host OI's efforts were supported by welcome and appreciated cash contributions from Rahr Malting who are regular contributors.

Our host O-I offered limo service from the hotel for the plant tours where beer bottles are produced. After a fine breakfast and a busy District Business Meeting punctuated by the lively input of our retirees, new officers were elected. Michele Amsterdam of Miller-Coors, Fort Worth will be the incoming District President and Peggy Melton, also of Miller-Coors will be the Vice President. Peter Koestler of the Gambrinus Company, San Antonio, will continue as Technical Director.

Saturday's Technical Presentations featured information on brewery packaging technology:

Part I - David Wendt, OI
Glass container manufacturing highlights
Successful components for improving bottle line performance

Part II - Kim Wallace, Rock-Tenn and Jeff Wood, Green Bay Packaging, Inc. Corrugated and Fiberboard packaging materials
Basics in design and performance characteristics

It is rare for MBAA members to get detailed technical information on cartons (corrugated) and six packs/12-packs etc so we really appreciated the presentations and show-and-tell from these MBAA supporters and members. The District's last presentation on ware quality occurred five years prior so it was great to be involved in it again!

After lunch, Saturday was free to have fun in Waco at its interesting venues including the Brazos River and its pleasant walking path, Baylor University, the famous Dr. Pepper Museum, the Texas Ranger Museum, the Cameron Park Zoo, Waco Heritage Collection/Historic Waco Foundation and so many other offerings. OI's retired plant manager Bob Cragen and his wife Sherri did much of the work to deliver a fabulous and memorable meeting for all of us.

District Texas held its annual Spring Meeting in Waco Texas on March 20-22nd. The event was hosted by Owens-Illinois, Waco, and featured technical presentations related to glass manufacture, glass breakage analysis, and box making technology.

Dinner Saturday night

"Cowboy up!" was the theme and attendees enjoyed an authentic Chuck wagon dinner featuring pristine Texas steak. Everything was cooked by open campfire by an award winning chuck wagon crew, on the property of Barons on Fifth, with the campfire under the live oaks. The night was perfect!

MBAA members enjoyed the farewell breakfast on Sunday morning and look forward to the Summer meeting in the hill country at Kerrville's Inn of the Hills on July 24-26, 2009, where the district's Summer meetings have been held for over 50o years! Our farthest traveling attendees came from Districts Cincinnati, District Minneapolis and District Northwest at this meeting.

Joe Caracausa took pictures which are included here!