August 2021 Vol.76 No. 8
Editor's Log
Up Close and Personal
By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief
After many anxious, nerve-racking, nail-biting moments, the stars aligned just perfectly and in July, the 2021 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition was held face-to-face and with great success in Nashville.
The event was complete with pre-show workshops and schools, countless industry meetings, and three highly successful celebrations. UCT Week, as it is often referred to, came off without a hitch and a very happy audience celebrated the true, actual and total resumption of our industry activity. All the better, it was held in a mask-free, social-distancing-prohibited environment.
There were many exciting moments, special events and tearful memories contributing to the success of UCT, the first major “open” and live event in 16 months for the underground infrastructure markets.
And while there were those still leery about venturing out into the real world, at UCT the vibrant crowd was anxious to discuss the markets, industry issues and challenges, while examining new technology and products. The timing was right to re-engage in the work world and UCT was the perfect opportunity.
Underground Construction magazine, celebrating its 75th anniversary, had a special exhibit that included an industry timeline presented on a circular display. Many attendees spent a lot of time working around the eight-foot-tall cylinder and reading about key moments of industry history and viewing various Underground Construction magazine covers from the past 75 years. Many a toast was raised to the magazine’s historic leadership role, which continues today.
In addition, horizontal directional drilling was celebrating its 60th anniversary. While various stages of “guided boring” took place as far back as the 1950s. the first major patent for HDD was obtained in 1961. The patent, from Dick Melsheimer, involved directional boring a pilot hole and then adding a swivel and pull-head to bring pipe back to the entry pit.
For cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), it was 50 years ago that inventor Eric Wood and partners performed the first successful project in England and started down a path that created a multi-billion-dollar industry.
To celebrate both of these historic events, special programs, discussions and receptions were held. Roundtables for HDD and CIPP had outstanding and knowledgeable participants, who shared poignant memories, amazing insight and a clear vision of what lies ahead. Both of these remarkable roundtables were filmed and will soon become available to the general public on UCTV via the Underground Construction and UCT websites.
As part of the CIPP 50th Celebration, two extraordinary men were honored as Pioneers, at a reception and reunion for the CIPP industry. The large crowd heard stories about Eric Wood, the creator of the CIPP technique, who unfortunately passed away far too early in life. The star of the evening was Bob Affholder who, through his uncanny discernment of an industry-changing technology, built a market around CIPP by creating Insituform Mid-America, growing to engulf the world and share the advantages of CIPP.
In accepting the Pioneer award, Affholder shared many touching moments of his career as a contractor, technology developer and continued industry Pioneer with his partners at SAK Construction.
The following night saw the induction of two more legends into the HDD Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, both of the honorees passed away in 2020: Robert “Bob” Westphal and Ron Halderman. The packed-house crowd heard Jeff Mueller, of Michels Corp., cite the many accomplishments and leadership of Westphal during his long career with Michels. Halderman, who spent most of his career with Mears, was fondly remembered by his wife Lynn Halderman and two daughters. It was a fantastic celebration of life for two stalwarts of the HDD industry.
The overall educational program also had several panel discussions and the information coming out of those events was amazing, intriguing, sometimes infuriating, but always important for industry personnel to hear. The Distribution Contractors Association had an excellent panel discussion about the multitude of HDD and gas distribution issues looming. Another group in the UtiliTech gas utility program track held a fascinating and insightful conversation about the “Future of Natural Gas.” Additional panels in the sewer and water programs kept attendees riveted as well.
All in all, UCT 2021 was successful in kick-starting the underground infrastructure markets struggling in their return to normalcy. To paraphrase a conversation I had right before the show started: “If there are only 100 companies here, it’s worth it. To be here in person, talking face-to-face, shaking hands, discussing business and various industry topics is incredible and much needed.”
And while there were considerably more than 100 companies represented at UCT – much more –I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment. Nashville is a beautiful city, lots to do and an amazing convention center. Combine all that with an industry exploding into action and it’s no wonder all the buzz was positive, exciting and anxious to get back to the business of underground infrastructure. Doing so in the wake of COVID was absolutely necessary.
Clearly, UCT was held in the right place, provided the right environment and relaunched itself – albeit six months later than usual – at the right time. Now, as we return to normal, I can’t wait for UCT 2022, Jan. 25-27 in Fort Worth.
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