PEOPLE & COMPANIES William F. (Bill) Maher passed away suddenly on November 18, 2017, at the age of 66. Maher was the president of McKinney Drilling, based in Colmar, Pa., since 2005. Maher joined McKinney as a foreman and laborer in 1969 – although he had spent a year earlier cleaning the office and cutting the lawn at McKinney while in high school. He graduated from Marietta College in 1973 and worked with another drilling company before returning to McKinney in 1981, where he stayed the rest of his career. In a 2017 interview with Keller magazine he said, “What I am most proud of is keeping McKinney a family company. I know most of the 400 people in the company as well as their spouses and children. To be able to provide a good job for these great people is what I believe is my greatest accomplishment.” Maher was actively involved in ADSC - The International Association of Foundation Drilling, serving as president from 2004-2006. He is survived by his wife, Denise, three children, six sisters and four grandchildren. Aldridge Electric has expanded to the Rocky Mountain region and named Mike Waldren as division manager of the drilling group and Phil Stilson as business devel- opment director of the Rocky Mountain region. Waldren joined Aldridge in July, bringing a notable 25 years of executive man- agement experience in the drilling market. He was previously the president of Anderson Drilling for the Rocky Mountain region. Phil Stilson, former owner of Most Wanted Drilling, along with several of his former employees, joined Aldridge in August, and will enhance the company’s strong culture of safety, quality and professionalism. The Rocky Mountain regional team along with the team in Asuza, Calif., gives Aldridge the capability to respond to any drilled shaft project in the Western U.S. Rose & Westra, a division of GZA GeoEnvironmental (GZA), recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new 3,100 sq. ft. office at 601 Fifth Street NW, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, MI. The new office was selected to serve the firm’s client base and combines employees from two separate office locations into one building. “The new office expands both our size and tech- nological ability to support our continued growth and creates a unified presence within the Western Michigan, Midwest and Great Lakes markets,” said Mark Westra, associate principal of Rose & Westra. CTL|Thompson founder, Bob Thompson, was the 2017 recipient of the ENR Mountain States Legacy Award and honored at the ENR Mountain States 2017 Best Projects breakfast on October 25. The prestigious award recognizes an individual who has achieved a lifetime legacy of service in design and construction. Thompson was recognized for his commitment to elevating engineering practices, specifically, his work establishing standard practices for geotechnical firms across the U.S. During his 55-year career, Thompson emerged as a national leader for devising engineering solutions to challenging slope stabilization and earth retention projects, especially in mountainous areas. He is also one of the foremost experts on expansive soil behavior and introduced technologies and testing that more effectively evaluate swell potential, prediction of heave and mitigation techniques for building in expansive soil regions. In 1995, Thompson joined forces with colleagues to establish the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engi- neers (CAGE). He also was past president of ASFE, and served on a board charged with accreditation approval for college of engi- neering schools at universities nationwide. Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) pro- moted Toby Anderson to sales engineer for North and South Carol ina. Anderson had served as a service technician, working out of ECA’s Greensboro, N.C., location since 2015. As sales engineer, Anderson develops and manages sales, rentals, and parts and service throughout the Carolinas territory, while reporting directly to Mike Brown, branch manager, and Jeff Harmston, vice president of sales and marketing. Comacchio Srl hosted more than 500 visitors from more than 40 nations at its open house on October 12-13 in Treviso, Italy, which was preceded by a meeting of the entire sales network. The exhibition was split into two areas: the MC and GEO models for microdrilling and geotechnics were exhibi ted at the company’s headquarters in Riese Pio X, whereas the CH line-up of large diameter piling rigs was Rose & Westra Grand Rapids ribbon cutting DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2018 • 101
