Chairman's Report: NASTT Selects Michael Willmets as New Executive Director

By Piero Salvo, 2008 NASTT Chairman

After an extensive and thorough search process, including the review of 15 highly qualified candidates, I am pleased to report that NASTT has appointed its new Executive Director - Michael Willmets.

This is an exciting time for NASTT as we continue to expand our education and training initiatives, shape our future leaders and grow the trenchless technology industry at large. NASTT sought a combination of steady and thoughtful leadership in its new executive director to continue the tradition of commitment, service and excellence set forth by others.

Michael is not new to NASTT or its mission. He has held numerous volunteer and leadership positions within the organization, including the elected chairman of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regional chapter. He also served on the NASTT Board of Directors for the past three years. Michael has volunteered his time as a member of the No-Dig Program Committee and has served as instructor of NASTT's Rehabilitation Short Course presented at past No-Dig Shows. He is well-known and highly respected in the trench-less industry.

Michael has more than 35 years of experience in infrastructure management. He recently retired from the City of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, where he worked as project manager. Throughout his distinguished career, he has received a number of awards including an Award of Merit for Canadian Engineering Excellence, as well as the No-Dig Outstanding Paper Award in Rehabilitation in 2002.

Michael replaces John Hemphill, who is retiring after many years of leadership and service with NASTT. During John's tenure, NASTT has experienced a number of meaningful events and achievements associated with NASTT's growth. His contribution to NASTT has helped establish our No-Dig Show as the premier venue for non-commercial education that is focused solely on the trenchless industry.

Other initiatives include the development of the "HDD Good Practices Guidelines," which came about through the collective efforts of the HDD Consortium member organizations. Later came the creation of the "ASCE Microtunneling Standard."

Since 2002, NASTT established the Education Fund and with proceeds raised from the first auction held in Montreal have financially supported the student and regional chapter activities. Also made possible by the Education Fund was the development and dissemination of NASTT's good practices training courses in CIPP, pipe bursting, sewer lateral rehabilitation and new installation methods with others to follow. These educational seminars remain very popular and are in great demand. This led to hiring an additional staff person, Angela Ghosh, who is responsible for organizing and marketing these training modules. This is yet another indication of the growth and vitality of NASTT.

These milestones are the results of the contributions of many - NASTT members, Board of Directors and staff alike. With membership more than 1,200 people, more student and regional chapters and bigger and better No-Dig Shows, this has required a collective effort, commitment and leadership from the industry.

Thank you John for your years of service and dedication to NASTT! You are leaving behind a legacy that will inspire many to continue the growth of our organization.

Please join me in welcoming Michael Willmets as the new Executive Director of NASTT. He may be reached at his new e-mail address: mwillmets@nastt.org and ph: (613) 424-3036.

Annual Regional Chapter Reports

In 2007, the British Columbia Chapter (NASTT-BC) exhibited at the UBCM trade show, which attracted a large number of regional mayors and council members. The chapter also hired a consultant to prepare a program that will calculate carbon reduction when trenchless construction methods are used. The chapter is working to obtain approval for UBCM members to earn carbon credits while attending this program. NASTT-BC also wishes to hold a lateral inspection/repair workshop and present the carbon reduction program in Vancouver. It also plans to present papers at the BCWWA conference and meet with various engineering staffs in an effort to spread the word about the new carbon reduction program. In January, the chapter released the third edition of its annual magazine, Y Dig?. To become involved in the NASTT-BC chapter activities, please contact Chairman Preston Creelman, e-mail: pcreelman@ royalpipe.com or visit the chapter's Web site at www.trenchless-technology.org.

The Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic Chapter (GLSLA) held its annual General Meeting at Infra 2007 in Montreal, Quebec. Outgoing Board members, Joe Loiacono, Piero Salvo, Ernie Ting and Bradley Johns, will be missed. Members of the GLSLA thanked them for their lengthy service to the Chapter. Plans are in the works to fill vacant positions in an election process early this year. The Board of Directors is pleased to release the Chapter's first full-color publication in a partnership agreement with Del Communications. The NASTT-GLSLA Journal will be an annual publication; the second edition is already under way for 2008. A new partnership has developed between CERIU in Montreal and the GLSLA Chapter to jointly provide HDD training courses in the French language. These courses will be held primarily in Quebec and New Brunswick.

