The Texas Cotton Association invites you to join us and the entire Texas cotton industry as we CELEBRATE COTTON WEEK in LUBBOCK, TEXAS! The Texas Cotton Association's annual FLOW/MARKETING MEETING will be held during CELEBRATE COTTON WEEK, on September 12 & 13, 2018! This annual meeting is primarily designed to encourage discussion among cotton industry stakeholders involved in the movement of Texas Cotton. TCA members are known to have an impeccable reputation of supplying grade A Texas cotton when our customers demand it. Since 1973, the Flow/Marketing Meeting has proven to be the right time and place to communicate and resolve problematic flow specific issues prior to harvest.  

Texas cotton industry partners have teamed up to host a TEXAS-SIZED -- CELEBRATE COTTON OPEN GOLF SCRAMBLE, on September 12, 2018, with a shot-gun start at 1:00 p.m., at the Shadow Hills Golf Course, in Lubbock! Calling ALL cotton producers, ginners, merchants, warehousemen, suppliers and service providers! The format will include a 4-person Scramble. A buffet lunch will be served at noon and the driving range will open at 11:00 a.m. The cost to play is $100/person. Registration is available on the Flow meeting online or paper registration forms. Click here to map directions to Shadow Hill Golf Course.

The Texas Cotton Association will kick off the annual CELEBRATE COTTON FLOW RECEPTION from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Overton Hotel in Sunset Ballroom A on September 12, 2018. This is the largest industry networking event of the season where cotton transportation is the theme! A can't miss social and business occasion! 

SEATED BREAKFAST FLOW MEETING will be held in Sunset A, on Thursday, September 13, 2018,  featuring speakers addressing issues pertinent to our members. Seating will begin at 7:45 a.m and we expect to adjourn around noon or later. TCA President, Alan Vinson, Cotton Trader of ECOM U.S.A., Inc., Lubbock, will preside. Speakers addressing the Flow program include: Dan Schofer, Cotton Program Manager at USDA Farm Service Agency, Washington, D.C; Darren Hudson, PhD., Larry Combest Endowed Chair, Director, International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness, and Graduate Coordinator, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Texas University; Steve Verett, Executive Vice President of Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Lubbock, and Raymond Faus, Chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association and CEO of OMNICOTTON, Plano. Facilitating the transportation flow discussion part of the program will be Michael Symonanis, North American Regional Head of Execution, Louis Dreyfus Corp., Cordova. Speaker panelists include: Marcel van Dijk, Cargo Marketing Manager, Port of Los Angeles, CA., Joe Tillman, Vice President of Louis Dreyfus Cotton Company Storage, Cordova and President of Cotton Warehouse Association of America, Washington, D.C; Chip Kohn, Director of Business Development of AV Logistics/C&K Trucking, Atlanta, GA; and Ty Reasonover, Sr. Manager Trade Development, Port Houston. Others speakers on the morning agenda will be announced to you as they accept our invitation. Questions will be gathered in advance of the meeting from each segment to be posed to other segments in the form of a questionnaire. Be watching for the survey that we will circulate to members and others requesting your participation in the discussion. We will also accommodate questions from the floor and invite the audience to provide input. It is imperative that ALL stakeholders participate so that the entire cotton industry will benefit from these talks and perfect the movement of our cotton to its final destination. Let's join hands in the movement! 

FLOW MEETING HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS may be made by calling the OVERTON HOTEL toll free 888.776.7001, requesting a room in the Texas Cotton Association - FLOW meeting block, for a special rate of $129+tax for a single or double accommodations. You may also book your room online by clicking Online Hotel Reservations and the TCA discounted room rate page will appear! We have contracted rooms for the nights of September 10th through September 16th. We have secured a couple of rooms for $275+tax per night for those of you wanting to stay over for the COTTON GAME. Friday and Saturday night stays are required. Please let me know if there are any takers! This is the very best rate available at the Overton during the football season on home game weekends. We will release these rooms to the hotel on August 20th if we have not received your request to stay. In order to be assured of the reduced TCA special meeting rate during the Flow activities, you must act no later than the deadline of 5:00 p.m. on August 27, 2018, before any remaining rooms in our block, are cancelled and returned to the hotel for general sales. This is a BUSY CELEBRATE COTTON WEEK in Lubbock and rooms go fast! In making your plans, please also note that hotel check-in is 4:00 p.m. and check-out is at 11 a.m. 

Online Registration Form is available through this link and on the home page of our website in a drop-down menu at the top of the page displayed in menu items. You can pay using your credit card. We accept American Express, Master Card, Visa & Discover. You can also now pay by check using the Online Registration Form: E-Check option. Remember, our website is secure, offering fast checkout! Upon receipt of your pre-registration fee, we will prepare a name badge for you which is your ticket to all functions including the Reception and Flow/Marketing Meeting. Onsite registration will also be available but will increase by $10.00. All registration fees are subject to a late fee of $10 if received after September 5, 2018. If you prefer to register by mail, select Registration Form: US Mail or in the drop-down menu under Flow Meeting 2018. If you wish to mail your registration form, our address is The Texas Cotton Association, P.O. Box 765098, Dallas, Texas 75376-5098. 

