trenchless people
GSSI, the world’s leading manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, is pleased to announce the promotion of David Cist to the position of Vice President of Research & Development. An exceptional leader and innovator, since 1996, Dr. Cist has helped GSSI to develop several key products, including an arrayed utility mapper and a series of search and rescue tools.
Promoted from “Chief Geek” in 2015, and more recently to interim Director of R&D, Dr. Cist continues to provide the leadership GSSI needs to drive innovation and product strategy forward.
According to GSSI President, Chris Hawekotte, “I am pleased to announce the promotion of David Cist to the position of VP of Research & Development. David has led the organization in this capacity on an interim basis since last September and has convinced us that he is right to take on this role permanently. I am confident that he will continue to extend GSSI’s lead as the technological front-runner in GPR.”
A long-time GSSI employee, Dr. Cist recently celebrated his 21st year with the organization, having served in prior roles as Senior Software Engineer and also as Manager of Product Strategy and Planning. After graduating from Princeton University with a BSE degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Cist worked in market research and then in R&D for Siemens Medical in Germany. There he developed the first ever voice recognition tool for cardiac catheterization procedures. Dr. Cist completed his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a Master’s degree in Radiology Science (Simulated Annealing image reconstruction), and finally a PhD in Geophysics (3D Migration of GPR data).
GSSI is confident Dr. Cist’s new position as technical lead will foster innovative solutions that further extend GSSI’s flagship role in the GPR industry.
Industry News, trenchless people
Company hires Cory Lee as regional sales manager
GREENVILLE, S.C. — August 8, 2017 — McLaughlin is proud to welcome its newest employee, Cory Lee, who is joining the team as a regional sales manager serving all McLaughlin customers in the Southwest region.
Lee brings over 15 years of sales knowledge and 5 years of management experience to his new role, including a management position at Vermeer. Lee used innovative sales tactics to pursue new leads while maintaining strong relationships with existing customers as a territory sales manager and solutions specialist at Vermeer.
“With his prior field experience at Vermeer, his familiarity with the underground construction industry and his proven sales record, Cory is a fantastic addition to the McLaughlin team,” said Jeff Wage, vice president of McLaughlin. “His willingness to go above and beyond for customers combined with his exceptional sales and management expertise will allow him to bring the highest level of support to the Vermeer dealers in his region.”
McLaughlin is a leading manufacturer of trenchless construction equipment including auger boring machines, Vermeer-branded vacuum excavators and pneumatic piercing tools, as well as locators, directional drills and various attachments. Lee’s role will be to support the full line of McLaughlin products to dealers and customers.
For more information on McLaughlin products and services, visit the company’s website at www.mclaughlinunderground.com or email McLaughlin at mmole@mightymole.com.
Industry News, trenchless people
CALGARY, July 15, 2017 –CCI Inc., one of Canada’s Gold Standard Best Managed Companies http://ccisolutions.ca/ announces the acquisition of Houston based Horizontal Technology, Inc.
CCI Inc. is a leading expert in Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), Open-Cut and Micro-Tunneling methods. Since 2004, CCI has established itself as a driving force in the continued advancement of trenchless pipeline systems and employ proven methods for tackling difficult crossings.
With over 100 years of combined service in the HDD industry, Horizontal Technology, Inc. leads the way as the HDD industry’s premier guidance service and down-hole tooling provider.
For more information, please contact David Dupuis, COO, CCI. Inc. at ddupuis@ccisolutions.ca or 403-932-0560.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people
OLATHE, Kansas, July 10, 2017 — Vermeer Great Plains, a full-service construction equipment dealer with locations in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Western Missouri, is now 100 percent employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
As part of the new ESOP structure, Scott Ryals, former General Manager of Vermeer Great Plains, has taken on responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer. He leads the dealership with a vision focused on maximizing and improving the customer experience, though this goal is nothing new for the dealer’s employees.
“Since Vermeer Great Plains was founded, we have placed a high emphasis on serving our customers, Ryals said.” “The new ESOP plan will only reinforce this culture as the dealership’s success will directly benefit our employees who work every day to take care of our customers. We’re all working toward the same goal.”
Research shows that an employee ownership structure creates a positive work environment as employees all work towards a common goal. In the upcoming months, the employees of Vermeer Great Plains will be further educated about the new ESOP structure.
“The transition to the ESOP means the employees will receive an added future benefit based on how well we all grow the company,” Ryals said.
Customers have always been the most important aspect of the Vermeer Great Plains vision. They can expect even better service as the company learns and grows through this transition. According
to the ESOP Association, 84 percent of companies who participate agree the ESOP improved motivation and productivity. The combination of determined employees, excellent leadership and a
fresh employee-owned plan is sure to be a recipe for success and outstanding customer satisfaction at Vermeer Great Plains.
