|
NASTT Celebrates 20 Years
By Chris Brahler, 2010 NASTT Chairman
2010 is a very special year for NASTT,
as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. In
1990, five key people began to the brainstorm on the possibility of establishing a
new association just for trenchless technology. That organization became known
as NASTT and those five people became
its founding members. Twenty years later,
zation of more than 1,200 members,
nine regional chapters and 11 student
chapters throughout the United States,
Canada and Mexico.
The 20th anniversary of NASTT is
surely to be celebrated with excitement
at our 2010 No-Dig Show in Chicago
(Schaumburg), May 2-7. NASTT is planning an eventful and memorable No-Dig
commemorating this very special occasion to include the presentation of the
first-ever Michael E. Argent Memorial
Scholarships.
Up to five scholarships in the amount
of $5,000 each will be awarded to deserving students who are active members of
a NASTT student chapter and fulfill other
eligibility requirements. Michael was one
of our founding members, and it is hoped
that his contributions to our industry will
continue to inspire young trenchless professionals through this newly established
scholarship program.
The program is funded through money
raised at NASTT's Educational Fund
Auction held each year at No-Dig. I personally encourage you to get involved in
this effort by donating items and/or services to the auction. By doing so, you are
literally supporting the future of our industry in more ways than one.
NASTT is pleased to announce the
new Trent Ralston Award for Young
Trenchless Achievement to recognize a
young professional who has shown commitment to the trenchless industry
through volunteerism, leadership and
career accomplishments. This annual
award was established in honor of the
late Trent Ralston, who was an early
member of NASTT and an industry icon
and friend to all.
The Michael E. Argent Memorial
Scholarships and the Trent Ralston
Award forYoung Trenchless Achievement
are but two of special events planned to
celebrate NASTT's 20 year history at
2010 No-Dig in Chicago. Kaleel Rahaim
is heading up an eager team of 20th
anniversary committee members with
the task of chronicling NASTT's history,
collecting interesting anecdotes and
photographs that tell the story of our
organization. Anyone who is interested
in working on this committee or has
facts, photos or materials to share,
please contact Kaleel at krahaim@interplastic.com.
The No-Dig conference
theme of "Rebuilding North America's
Underground Infrastructure using
Trenchless Technology" is proven to be
timely and relevant given that throughout North America there is a renewed
focus of investing in our infrastructure
with the least social costs and impact to
the environment.
Because trenchless is often at the
core of projects designed to be environmentally responsible, those associated
with the trenchless business will find
themselves leading the way in the utility
construction industry in 2010. Despite
these economic times, projects will need
to be completed one way or another,
keeping trenchless industry on firm footing going forward.
NASTT is busy developing and supporting initiatives
that place trench-
less on the fore front of the construction industry,
such as the car bon calculator which helps engineers
and contractors estimate the reduction
of CO2 emissions when trenchless is
used vs. traditional open-cut methods.
These important issues will be
among those presented and discussed at 2010 No-Dig in Chicago,
May 2-7. By attending our high-quality
technical paper program and networking in the 50,000 sq. ft. exhibit
hall, you'll find solutions to your underground infrastructure needs using
trenchless.
I may be reached at cbrahler@tttechnologies.com.
| 