TCA CELEBRATE COTTON GIVEAWAY! Be sure to buy raffle tickets to enter the TCA CELEBRATE COTTON GIVEAWAY! Valuable prizes will be given away during the Cotton Flow Reception by TCA President, ALAN VINSON! Here's how it works: Winners will be announced at the Cotton Flow Reception, Wednesday, September 12, 2018,  by 8:00 p.m. Great e-opportunity to purchase to play on the West Texas Flow Marketing Meeting online registration form. You may also buy tickets at the door. Buy raffle tickets priced at $5.00 per ticket. For each increment of 5 tickets that you buy, you will receive one ticket absolutely FREE! You may buy one ticket or as many as you like to increase your chances to win. Your ticket(s) will be placed in your badge holder that you will pick up at the registration desk on Wednesday night at the TCA Cotton Flow Reception! Simply remove one part of the two-part ticket and place it in the raffle drum. Retain the other part and listen for your ticket number to be called! Winners must be present to win. The TCA CELEBRATE COTTON GiVEAWAY begins today and will end promptly at 6:00 p.m., on September 12, 2018. Go straight to the online registration form and enter for your chance to win!

THE COTTON CLUB! You will also find a place on the registration form to join the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club was established as an integral part of providing an exceptional organization for members. Since meeting registration fees don't cover the full cost of TCA meetings, these extra dollars create opportunities for industry cohesiveness and growth that may not otherwise exist. Participation in the annual meeting fund by members and other interested parties is important because it indicates the depth and breadth of confidence by those closest to the association. Every donor and every gift is vital to maintaining the ongoing strength of The Texas Cotton Association...year after year. Simply join The Cotton Club and watch our network grow. Enjoy extra membership benefits during meetings and be eligible to be included in an extra drawing for prizes and gifts. The Cotton Club members will also be recognized at our meetings.

SPONSORS! YOUR contribution to this year's meeting will help us benefit ALL stakeholders in the movement of TEXAS COTTON! Let's join hands in the movement! Advertise your company name to friends and potential business associates during the Flow activities September 12 & 13, 2018! The Officers, Directors, Merchant and Primary Marketing members of The Texas Cotton Association, thank you for your partnership! Sponsor packages are detailed on the sponsorship form.  Online Sponsorship is available through this link or on the home page of our website. You can pay using your credit card. We accept American Express, Master Card, Visa & Discover. You can also now pay by check using the Online Sponsorship Form: E-Check option. Remember, our website is secure, offering fast checkout! If you prefer to sponsor by mail, select Sponsorship Forms: US Mail or in the drop-down menu under Flow Meeting 2018. If you wish to mail your sponsorship form, our address is The Texas Cotton Association, P.O. Box 765098, Dallas, Texas 75376-5098. 

Please consider supporting at one of the following levels:

  • FLOW CHAMPION -- $1,500
  • FLOW AUTHORITY -- $1,000
  • FLOW PARTNER -- $500
  • FLOW FRIEND -- $250

Upon arrival, you will receive a name badge and a sponsor ribbon indicating that you are one of the contributors responsible for our success! Texas Cotton Association thanks you in advance for your continued support of the cotton merchandising segment!


"CELEBRATE COTTON Game" & Activities
September 15, 2018

***** Celebrate Cotton Game Tickets ON SALE NOW! *****

All TCA Flow Meeting Participants are invited to the seventh annual Celebrate Cotton Game as the Texas Tech Red Raiders host the Houston Cougars at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, September 15, 2018, at Jones AT&T Stadium. Buy tickets online at http://bit.ly/TTUCottonGameTickets or by calling 806-742-TECH and mentioning code COTTON18 for the Cotton Game special discounted rate for cotton industry participants. Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., will host another tailgate prior to the game. Please RSVP 806.792-4904. Team up with TCA members and the Texas cotton industry during "CELEBRATE COTTON" week, September 10-16, in Lubbock, Texas!

The Officers and Directors of The Texas Cotton Associationthank you for your interest in TEXAS COTTON, our association, and our meetings. We are hopeful that you will be able to join us for another successful annual Flow/Marketing Meeting & "CELEBRATE COTTON" week!

OFFICERS & DIRECTORS 2018-2019:

Alan Vinson of ECOM U.S.A., Inc., Lubbock, President

Josh Underwood of Underwood Cotton Co., Lubbock, 1st Vice President

John  Romines, OLAM Cotton, Richardson, 2nd Vice President

Kandice Poteet, Executive Vice President, Dallas

Sam Clay of TOYO Cotton Co., Dallas

David Edwards, ECOM U.S.A., Inc., Dallas, At-Large Past President

Angie Goodman of ACG Cotton Marketing, LLC, Lubbock, Immediate Past President

Rhonda Lambert of Cargill Cotton Co, Lubbock

Robert Luehrs of Allenberg Cotton Co., Corpus Christi

Darren Newton, Glencore Ag., LLC, Lubbock

Ray Ragsdale of Memtex Cotton, Moody

Beau Stephenson, Omnicotton, Inc., Plano

Rob Smith, International FCStone, Nashville

Rick Stone, OLAM Cotton, Lubbock, At-Large Past President

 

 Register and make your room reservations NOW! Head on out to the High Plains of TEXAS... where cotton is KING!

"CELEBRATE COTTON" is the theme! TEXAS COTTON is #1 in TEXAS and #1 in the U.S.A.!