b'2022 Post WPMAEXPOFMorningWEDNESDAYFormer Las Vegas and Salt Lake City TelevisionNewscaster Dave McCannopened the Keynote sessionwith his usual humorous remarks that got the audiencewarmed up and ready to hear Trey Gowdy.The National Anthem was sung by Kara Woodward ofLas Vegas. Following her beautiful rendition of the Anthem, Todd Shaw of the Washington Independent EnergyDistributors Association gave the opening prayer.Dave McCann gave a brief biography and introduced the 2021-22 WPMA President, Steve Clark of Genesee Energy in Seattle, Washington. Steve then spotlighted the 2022 WPMA Presidential, Premier, and Diamond sponsors, and had a representative from each of the Presidential sponsors accept an award and give some brief remarks. Receivingthe awards: Ian NobleChevron Sal LoMagroFederated Insurance Mark Lytle - Pro Petroleum, Saratoga and SC FuelsHenry Miller - Shell Oil Products US Jeanette Lee - Sinclair Oil CorpSteve thanked the Presidential sponsors for their exceptionalsupport of the WPMAEXPO. Steve also had the honor to announce the 2022 WPMA Hall of Famerecipient, Brett Adams of Adams Petroleum in Burley, Idaho.Congratulations to Brett on receiving this honor!Following the Hall of Fame award, Steve introduced the 2022 WPMA Keynote speaker, former U.S. Representative from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy. Mr. Gowdy gave an uplifting speech full of hope and thoughtful insights into where the U.S. is today. Here are some of his remarks:Where are we as a country? Thats the easy part. Were 50-50.Were about as divided as we can possibly be. The Senate is liter-ally 50-50. In my lifetime, only two presidential candidates have garnered more than 55% of the vote. In my lifetime, five presidential candidates have won with less than 50% of the popular vote.There have been more impeachments in my lifetime than landslide presidential winners. The House seems to flip every two years.2/3 of all Republicans do not have a single solitary Democratfriend. 2/3 of all Democrats do not have a single solitaryRepublican friend.Contrast is goodcontrast is what you would expect in a plural- us; who does not think like us; who does not wor-ship like us. Consider the potential of a relationship istic, diverse culture like ours. But sometimes the contrast morphswith someone who doesnt agree with us. . Do we into conflict. And the conflict becomes unsustainable. We are ahave people in our lives that can give us the other quintessentially 50-50 country. Do we have these episodic momentsside of the story? A different way of looking at it. And of unity in the aftermath of a terrorist attack or a natural disas- it doesnt mean we have to surrender a deeply-held ter? Yes, but even those episodic fleeting moments of unity becomeconviction. Im not asking anybody to surrender a shorter, and shorter, and shorter. So we are living in a 50-50deeply-held conviction. Im simply asking uswould country. I do not want to die in a 50-50 country. Its exhausting. It iswe benefit from a relationship with someone who has unsustainable. I dont think its healthy for the Republic. experienced things we have never experienced? And That are we open to trying? . It is hard to hate something s where we are. What can we do about it? . I want to suggest to you the potential of pursuing an unlikely friendship; an unlikelyyou know. Do we know people that have different life relationship. A relationship with someone who does not look likeexperiences? That is the first thing I would encourage 12 www.wpma.com / Spring 2022'