PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Thanks for the Support A s I embark on my two-year term as DFI president, I am, first of all, thankful for the support that surrounds me. The tasks and demands of the office are great, which are in addition to existing commitments, including a busy career, a vivid family life, and personal health and development. We all have busy lives and the demands of volunteering exist over and above the life commitments we have chosen and those that we have earned throughout our careers. Serving DFI and its mandate of finding common ground among all stakeholders be they academics, contractors, consultants or owners for the advancement of our industry is an enjoyable honor and privilege. The privilege is granted to us by a number of seldom recognized stakeholders in our lives. They include our employers, who support our efforts through donated hours and travel expenses, and colleagues that pick up the slack when we are otherwise disposed or simply through tolerating our distraction as we devote our energy and intellectual resource to the organization. My employer, Isherwood Associates, makes a significant contri- bution indirectly to DFI and to me as an employee through this support. I have witnessed my time and effort increase as my mandate with DFI has grown, culminating in the high demands I will experience over the coming two years. For this, I thank my employer greatly for its recognition of its responsibility to the advancement of the industry and for its disproportionate contribution to that effort over my tenure on the DFI Executive Committee. The stakeholders include the DFI staff and my fellow trustees. Our devoted and energetic staff has the unenviable task of herding the trustees, executive committee (ExComm) and the technical committees to complete their goals and deliver industry leading products to our members. Their well-timed, polite reminders, sentient edi ts and enl ightening opinions are particularly well appreciated by all. Thank you, in advance, for your continued excellence in shaping our organization. We have become great friends and we thank you for making us look good. The stakeholders also Matthew Janes, M.B.A., P.Eng. President [email protected] include our families and community. The increasing demands on my time inevi- tably results in less time for my wife and three children. The result is difficult and, often, poor choices, such as showing up late for events and travel conflicts, mean that I wish Happy Birthday or experience the score and personal triumphs over the phone. My wife and kids enjoy the perks of access to the business lounge and seat upgrades when they travel with me, but this is poor remuneration for the absences. But, DFI President Matthew Janes, M.B.A., P.Eng. DFI’s new president, Matthew Janes, is a senior engineer with Isherwood Associates in Toronto, where his activities include senior technical design, strategy, financial analysis and risk man- agement. Janes has more than 35 years of design and manage- ment experience in consulting engineering, equipment design and contracting. He has been involved in the development and promotion of new technologies throughout his career including specialized SOE design and analytical methods, pile installation and testing technologies, and novel construction methodologies. Janes is also the developer of the resonant pile driver technology. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2019 • 7 Serving DFI and its mandate of finding common ground among all stakeholders be they academics, contractors, consultants or owners for the advancement of our industry is an enjoyable honor and privilege. through my wi fe and her participation in DFI events, we hear all about my fellow member’s families and accomplishments; we have made lifelong friendships and enjoy a rich social time together. So, most of all, thanks go to my family, and, in particular, to my wife, Maria, for allowing me the indulgence of serving our organization, reaping the social and professional benefits and the small part I can play in advancing our great industry forward. In closing, just as saying ‘please’ changes the out- come of a request, saying a he a r t f e l t ‘ thank you’ changes a relationship forever. A great man once said “To the world you are just one person. But to one person, you are the world.” Thank you, Maria. To our members, may I suggest you turn to your significant other and say thank you. You don’t even have to tell them what for.
