International Bridge Conference

The 26th Annual International Bridge Conference takes place June 14-17 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh (the City of Bridges). The technical program offers more than 100 presentations, and there will be in excess of 15 workshops addressing a variety of topics, including design, construction, monitoring and rehabilitation. The tradeshow floor will feature the products, equipment and design tools of more than 175 exhibiting companies. For all the key details, visit www.eswp.com/bridge.

DFI Announces Job Opening

The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) is seeking a technical activities manager.

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Stimulate and support committee activities by developing training seminar sessions, recommendations, guides and manuals, and assisting with technical inquiries.
• Assist with coordinating the Journal by actively soliciting journal-quality papers, and assisting the publisher with the review and editing process.
• Assist with the institute's marketing efforts by coordinating the development of promotional materials and investigating publications for DFI advertising; traveling to industry events to represent DFI and to jobsite/member firms to perform interviews; and writing technical articles.

Requirements of the job include a B.S. C.E. degree, 10-plus years experience in the deep foundations industry, and strong communication and IT skills. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Resumes should be sent to dfihq@dfi.org.

Strategies in the Eye of the Storm

Stocks have fallen, banks have failed, projects are being delayed and cancelled at an unprecedented rate, and bailouts have come. Most sectors of the construction industry are facing their most severe downturn in more than 25 years. All of this begs the question, how is the industry responding?

To answer this question, FMI, management consultants for the construction industry, surveyed 230 of the most influential executives in the U.S. construction industry to gauge exactly how executives of the industry's leading firms were preparing for a rapidly changing landscape. It is clear that the world is changing, and participants in this year's survey were asked to rate just how much the competitive environment had intensified over the last 12 months.

Briston Blair, author of the report titled, "2009 Construction Industry Strategy Survey: Strategy in the Eye of the Storm," says, "Our findings suggest that while most companies anticipate a high degree of future uncertainty, they have not adapted the way they develop strategies. As uncertainty increases, so too should the level of preparation and depth of analysis that is used to determine a go-forward direction. Far too many contractors have yet to adapt to the changing context."

Some of the more interesting report findings:

• Many firms do not feel adequately prepared for the uncertainty that lies ahead.
• Firms in the middle market are anticipating the most uncertainty and are the least prepared.
• The lack of in-depth planning is preventing some firms from developing a strategy that aligns with the shifting industry context.

We can only be certain of uncertainty in the near-term. Firms are analyzing their macroclimate, customers and markets, competitors and themselves with varying degrees of rigor. The findings indicate that since most contractors are not deeply assessing all aspects of the industry context in preparation for challenging times ahead, they find themselves holding on to the strategies used during the glory days of the most recent market expansion. However, the firms approaching strategy development with the most detailed analysis and preparation are, not surprisingly, the most confident that they have the right strategy for the current economic environment.

The hardest hit firms usually are those stuck in the middle of the market as larger firms increase competition from the top and smaller companies become more aggressive from the bottom.

The final section of this year's survey allowed participants to provide written commentary in response to the question, "How have the events of the last six months changed the way you think about your firm's strategy?" The responses ranged from A to Z, but the undertones contained within varied primarily between opportunistic and concerned, proactive and reactive. Some of the more revealing comments:

• "Nobody has a clue what the future holds, so we need to be ready for anything."
• "We are looking farther away geographically...with joint venture firms that are local, substantial and have experienced personnel to contribute."
• "We will also look at strategic growth through acquisition to enter new markets."
• "We're engaged in intense visioning and strategy sessions to examine all products and services offered, cost position and customer requirements."
• "I don't think you do anything 'differently' in tough economic times; you simply do 'better' what you should already be doing."
• "I am more concerned with survival than growth."
• "Our strategy is wait-and-see while we continue to invest in training and management succession."
• "Business as usual; 'hoping' things will get better soon."

Unfortunately, as we learned in previous studies of business failures, contractors are not too big to fail (unlike Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac). At the same time, many of the successful contractors surveyed have been in business through many economic cycles and have done more than just survive - they have created cultures and business models that are resilient and sustainable.

