Hello, My Name is Thierry Hall

We are proud to spotlight NASTT Student Chapter member, Thierry Hall, from California State Polytechnic University – Pomona.  thierry-hall

“Hi everybody! I am Thierry Hall, currently a senior at Cal Poly Pomona studying Construction Engineering. Entering as the new president of Cal Poly Pomona’s NASTT Student Chapter I am using the motivation I gained from attending NASTT’s 2016 No-Dig Show to propel our chapter forward. Cal Poly’s chapter met a lot of long standing and new student chapters that have impressive activities and leaders. Meeting them was really inspiring to myself and our members.

Through an upcoming tech tour of TBM work in downtown Los Angeles, partnering with geotechnical clubs on campus, and increasing our research capability and momentum we hope to both promote and educate students about trenchless technologies. Looking forward to seeing you all at this year’s No-Dig Show in Washington DC.”

Well done, Thierry! The North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s Student Chapters, working to build the future of trenchless!

AWWA’s Water Infrastructure Conference & Exposition

AWWA’s newest conference is focused on addressing and protecting our asset and infrastructure challenges.

With workshops, tours and six session tracks, this four-day conference and exposition will address water infrastructure planning and reinvestment strategies, critical infrastructure protection through comprehensive emergency preparedness efforts, and enhanced security measures.

The conference is taking place Oct. 30- Nov. 2, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Learn more here!

GSSI Announces LineTrac™ GPR Accessory for Detecting AC Power and Induced RF Energy in Buried Utilities

LineTrac employs a three-axis 50/60 Hz magnetometer that is used to locate powered and non-powered utilities with accurate, dependable and repeatable performance.  LineTrac aids in target discrimination and detection of difficult-to-locate utilities, and features simple integration with UtilityScan systems and their resulting GPR data. LineTrac also features a rugged, IP-65 rated enclosure to ensure long service life even in harsh field conditions.

UtilityScan systems are the industry standard for efficiently identifying and marking the location and depth of subsurface utilities, including gas, sewer, and communication lines. With a number of different cart and antenna configurations, UtilityScan systems can be tailored to meet a wide range of needs. All UtilityScan configurations deliver exceptionally high-quality data and are rugged enough to withstand years of field usage.

About GSSI

Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the world leader in the development, manufacture, and sale of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, primarily for the concrete inspection, utility mapping and locating, road and bridge deck evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology markets. Our equipment is used all over the world to explore the subsurface of the earth and to inspect infrastructure systems non-destructively. GSSI introduced the first commercial GPR system nearly 45 years ago and continues to provide the widest range and highest quality GPR equipment available today.

Hello, My Name is Stephen Welling

Stephen said, “I began my career in heavy construction 23 years ago building a new taxiway at the Missoula Montana airport. In spite of being a 3rd generation builder, it certainly wasn’t my dream job, though it did pay the bills.” Jokingly he added, “my other dream job of a fly-fishing guide never panned out for lack of ability. I eventually found my way into the engineering side of the industry which I enjoyed a great deal more. My love for innovation inspired me to pursue a graduate degree in civil engineering at Virginia Tech, wherein I joined a research team that had a great deal of involvement in the trenchless industry.

Since leaving Virginia Tech, my career has had me involved in water and wastewater infrastructure management. I have worked as a contractor for some of the largest utilities in the country on these types of projects and have enjoyed it immensely. I currently work for Pure Technologies near Dallas, Texas as a project manager for structural integrity and leak detection inspections, and it is honestly some of the coolest work on earth. Hurrah for proactive pipeline management, and double hurrah for NASTT!”

We are proud of you, Stephen! The North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s Student Chapters, working to build the future of trenchless!

Hello, My Name is Daniel Legere

We are proud to spotlight NASTT Student Chapter member, Daniel Legere, from IUPUI in Indianapolis. Daniel is the president of the IUPUI Student Chapter.

Daniel said, “I am entering my final year at IUPUI and it’s been an amazing adventure thus far! I am working toward a degree in Construction Engineering and currently work for Patterson Horth Inc. General Contactors as an assistant project manager. Before I began my college career I worked for an HDD company just north of Indianapolis and it was that experience in trenchless technology that made me realize I wanted to seek a degree in construction.

In March our chapter was honored to go to NASTT’s No-Dig Show in Dallas, TX where we were able to network and meet plenty of professionals looking to hire soon to be graduates. Our chapter plans to make the trip to Washington D.C. in 2017 and hope to see you there.

This year our chapter is working with Habitat for Humanity in an effort to give back to our local community. IUPUI’s NASTT Student Chapter also sponsors a flag football team as well as our annual Regatta rowing team.

I am also a member of CSI Indianapolis Chapter and on September 28 from 2:00PM – 7:00PM, we will be hosting our annual CSI Trade Show at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis (10 S West St., Indianapolis, IN 46204). No cost for attendees! Check out our website for registration and details at http://indianapolis.csinet.org/.

Excellent job, Daniel! The North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s Student Chapters, working to build the future of trenchless!

UCS Mexico Named Dealer of Akkerman Equipment in Mexico and Central America

Brownsdale, MN – July 25, 2016 – On June 29, 2016, Akkerman entered into dealership contract with Underground Construction Supply (UCS) Mexico as sole Akkerman equipment representative in Mexico and Central America.

UCS Mexico was established in 2013 to support the booming underground construction market in this region and has since diversified to address contractors’ needs in the trenchless pipe jacking and tunneling, HDD, pipe bursting, trenching, and vacuum excavation markets. UCS Mexico also offers service, aftermarket parts, and lubrication expertise. They employ over two dozen underground construction specialists, who represent various equipment manufacturers and territories throughout the region.

Jason Holden, Director of Sales at Akkerman comments, “We feel fortunate to have formed a relationship with UCS Mexico and are confident that they will serve our customers’ needs with competence and efficiency.” Holden also commends the CEO of UCS Mexico, “Ing. Sergio Alvarado Martin is incredibly knowledgeable of the trenchless industry and is a great resource for pairing our equipment with projects in Mexico and Central America. Sergio is a motivated, energetic and driven company owner and it is these qualities that have allowed UCS Mexico to become one of the leading suppliers of trenchless products in the region.”

Contact UCS Mexico at +52 (55) 5932 5444 and visit  www.ucsmexico.com for more information.

In the last two decades, Akkerman equipment has been prominent in the emerging trenchless market in Mexico and Central America, resulting in many key contractors’ adoption of trenchless methods into their service portfolios. The Comisión del Agua del Estado de México (CAEM) in Mexico City Owners has shown strong support for these methods in its effort to upgrade sewer and water infrastructure.

To date, over 100km of pipe has been installed with Akkerman guided boring, manned pipe jacking, slurry microtunneling and earth pressure balance systems in Mexico City. The first Akkerman pipe jacking system was sent to Mexico in 1994 for a project at the Mexico City International Airport. In 2012, the first guided boring system was used on the Subcolector San Marcos project, followed by the first Akkerman slurry microtunneling system in 2014 for the Colector Los Reyes de la Pas project. Most recently, an earth pressure balance system was shipped in 2015 for the Colector Emiliano Zapata project in Ecatepec, which was completed in February.

For over forty years, Akkerman has developed, manufactured and supported quality pipe jacking and tunneling equipment that accurately installs a variety of underground infrastructure. For more information, visit akkerman.com.

Photo: Pictured from L to R – Ing. Sergio Alvarado Martin – Sergio Alvarado Donoso – Jason Holden – Cecilia Zavaleta and Maynard Akkerman