Industry News, trenchless people
GSSI, the world’s leading manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, offers comprehensive training programs for new and existing customers on how to use GSSI equipment safely and effectively in the field. Classes are available for the complete range of GSSI products and is conducted by a team of four full time trainers.
The majority of GSSI’s training classes are taught at its headquarters in Nashua, New Hampshire. This facility has two classrooms equipped with computers for students to use and two hands on training areas featuring an indoor utility test pit. For customers located on the West Coast, GSSI offers classes six weeks a year in Henderson, Nevada. All of the classes are complimentary during the initial two year warranty period and can be taken for a fee if students haven’t purchased equipment or are outside of the warranty period. Classes in Nashua and Henderson range from one to three days depending on the particular class.
In addition to the regularly scheduled classes in Nashua and Henderson, GSSI offers live online webinars and on-site training for customers who cannot travel to attend a class. On-site training classes are provided at a customer’s facility upon request and can be customized or cover the standard material.
Most classes are geared towards the basic learner, but advanced classes are available for those who have at least six months of experience working with the equipment. Training courses generally require no prerequisites, no prior experience with the equipment or technology. GSSI trainers are skilled at teaching users of all educational and skill levels. For advanced users and those looking to drill deeply into the technology, GSSI can add any additional training or engineering resource.
“GSSI has invested a tremendous amount of time and money into developing a superior training program. GSSI focuses on partnering with its customer to make sure they are successful and training is an important part of that partnership,” said Dan Welch, GSSI Training Manager.
The class schedule is posted on the GSSI website so students can select the class and date that meets their needs. Popular offerings include classes on BridgeScan, RADAN 7, RoadScan, StructureScan Mini XT, StructureScan Pro and UtilityScan.
For more information on the GSSI training program, visit http://www.geophysical.com/training.htm.
trenchless people
THOMPSON, CONNECTICUT USA, October 4, 2017:
Numa, the world’s leading drilling technology provider, is proud to announce the promotion of industry veteran Neal Kuszewski to Vice President of Sales. Neal’s new responsibilities include strategic management of Numa’s sales programs and initiatives, as well as day-to-day sales operations in the United States and International markets.
Throughout his career, Neal has played an integral role in positioning Numa as a key global competitor in a highly challenging and dynamic industry. He leads a team of eight regional managers who have successfully increased the company’s penetration and influence in eleven different industries covering over 100 countries. He also assumes a lead role assembling and growing a network of distributors.
“In his previous position as Sales Manager, Neal exhibited the personal dedication and business leadership skills necessary for his new role,” said Ralph Leonard, President of Numa. “As VP of Sales, Neal will ensure that Numa continues to work closely with prospects and customers to design the right solutions to demanding drilling applications, provide an exceptional level of customer service and deliver timely technical support.”
Neal has accrued over three decades of service with Numa, advancing from an initial role as a CNC Machine Operator through multiple promotions. Prior to his current role, Neal has held positions as the Global Sales Manager, Domestic Sales Manager, Product Engineering Technician, multiple supervisory roles in production, and as a Field Technician, providing him with a breadth and depth of knowledge in company products and operations that is unparalleled.
ABOUT NUMA
Numa provides the world’s leading drilling technology with over 110 DTH Hammer and Bit products serving 11 different industries. Our products are designed to drill vertical, horizontal, and reverse circulation holes from 3½ to 48 inches (89 – 1219 mm) in diameter in hard rock, overburden, or loose strata formations. Having customers in 105+ countries, we have built our customer-centric reputation on providing the highest value in products, performance, and personal service available in the rock drilling industry.
Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products
Vac-Tron Equipment is excited to introduce Empire CAT as their new Arizona dealer. Vac-Tron partnered with Empire because they share the same common core values and beliefs. “This was a perfect fit and we are honored to have Empire CAT representing our product line.” Brian Showley, VP Vac-Tron Equipment.