No one can doubt that the construction markets have been severely disrupted by the global financial crisis, but the sky has not fallen. Contractors have made money in the past during similar times of uncertainty. Successful contractors will use this time to refocus the business, examine strategic opportunities, and right-size their operations. The latest storm will leave a world of opportunities in its wake, but the next boom is unlikely to mirror the last. There are many possible futures facing the industry, and those firms preparing and adapting their strategies now will be there to win big when the market recovers.

On the Job

Hayward Baker Handles Micropiles for New Bridge

Expansion of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., required a new bridge between the new exhibit hall and the hotels located on opposite sides of the busy Bee Line Expressway. Hayward Baker Inc., headquartered in Odenton, Md., got the assignment.

Two of the planned bridge pier locations were underlain by numerous, closely spaced underground utilities, which could not be interrupted or relocated. The planned driven, precast piling was determined to be too risky for the utilities. A reduced number of higher-capacity micropiles was selected to solve the problem. Through careful probing at each location, the micropiles were threaded past the utilities. The nominal 10-inch-diameter micropiles were drilled and grouted into the limestone formation at an approximate depth of 140 feet. A load test was successfully performed to twice the design load of 165 tons.

A leading specialty geotechnical contractor in North America, Hayward Baker has more than 30 years experience in ground improvement technology.

Moretrench's Donohoe Is Honored

Moretrench, headquartered in Rockaway, N.J., announces that company chairman John Donohoe is a 2009 recipient of the prestigious Opal Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This tribute, awarded to Mr. Donohoe for "innovation and excellence in construction of civil engineering projects and/or programs," underscores a career dedicated to the advancement of specialty dewatering and geotechnical construction and recognizes the extraordinary contribution that he has made to the civil engineering industry over the past 45 years.

Donohoe joined Moretrench in 1964, immediately after graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Civil Engineering. Over the course of a long and distinguished career with the company, he advanced to ultimately hold the positions of president from 1982 to 2002 and chief executive officer from 1995 to 2007. He has served as chairman since 1995.

During his tenure, which saw the beginning of a program of structured company growth that continues today, Moretrench accomplished many significant projects, notably design and construction of the largest ground freezing operation in the United States that allowed jacking of three massive box tunnels beneath South Street Station for Boston's Big Dig. And his dewatering experience with Moretrench at the original World Trade Center construction in 1968 led to him being asked to join the World Trade Center Task Force Committee on September 13th, 2001, where he provided immediate valuable insight to the recovery effort as it related to the heavily damaged slurry wall "bathtub" foundations. Throughout his career, Mr. Donohoe has been active in the civil engineering community and has served in an executive capacity on the boards of a number of professional organizations.

Incorporated in 1931, Moretrench is a full-service geotechnical contractor, which includes micropiles, soil nailing, tieback and tiedown anchorage systems, and deep foundations in its repertoire.

Featured Product of the Month

Pile Splices Available

SURE-LOCK concrete pile splices from Pile Splices Inc., Sausalito, Calif., use a male-female connection with steel plates and attached rebar anchors precast into the ends of the pile segments. When splicing, rectangular high-strength steel bars are driven into the matching annular grooves of the plates, forming a shear key joint.

Typical applications:

· If pile lengths are too long for casting, hauling, or driving in one piece.
· Where low headroom or height restrictions requires short segments.
· Enables the use of smaller equipment for more economic hauling or driving.
· Where it is in the interest of public safety to loft and drive shorter segments.

Standard shapes are square, octagonal, hexagonal and round. Standard sizes are 12-, 14-, 15-, 16-, 18-, 20-, 24- and 30-inches.

These pile splices are designed to meet or exceed any pile capacity or load requirement. They are adaptable to virtually any pile size, shape and strand pattern. Positive locking, they cannot come apart during driving. Splicing time is minimal - no welding, grouting, or epoxy is needed, minimizing field labor.

For more information, visit www.pilesplices.com.

Stay tuned for www.FindADriller.com, a new on-line service from National Driller - Coming soon!

AEC Store Corner

Earth Retention Systems Handbook - $97.95

An understanding of temporary excavation shoring and earth retention systems is essential. This detailed handbook presents a systematic and comprehensive presentation of these complex systems. Here is the definitive reference for anyone involved in the process of earth retention. CLICK HERE for a full description and the Table of Contents.

Visit AECStore.com to view all of our items for Foundation Pros.