About Vermeer Great Plains
Vermeer Great Plains is a full-service dealer of Vermeer industrial equipment across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Western Missouri. Established in 1964, the dealership has grown to five locations in the region with 80 team members dedicated to sales, parts and service. Now 100 percent employee-owned, the Vermeer Great Plains team supports customers in the treecare, landscape, wood waste, organic recycling and underground utility construction industries. Vermeer and the Vermeer logo are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries.
© 2017 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people
The South Central Chapter was established in 2015 to serve the members of NASTT from Oklahoma, Texas and the south central area of the United States. The Chapter is holding their second event on June 20 at the University of Texas, Arlington. This year we are excited to announce that the Chapter is also offering a student scholarship of $1,500!
Completed applications will be reviewed by the NASTT South Central Chapter board members. Selections will be based on academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, honors achieved, work experience, goals/aspirations, and interest stated in the underground construction industry. Completed applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on June 1, 2017. Completed applications must be submitted to smatthes@ditchwitch.com. The scholarship award presentation will take place at the annual NASTT/UTA South Central Chapter event in Arlington, Texas on June 20, 2017.
For all the details on the scholarship, click here.
For details on the conference, please visit the conference website.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products, trenchless projects
Specialized TBM will work below the Hudson River on the Delaware Aqueduct
Robbins has completed the manufacture and testing of a unique tunnel boring machine that will be used to repair the longest continuous tunnel in the world. The TBM will be used to overhaul a section of New York City’s Delaware Aqueduct, a 137 km (85 mi) long tunnel that delivers about 50 percent of the City’s drinking water each day. Over the span of two days in February, representatives from the owner New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYDEP), consultant McMillen Jacobs (MJ), and JV contractor Kiewit-Shea Constructors (KSC) traveled to the Robbins facility in Solon, Ohio to witness the Factory Acceptance Testing of the custom tunnel boring machine.
The Robbins Single Shield TBM will bore a tunnel to replace a 3.8 km (2.4 mi) stretch of the Delaware Aqueduct. The Delaware Aqueduct currently leaks about 75 million liters (20 million gallons) of water per day into the Hudson River. Investigations of the Delaware Aqueduct dating back more than a decade revealed cracks in the tunnel lining. While several inspections with an automated underwater vehicle showed that these cracks were stable, it was determined they could not be fixed from within the existing tunnel. New York City then decided that a new tunnel would be built under the river to bypass the leakage.
To build a bypass tunnel around the aqueduct’s leaking section, Robbins manufactured the 6.8 m (21.6 ft) diameter Single Shield TBM to safely seal against pressures up to 30 bar, and to operate in variable hard rock conditions. The Delaware Aqueduct was completed in 1944. During its original construction, work crews documented groundwater inflows of 7.5 to 15 million liters (2 to 4 million gallons) per day. Because this particular section of the tunnel lies 183 m (600 ft) below the Hudson River, the inflows are under immense head pressure and thus require the unique tunneling technology.
Due to the challenges presented by the Aqueduct Repair, such as difficult geology and considerable water inflows, the TBM had to be designed accordingly. Difficult Ground Solutions (DGS) features, including powerful drilling, grouting, and water inflow control systems have been incorporated into the machine’s design to overcome the expected challenges. “One unique feature of this TBM is the closeable bulkhead, which allows the excavation chamber to be sealed off,” said KSC Tunnel Manager Niels Kofoed. “We expect this to be a key feature in the event that groundwater flows (shunt flows) from the excavated portion of the tunnel cause washout of the annulus grout. Once the bulkhead is closed the groundwater flows are stopped and secondary grouting of the precast liner can be performed, effectively cutting off the flow path of the shunt flows.”
Robbins Project Manager Martino Scialpi further noted that, “the TBM was designed with a 9,500 liter/min (2,500 gallon/min) dewatering capacity. The machine is equipped with two drills in the shields for drilling through the head in 16 different positions and a third drill on the erector to drill through the shields in an additional 14 positions. Drilling and pre-excavation grouting will be a routine job to control and minimize water inflows.” In addition, water-powered, high pressure down-the-hole-hammers will allow for drilling 60 to 100 m (200 to 330 ft) ahead of the machine at pressures up to 20 bar if necessary.
In order to provide access to launch and retrieve tunneling equipment, two deep shafts were constructed in the towns of Newburgh and Wappinger, New York, where the bypass will begin and end. The project site itself poses challenges to the assembly and launch of the TBM because of the limited space available.
Robbins worked closely with KSC to ensure that TBM components were designed and sized so all could be lifted with the contractor’s hoist system and fit down the narrow, 270 m (885 ft) deep shaft. Once assembled, the machine is expected to begin boring in autumn 2017.
Image: The Robbins crew, contractor KSC, and project officials stand proudly in front of the Robbins Single Shield TBM that will tackle hard rock and high water inflows in New York State.
