With so many people in attendance there were bound to be disagreements.
The “sellout-plus” crowd of 280 attendees for the 2025 OCA Annual Convention agreed to disagree when it came to what they considered the highlight of the March 5-13 event, as Milan provided something for everyone.
Known as Italy’s, as well as one of the world’s, fashion and design capitals, Milan is also steeped in history; is an international financial center; manufacturing hub; and is at the core of Northern Italy’s natural beauty and cuisine.
“Milan is the business and fashion capital for that part of Europe, and it still has the Old World feel in the City Center – and people enjoy that,” said OCA Director of Member Events Dave Rule of the association’s first convention held in Milan and fourth in Italy in 52 years. “The food, obviously, in Italy is a huge, huge attraction … The food, as normal, was wonderful. There were a lot of unique experiences and things to do in Milan.” OCA’s other Italy conventions were in Rome in 1973, 2001 and 2017.
Rule said the success of OCA’s 2017 Rome convention created demand for Milan. “I think people really fell in love with Italy,” he said. “I think there was just pent-up demand to go.” Among the thought-to-be record number of convention attendees were 58 first-time participants. In all, 35 OCA member companies were represented.
2025 OCA Chair Mary Fantozzi, of J.D. Williamson Construction Co., admits having family ties to the country, but Milan was also chosen because of its vicinity to other cities and attractions. “I picked Italy for the annual convention because of my husband’s family history to the country. He has family there, and I had always heard wonderful things about the history, beauty, food and wine,” she said. “We settled on Milan because of its ability to host a large group, ease of travel and location relative to other cities nearby.”
“Milan makes the rest of the country very accessible,” said Rule. “You can be in Rome in 2½ hours on the train. You can be in Venice in 1½ hours … You can be in Florence in 1½ hours …You can be in Switzerland in less than an hour. It’s a hub of northern Europe; it’s easy to access.”
And access OCA members did in their eight days in Northern Italy.
Along with the Welcome Reception, Kickoff Prayer Breakfast, day trips to St. Moritz, (Switzerland), Florence (Italy) and Theme Day at Lake Como near the Italy-Switzerland border, convention attendees were able to take in much of Milan, which boasts the nation’s largest metropolitan population.
While there were several “bucket-list items” to experience, for A&A Safety Inc. President Bill Luttmer it was the opportunity to visit Santa Maria Delle Grazie Church and see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.” Luttmer, who has attended nearly 25 OCA conventions, said seeing the artist’s details in the mural – which dates to 1498 – reminded him of what he enjoys most about traveling. “What you think something is, that you’ve seen in a book or on TV, until you experience it in person you usually have a preconceived idea of how it appears,” he said. “Your personal experience is so different than your expectations, and it’s even better when you see it in person.”
Among Fantozzi’s highlights was the Duomo di Milano, a gothic-inspired cathedral that has its construction dating to 1386. The Duomo di Milano, which is Italy’s largest cathedral and the world’s second largest, is more than 350 feet tall, has 135 spires, can hold 40,000 people and features more than 3,400 statues. “The Duomo di Milano was such a beautiful site to see! … You could spend days there and still not see it all,” she said. “There is so much beauty, and being able to go up on the rooftop for a tour was something that will stick with me forever.”
Other Milan historic landmarks enjoyed were La Scala Theatre & Ansaldo Laboratories, which provided a tour of one of the world’s prestigious opera houses; former da Vinci residence Sforza Castle & Triennale Design (art) Museum; and more.
Milan provided memories as well for the OCA contingent with its shopping and exclusive tours. “… Milan has every name brand you can think of with the best customer service!” said Fantozzi. “It was such a fun experience to visit all the shops and people watch for all the high fashion. Some of it could be pretty outrageous and things you just don’t see in Ohio.”
Speaking of things you just don’t see was the Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta tour. Limited to 40 people, OCA members were the first public group to tour the nearly 600-year-old firearms manufacturer. Rule said the “exclusive” tour came about from OCA’s request to its Italian travel management company, Mutika. A personal friendship between the heads of the travel group and Beretta made the trip possible. “It turned out great; the members loved it,” said Rule.
In addition to Milan’s historic and current offering – and even a nod to its future through a snow globe clock counting the days to when the city will host the 2026 Winter Olympics, OCA members took advantage of the rail system for day trips to St. Moritz, Switzerland, Florence and elsewhere. “I think it’s fun and unique to ride on the train,” Luttmer said. “I think those experiences are fun, unique and exciting.”
Perhaps one thing about the rail system during OCA’s trip that wasn’t a fun experience was Italy’s annual rail strike that occurred on the day OCA members traveled to Florence. “It threw a lot of things off,” Rule said of the annual strike, which included cancellation of one of the trains for association members to be “all aboard.” The result was a 5½-hour return trip to Milan by bus. OCA members took it in stride as they enjoyed their time in Florence where they found “unique to here” leather items. “A lot of people brought back leather items from Florence – and a lot of wine came back as well,” Rule said.
While disagreements were understandable about highlights of Italy, a collective agreement among OCA members was that Theme Day at Lake Como became a “favorite memory.” Serving as a backdrop in many movies – including “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and James Bond’s “Casino Royale” – “Lake Como’s role in cinema,” according to lagodicomo.com, “has cemented its status as one of the most visually captivating and culturally significant destinations in the world …”
In addition to a day of riding boat shuttles throughout the lake to sight-see, dine and shop, the group congregated for lunch at Villa Erba. “The Theme Day at Lake Como was off the charts: beautiful location, the décor was stunning,” said Rule, who said the Three Tenors singing group, tuxedo-clad wait staff serving wine and food pairings by candlelight set the scene. “… When these men sang, grown men cried,” Rule added.
“My favorite memory of the trip was having the Three Tenors sing at Villa Erba on the Lake Como day,” Fantozzi said, “Their voices literally took your breath away when combined with the beautiful setting. One of them even sang directly to my mom (Veronica Williamson), which is a memory I will never forget. Her embarrassment was priceless!”
Luttmer not only had high praise for the wait staff in Lake Como, but also the service of the Milan’s Hotel Principe Di Savoia. “Having been on a lot of trips, I would say the level of service, attention to detail, the folks’ outlook and demeanor, I would say, it is one of the top five conventions I’ve ever been. Amazing … everything they did was top-notch.”
Rule noticed the same, which in turn provided one of his best 2025 convention memories. “… There were gathering places in the hotel where every night there were mixed groups – from big companies to small companies – sitting together, having drinks together, hanging out together. That to me, in an industry where they are competitors and yet you see them here, is always special to me, and that was evident on this trip that they just enjoy being together.”
Luttmer agrees with Rule, saying it is that camaraderie that has him attending the association’s convention year after year.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s an opportunity to go to the convention regardless of where it is. It’s a unique time to be around the other folks in the organization,” said the 2025 OCA vice chair. “… I have always said that I think our industry is unique in that one day I may be competing with you, and tomorrow I’m working with you as a project partner as a contractor or subcontractor. With that, I think comes one of the unique and neat things about our industry …”
Save the Date
OCA will be traveling to the West Indies Island country of St. Kitts and Nevis for its 2026 Annual Convention, February 7-14.
For adventure seekers, the dual-island nation is known for its snorkeling; sand and surf; deep-sea fishing; four-wheel, hiking and history tours; and more. For those looking to relax and soak up the Caribbean sun, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour Resort features ocean views from every room; pools; full-service spa; restaurants; and average February temperatures of 78 degrees – or more than twice as warm as the average Ohio temperatures at that time.
More details are to be announced.