EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE The Power of Collaboration I recently attended two important indus- try events, the joint ASCE Geo-Institute (G-I) and Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Congress, and the International Association of Foundation Drilling’s (ADSC) Annual Meeting. I am encouraged by the amount of collaboration happening among the various geo-professional and trade organizations compared to when I first started with DFI 20 years ago. Collaboration has many definitions, such as Webster’s “to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor,” and Evan Rosen’s “working together to create value while sharing virtual and physical space,” from his book The Culture of Collaboration. Blogger Carlos Dominguez describes it as “highly diversified teams working together inside and outside a company with the purpose to create value by improving innovation, customer relationships and efficiency while leveraging technology for effective interactions in the virtual and physical space.” The words that stand out for me in all these definitions are “jointly,” “value,” “innovation,” “relationships” and “efficiency” — all things that people and organizations wish to achieve. What better way to do it than “together” in order to provide “value” to the entire industry in an “efficient” manner fostering “relationships and innovation?” Collaboration in Action There are many examples of DFI’s collaborative spirit; collaboration being one of DFI’s core principles. Some that stand out for me are: • Recent interaction with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and contri- bution to its final contract document C- 202-2015, Standard Form of Consultant’s Services: Geotechnical Engineering. • Work with the European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) on the Best Practice Guide to Tremie Concrete for Deep Foundations, which is available for free download (see p. 41), as well as the development of the Geotech- nical Carbon Calculator. • Our affiliation with the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) on One Mine.org that provides access to over 110,000 deep foun- dations, mining and mineral related documents to DFI members at no cost (see p. 29). • Teaming with DFI, ADSC, G-I and the Piledriving Contractors Association (PDCA) to provide a “spotlight on foun- dations” at the upcoming International Bridge Conference sponsored by the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) this June in National Harbor, Md. (see p. 33). • Creat ion of a formal memo of understanding between DFI and G-I to collaborate to advance mutual interests in the continual improvement of plan- ning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavation support. • Tremendous undertaking by DFI’s Codes and Standards Committee members, with strong involvement by PDCA and members of ASCE, ADSC and Geoprofes s ional Bus ines s Association (GBA), to rewrite Chapter 18 “Foundations” of the International Building Code (IBC) (see p. 96). • Partnering of the Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) Committee with Earthquake Engineering Institute (EERI) and many other engineering associa- tions to further their mission of reten- tion of women in the fields of engi- neering and construction. • Liaisons with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) whereby DFI delivers workshops and courses such as the 2014 Levee and Coastal Rehabilitation Workshop or National Highway Institute (NHI) courses and the recent Quality Assur- ance for Post-Grouted Drilled Shafts Theresa Engler Executive Director [email protected] Workshop at the DFI 40 th Annual Conference. • Joining with ADSC, G-I and PDCA for the successful and informative Inter- national Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE). This event combined the expertise of four organizations memberships to bring a ’ world-class event consisting of technical expertise and innovative equipment advancements to the attention of industry professionals worldwide. Strengthening Partnerships Much of this industry collaboration can be attributed to the coming together of our geo- professional and trade organizations annually through the GeoCoalition, a group started in the early 2000s at the suggestion of active industry members who participate in multiple associations. The group was started primarily by Alan Macnab, past president of ADSC and G-I and longtime member of DFI. The goal is to maximize the effectiveness of the associations’ services by encouraging communication, cooperation and collaboration among the members in order to minimize duplication of efforts and identify opportunities to jointly impact the geotechnical industry. And from my laundry list of collaborative projects, which is just the tip of the iceberg of the joint activities being conducted today by these groups, that goal is being achieved and improved upon every day. DFI is proud to host the Geo-Coalition in June in New York to continue to discuss future joint venture activities. I encourage DFI members to bring other opportunities for collaboration to our attention in order to improve the value of your DFI membership and to foster efficient, innovative relationships within the deep foundations industry. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAR/APR 2016 • 9
