Town of Collierville employees from the Public Services Department met with their peers from municipalities across Tennessee at an annual statewide competition in downtown Memphis this week. The Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association (TCAPWA) and Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) 2021 Conference took place on Mud Island November 1-3. Educational/technical sessions, networking mixers, golf, a tour of the Memphis Zoo and an Equipment Rodeo all took place during the 3-day event.

The Equipment Rodeo tests public works professional’s equipment operator skills in multiple time and skill focused events. These events provide participants with an opportunity to show off the skills they have fine-tuned while on the job. Teams from municipalities from across the state hope to come home with the first-place prize. This year’s events featured competitions with the Skid Steer, Knuckleboom, Gradall Excavator, Wheel Loader, Backhoe and Auto Refuse Truck. Seven employees from Collierville participated in the events with, Charles Maharrey an Equipment Operator from the Wastewater Collection Division, coming in second place in the Backhoe competition.

The annual conference rotates host cities every year and this year the Town of Collierville had the honor of hosting. Mayor Stan Joyner welcomed the conference attendees as the Equipment Rodeo Awards Reception sharing the importance of public works in municipal government.

“From water and sewer services, to sanitation, to salting and plowing the roads in the winter, and making sure potholes are filled in the spring and summer, public works keep our cities and towns running smooth and efficiently. YOU keep our cities and towns running smooth and efficiently,” said Mayor Joyner.

John Fox, Public Utilities Manager for Collierville and President Elect of TCAPWA, organized this year’s conference.

“Each year the person organizing this event tries to outdo the person from the year before. We always want to make it bigger and better,” said Fox. “In the end, it’s all about enjoying the comradery with other public works professionals and building a state-wide network of support.”

John pulled out all the stops to make this year’s event special for the participants with networking events at the Bass Pro Pyramid and Memphis Zoo, local musicians playing throughout the conference, and the Town of Collierville’s Double Decker bus for event transportation. 340 professionals from across Tennessee came to Memphis to attend the conference.