ADSC Summer Meeting

Seattle, the Emerald City of the West, plays host to the 2009 Summer Meeting of ADSC: The International Association of Foundation Drilling. The event takes place July 21-25 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, and it promises to be a most worthwhile experience.

"Building Green: Opportunities for Our Industry" is the theme for this year's event, and two special presentations - "Opportunities for ADSC Members in the Growing Geothermal Industry," by Paul Bony of ClimateMaster, and "The Global Warming Frenzy: Fact or Fiction," by Weather Channel founder John Coleman - will be featured.

A solid lineup of product and technical presentations are planned, along with numerous socializing activities, including a golf tournament and fishing excursion.

Get all the details at www.adsc-iafd.com, or telephone 214-343-2091.

Be Just Like Tiger

The Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust is putting on a pair of golf outing fundraisers next month. On Monday, July 13, the action takes place at Chartiers Country Club in Pittsburgh. On Monday, July 27, the venue is Harborside International Golf Center in Chicago. Festivities kick off with lunch and driving range use, then participants chase around the little white balls. Afterward, there are cocktails, dinner and award ceremonies to enjoy. To sign up for golf and/or the available sponsorship opportunities, visit www.dfi.org, or telephone 973-423-4030.

New President Named at Gerwick

On July 1, Dale Berner becomes president of Ben C. Gerwick Inc. (BCG), replacing outgoing president Jim Dastur. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company is celebrating more than 80 years of innovative engineering and construction of major marine and foundation projects. Berner, who currently serves as vice president of BCG, has spent his entire professional career with Gerwick. At various stages of his 26-year career with BCG, he has held the position of chief engineer, chief financial officer and currently is serving as a member of its board of directors.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be allowed to serve as the president of Ben C. Gerwick Inc.," says Berner. "Since the 1920s, BCG has played an innovative role in the heavy marine civil industry, first as a contractor, and now as a civil engineering firm. BCG is currently expanding both its number of offices and the range of engineering services it offers, and I plan to continue this trend into the foreseeable future. Much of the growth is expected to come from design-build contracts, which BCG is well qualified to perform due to our past experience as a civil contractor. Also, as a member of the COWI group, BCG is well positioned to work with our sister companies - Buckland & Taylor and Ocean & Coastal Consultants - as well as with our parent COWI, to pursue engineering work on major transportation, coastal and marine projects around the world. After having worked with BCG on many exciting projects over the past 26 years, I look forward to the next 26 years of equally challenging and rewarding projects."

Moretrench's McHugh Is Tabbed for ASCE Post

Moretrench vice president Michael McHugh has been elected to serve as president of the American Society of Civil Engineer's Lower Hudson Valley chapter for the 2009/2010 term. He took over at the beginning of June from outgoing president William McCarthy III, director of business development for McClaren Engineering Group.

McHugh, who has overall responsibility for all new construction and remedial projects undertaken by Moretrench's Yonkers, N.Y., office, has long been active in the chapter, previously serving as secretary and vice-president, as well as president-elect.

The Lower Hudson Valley chapter has a membership of 600. "In the coming year," McHugh says, "we are looking to provide interesting educational PDH (Professional Development Hour) talks and also provide networking for the members. In addition, we will look to raise money for the Lower Hudson Valley ASCE scholarship fund for high school students who will be studying civil engineering."

You can contact McHugh at mmchugh@mtac.com.

A Pair of Awards Bestowed Upon Kennametal

Carlos Cardoso, chairman, president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 Award in the Master category for the Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia region. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. An independent panel of judges selected Cardoso, and the award was presented at a gala event in Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 19. In accepting the honor, Cardoso said, "I have learned in my career that the people around you make all the difference between success and failure - build the best team and you assure success; settle for less and you fail. Therefore, I accept this award on behalf of the entire world-class Kennametal team."

Also, two of Kennametal's inventors were honored with the Advanced Manufacturing Award at the 13th Annual Carnegie Science Center Awards. This is the eighth time that Kennametal has been recognized for excellence in the areas of advanced manufacturing, materials and corporate innovation.

Kennametal is a global supplier of tooling, engineered components and advanced materials for a variety of markets, including foundation drilling, directional drilling and trenching.

GROUP Cited

GROUP Contractors, an industrial construction company that includes in its specializations driven and auger-cast piles and drilled shafts, recently received a National Safety Excellence Award from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) for the Baton Rouge, La.,-headquartered company's commitment to safety. The award was presented to GROUP Contractors' representatives June 24 at the 19th annual Excellence in Construction banquet at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The company's pro-active approach to safety was a primary reason the company was honored with the prestigious national safety award. For instance, last year, GROUP created a program to educate and elevate the safety awareness of their employees and contractors about the hazards of pile driving to ensure safety on-site for a large construction project it was managing. GROUP, working with the Industrial Safety and Training Council and other pile driving contractors, created a computer-based safety and training interactive course called Pile Driving 101 for on-site workers to receive additional safety training in piling. The company also analyzed and revised its corporate safety manual to create a new and user-friendly version for all employees.

"GROUP has always been committed to safety, and we are honored to be recognized by ABC for these efforts," says GROUP President David Arrighi. "We recognize the potential hazard of an untrained workforce and we proactively work to address it, and in the process, also sustain our excellent safety standards and statistics."

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.

Featured Product of the Month

Foundation Construction Rig

Boart Longyear has released the new DeltaBase (DB) 95 drill rig for the foundation construction market. Featuring a compact footprint, the DB95 is targeted at tieback and soil nail drilling applications, and offers contractors versatility for difficult site conditions.

The rig features the patent-pending MasterLink mast articulation design. Operators can adjust the height of the mast as necessary while locking in the drill-mast inclination as they proceed. The drill system is mounted to an independent pendulum crawler, which is designed to be capable of handling extreme terrain without the need for stabilization jacks.

The drill weighs 22,050 pounds, and the mast of the DB95 has a maximum torque rating of 15,000 Nm and a pullback capacity of 7,000 kg, providing contractors with the strength to manage a wide range of foundation applications. 

Contractors can customize the drill with several drill head options. A range of single rotary head or single hydraulic drifter configurations (with available side-shift) meet many common drilling requirements. In addition, radio-remote driving controls are standard features of the DB95.

For more information, visit www.boartlongyear.com.