75th Anniversary

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief From its humble beginnings as a monthly newsletter for pipeline construction to the primary news and information source for all sectors of the underground infrastructure market, for 75 years Underground Construction magazine has been a consistent and constant fo..

Hunting Trenchless  THEN  Founded in 1972 by Calvin and Huey Olivier, as Iberia Machine Shop, located in the heart of New Iberia, La., and specialized in machining oilfield accessories. A few years later, the Olivier’s ..

Change was the theme of the 1990s, not only in terms of ups, downs and surprises, but diversification as well. Oil pipelines were taking a back seat to the boom in underground utility installation from gas distribution, sewer/water and cable involved in both new construction and rehabilitation.  Te..

The ‘80s picked up where the 1970s ended: an urgent nation impatiently waiting for more oil and gas to quench its rapacious energy thirst, at the lowest possible prices. The boom was on, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, and thousands of speculators made ill-advised decisions to invest in the indust..

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part of an ongoing series outlining the past several decades of underground infrastructure construction and rehabilitation as seen through the lens of Underground Construction magazine which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021. This month, we review highlights ..

The boom of the 1950s carried over into the next decade, but not entirely or evenly.  While hitting peaks in some months, crude oil pipeline construction in the U.S. totaled 7,332 miles by decade-end – slightly more than half of the 13,756 miles during the 1950s and about equal to the 1940s’ 7,103 ..

1951  International Harvester (Chicago) and Superior Equipment (Bucyrus, Ohio) used pipebooms to slide 800-foot sections of 22-inch pipe on project bringing Canadian oil to market through the swamps of Minnesota    1952  With the shortage of steel pipe, due to a high volume of projects, exacerba..

Underground Construction’s first incarnation as the “Pipeliner” continued with booming growth throughout its first full decade of publishing – the 1950s. By the end of the decade, the magazine had broadened its coverage of underground infrastructure and was renamed Pipeline Construction and Oliver K..

In 1946, Ellis Dunn and Red Collier of Dunn Brothers Pipeline Stringing, in Dallas, made the bold decision to transition their employee newsletter, Bullplug, into a full-scale, external magazine. First published in November 1946, Pipeliner focused on pipeline construction, which was evolving into a ..

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief After 75 years, Underground Construction has experienced its fair share of history through our constant industry involvement and countless close market partnerships. We’ve seen the best of times and the worst of times and covered it in detail throughout the maga..

Hunting Trenchless  THEN  Founded in 1972 by Calvin and Huey Olivier, as Iberia Machine Shop, located in the heart of New Iberia, La., and specialized in machining oilfield accessories. A few years later, the Olivier’s ..

Avanti International  THEN  In 1978, Avanti International was established in Webster, Texas (near Houston). David Magill, a trenchless industry pioneer, was hired as its first employee and the company’s first president...

BLD Services LLC  THEN  Incorporated in 2001 by Brad L. Dutruch as a full-service municipal and public works construction company in Kenner, La. Initially installed lateral CIPP technology in the Southeastern U.S., incl..

Doosan Infracore North America, LLC  THEN  Founded in 1896, with a long legacy in infrastructure support. History in equipment manufacturing began in 1937 as Chosun Machine Works, Korea’s first large-scale machinery fac..

Charge  THEN  Founded 2006, in Benicia, Calif., as Accu-Bore, by Billy Kilmer, Jr.; in 2009, Mike Robirds, P.E. joined as an owner. Initially performed horizontal directional drilling throughout California for public an..

THEN Formed in 1981 by Frank Odill, an engineer working at concrete pipe and manhole producer Waukesha (Wisc.) Concrete Products.First product was the Internal Manhole Chimney Seal, followed by an external version about two years later, for use on manhole rehabilitation projects.Seals were develo..