“We wanted to partner with a company that shared similar strategies within the markets we serve. Vac-Tron is an industry leader in vacuum excavation and their equipment lends itself to the same clientele that we serve with our excavation lines from Caterpillar. Empire CAT is always looking for ways to offer our customers safer and more efficient products and our partnership with Vac-Tron brings a new level of safety to the jobsite.” Michael Rodoni, Rental Manager for Empire CAT
Empire Southwest, LLC is a third-generation family-owned Caterpillar dealership. Founded in 1950 by Jack Whiteman, Empire sells, rents, and services heavy equipment, tractors, and power generation equipment to contractors throughout Arizona.
Empire is:
- Committed to meeting the needs and supporting the success of clients throughout the mining, agriculture, and construction industries.
- Proud of our business culture, which was built on the Corporate Values of Safety, Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence, Stewardship, and Astonishment.
- Dedicated to the success of our clients and the communities we serve.
- Committed to building and maintaining solid business partnerships.
For more information on Empire CAT, please visit www.empire-cat.com.
For more information on Vac-Tron Equipment or to schedule a FREE demo, please visit www.vactron.com or call 1-888-VAC-TRON.
Industry News, trenchless people
Ve Group now sells and services Vermeer underground construction equipment
PELLA, Iowa, August 29, 2017 – Vermeer Corporation expands its South America dealer network with the addition of Medellín, Colombia, based Ve Group. With the addition of Vermeer underground construction equipment, Ve Group will be able to provide its Colombian customers with high-quality construction equipment, as well as aftermarket parts and service support.
“Ve Group is committed to its customers,” said Tony Briggs, vice president – sales & distribution at Vermeer. “Dealer Principal Santiago Durango has an established track record and in-market experience in the pipeline installation, maintenance and rehabilitation markets. He puts his customers’ needs first. We are confident he and everyone at Ve Group will do an excellent job of representing Vermeer.”
Over the last 10 years, Ve Group has been instrumental in establishing trenchless technology best practices in South America and has formally trained more than 1,300 people at universities and on jobsites. The team at Ve Group has provided support and onsite expertise on many of the largest underground projects in Colombia and surrounding countries. Santiago is also a founding member of ICTIS, the Colombian International Society for Trenchless Technology chapter.
“Our partnership with Vermeer will be good for contractors in Colombia,” Durango said. “We’ve always been committed to providing our customers with the best solutions at the best value, and the Vermeer utility installation products exceed our high standards. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the team at Vermeer in various roles throughout my career, and I know they will do a great job of working with customers and us. We’re excited to be representing the Vermeer brand.”
To learn more about Ve Group products and services, visit vedelivers.com.
To learn more about Vermeer Corporation, products, the dealer network and financing options, visit vermeer.com.
trenchless people
Molly & Matt Go to Mears!
After meeting at NASTT’s South Central Regional Chapter event in Arlington, Texas, Sewer Division Director at Mears Group, Inc, Matt Wilkin, invited NASTT Membership Manager, Molly Gallagher, on her very first jobsite visit! Fortunately Matt was going to be in Cleveland, Ohio in early August and they set a date to meet up. Preparations began as Molly had to purchase her first pair of steel toed boots! “Safety First” is the message that Matt continuously drove home, as the mission statement at Mears is to safely deliver innovative, efficient and high quality construction solutions to the energy distribution industry by:
- Providing best value services to our customers
- Developing and retaining the best people in the industry
- Committing to the highest safety and quality standards
- Investing in the best equipment and technology available
Mears has more than $50 million invested personal safety equipment and training in past two years, including AED equipment on their trucks and other locations totaling 5,000 AEDs purchased with training provided to all employees.
Molly met several crew members on two job sites and was invited back anytime.
Molly added, “I want to offer a sincere thank you to Matt Wilkin and Mears for allowing me to see the inter-working of your crews, staff and facility. It was an experience I won’t ever forget. I should have asked to keep the hardhat and stylish vest!”
Click here for more information on NASTT Corporate Member, Mears Group, Inc.
trenchless people
Tempe, Ariz. – Engineering undergraduates moving into a new Arizona State University residence hall this week will find themselves immersed in a collaborative, technology-laden living and learning community built specifically for engineers.