The Mid Atlantic Society for Trenchless Technology (MASTT) concluded 2007 with a successful seminar on trenchless technology, SSES and buried asset management in Richmond, Va., Dec. 12-13. The guest presenter was Kenneth Wooten, Engineer III with the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities, Technical Services Division. Wooten presented information about Richmond's trenchless program. On Feb. 13-14, MASTT held a trench-less seminar in Atlantic City, N.J., along with a CIPP Good Practices Training Course on Feb. 12. The keynote speaker was Gene Petitt, P.E., chief engineer, Atlantic City Utility Authority and his presentation was titled "Atlantic City Utility Authority's Trenchless Program." All MASTT members and board members are encouraged to attend the chapter's next Membership and Board Meeting, April 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m., in Dallas, prior to the annual No-Dig Show.

Last year, the Midwest Society for Trenchless Technology (MSTT) sponsored two trenchless technology seminars in Peoria, Ill., and Milwaukee. The chapter also co-sponsored the Trenchless Road Show held in St. Louis. MSTT was pleased to have a number of guest speakers make presentations during these seminars, including Charles Barton and Micah Williamson from the Greater Peoria Sanitary District and Zafar Yousuf, P.E., with the City of Milwaukee. MSTT will head to Springfield, Ill., or Columbus, Ohio, in late May for its next trenchless seminar.The MSTT Chapter plans to hold its next Membership and Board Meeting at No-Dig on April 27, 4:30-5:30 p.m. in Dallas. All members and Board members are encouraged to attend.

In 2007, the Northwest Chapter published its inaugural issue of the Northwest Chapter magazine. The magazine highlights trenchless technology projects throughout the northwestern United States and western Canada. If you would like to submit a trenchless project for the 2008 edition, please contact Jason Lueke at jlueke@nastt-nw.com to submit project ideas. The 2007 Alberta Trenchless Technology Symposium was held in Calgary Nov. 14-15 and drew more than 105 attendees. An HDD short course was held in conjunction with the event and utilized a modified agenda with NASTT speakers in the morning and regional specific HDD projects in the afternoon. The HDD short course was very well attended with 91 people, making it the highest attended HDD short course. The 2007 Alberta Trenchless Project of the Year was awarded to Mears for Wapiti River Crossings. Last year, Alberta NASTT members continued monthly Technical Luncheons, running September through March, in both Edmonton and Calgary. The 2008 Alberta Trenchless Technology Symposium will be held in Edmonton in November. For more information about upcoming Northwest Chapter activities, including information on future technical lunches, please visit the chapter website at www.nastt-nw. com. The Northwest Chapter will be holding its next meeting, April 15, at No-Dig in Dallas, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

In 2007, the Southeast Society for Trenchless Technology (SESTT) cosponsored the Trenchless Road Shows in New Orleans, Sept. 18-19 and in Miami, Nov. 13-14. The SESTT Chapter will be heading to Greenville, S.C., April 15-16, to hold its trenchless technology, SSES and buried asset management seminar. The guest presenter will be Bill Brown, P.E., assistant city engineer with the City of Greenville. His presentation will highlight Greenville's trenchless program. SESTT is tentatively scheduling its next program in Memphis in early August. SESTT will be holding its next Membership and Board Meeting at No-Dig on April 27, 2:30-3:30 p.m. All members and Board members are encouraged to attend.

The Western Society for Trenchless Technology (WESTT) published a successful second edition of its magazine, Western Regional Trenchless Review 2007 with the help of Del Communications. The publication included 40 pages of job story articles and advertisements related to the latest advancements in trenchless technology in the Arizona, California, New Mexico and Nevada region. The third Annual Western Regional No-Dig Conference and Exposition was held on Oct. 1-3 at Harrah's Reno Casino & Hotel in Reno, Nevada. The event attracted more than 100 people and 20 companies sponsored and exhibited. Special thanks are extended to the folks at the City of Reno, who provided significant assistance in organizing the event. The fourth annual conference will be held sometime in the early fall of 2008 in Phoenix, and should be another excellent event. More details regarding hotel venue and dates will be forthcoming.

Newsletter contributors: Preston Creelman, NASTT-BC Chairman; Michael Willmets, GLSLA Chairman; Leonard Ingram, MASTT/MSTT/SESTT Executive Director; Michelle Ramos, Northwest Chapter; and Dr. Samuel T. Ariaratnam, WESTT Chairman.