The Fulton Schools Residential Community at Tooker House is a 1,600-person, co-ed residential community for undergraduate students in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. The “dorm built for engineers” features on-site digital classrooms, state-of-the-art makerspaces complete with 3D printers, laser cutters, and design tools needed for a broad range of engineering courses and projects.
“Innovation has a new home address at Tooker House,” says Kyle Squires, dean of the Fulton Schools of Engineering. “This mixed-use living and learning facility sets a new standard in engineering education and reflects the breadth and depth of the student experience at the largest engineering school in the nation.”
Situated in a prominent location on the ground floor of the building, the maker lab allows students to work on class projects and explore ideas steps away from their living suites – essentially in their living room. The lab features sliding glass walls that encourage activities to spill outdoors, where exhibition pedestals enable students to present their work and invite discussion and feedback.
The seven-story, co-ed community was built by American Campus Communities on ASU’s Tempe Campus. The residence hall features a 525-seat dining facility, Bluetooth-enabled laundry rooms that notify you when your clothes are dry, advanced green building technology and enough high speed internet bandwidth to accommodate multiple devices per resident.
Elton Forlemu, an ASU civil engineering sophomore serving as a community advisor in Tooker House this fall, says “the work and study spaces are inspiring.”
Last year Forlemu lived off campus and spent hours studying and working in engineering classroom buildings, then traveling about 20 miles home to Glendale. He now envisions himself having late-night discussions in Tooker study spaces and then heading to the makerspace or computer lab to collaborate on a project “before it leaves your head.”
Archtectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz’s design approach to Tooker House began with traditional desert architecture concepts as a starting point for creating a sustainable building that both feels appropriate to its context and can endure harsh desert conditions. The community features a complementary color palette of desert tones, using colors and materials that will resist fading and degradation under extreme UV exposure conditions.
The building’s most striking feature, hundreds of vertical perforated louvers on the south façade, each positioned according to a sophisticated algorithm, ensures daytime sunlight control unique to each window’s location. Highly efficient glazing with significant shading capacity allow transparency and daylight without detriment to thermal performance and comfort. Metal window canopies and vertical metal louvers additionally shade windows from direct sunlight while preserving views.
“Last year, I watched the building process from skeleton to finished project,” says Forlemu, who aspires to build hospitals and large business complexes. “As an engineer, it was fascinating. What gets me is the infrastructure – there is such great use of space here.”
Tooker House also will play a prominent role as ASU expands its smart campus capabilities, incorporating sensing and energy efficiency analytics and other Inernet of Things (IoT) technologies not only into the building’s operation, but also into the engineering program’s curriculum.
The new residence hall is named for Diane and Gary Tooker. Diane Tooker is an alumnus of ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (BAE ’61) and a business owner and former elementary school teacher. Gary Tooker is an alumnus of the Fulton Schools of Engineering (BSE ’62) and a former CEO of Motorola. Together, the couple has made contributions to ASU through the ASU Foundation for more than 30 years, including support for the university’s teaching and engineering programs and the endowed Diane and Gary Tooker Chair for Effective Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Gary Tooker’s contributions to fostering Arizona’s tech sector were recognized with a lifetime achievement award presented at the 2012 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation.
Tooker House is owned and developed by American Campus Communities under the company’s ACE program, a public-private partnership that provides on-campus housing to universities without using their funds or tax-payer dollars. (www.americancampus.com).
About the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, with more than 20,000 enrolled students, is the largest engineering school in the country, offering 39 graduate and 24 undergraduate degree programs.
About ASU Enterprise Partners and the ASU Foundation
ASU Enterprise Partners is a private nonprofit organization based in Tempe, AZ and made up of distinct entities, including the ASU Foundation, that raise, create and invest resources for the benefit of Arizona State University while advocating for and advancing ASU’s mission and brand (giveto.asu.edu).
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
About American Campus Communities
American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management and operational management of student housing properties. As of June 30, 2017, American Campus Communities owned 160 student housing properties containing approximately 99,000 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC’s total managed portfolio consisted of 197 properties with approximately 128,700 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com.