DFI Officers and Board Meet during New Orleans Conference organization’s finances and refined the proposed 2018 operating budget. They concluded with a balanced budget to propose to the board that afternoon. They also concluded that the most successful activities were those where collaboration with other industry groups was imple- mented, providing broader perspectives and one stop shopping for members, being mindful of their time and expense limitations in our busy industry. Following lunch and the arrival of the Executive committee and trustees meet in New Orleans DFI’s current president, Dan Brown, is all about efficiency. This year, the executive committee of DFI (the board officers) held their final meeting of the year at the conference rather than in November as has been the past practice. The purpose? To keep costs for DFI and travel demands for the board members to a minimum, and to keep agendas and discussions concise and focused. Having the officers meet first to vet new opportunities and refine current practices allowed the full 21-person board later that day to zone in on fiduciary responsibilities and make final decisions based on the officer recommendations. On the morning of Monday, October 23, in advance of the conference kick-off, the executive committee members delved into the policy and procedures and management needs of DFI’s regional chapters, technical committees and working groups, as well as new initiatives of the past couple years to ensure they continue to run smoothly. They reviewed standard reports on membership numbers, demographics and trends, 2017 event results, publication development and sales, marketing efforts and results, staffing and facility needs, and website development. They discussed 2018 and future plans, reviewed the state of the New trustee, Mike Kelley rest of the board members, the trustees welcomed their newest member, Mike Kelley of Dywidag-Systems International USA, who was voted in by the membership during this year’s board elections along with re-election of Dr. K.S. Rama Krishna, DFI of India chair and consulting engineer; Matthew Meyer, P.E., D.GE, Langan; Thomas Richards, Jr., P.E., D.GE, of Nicholson Con- struction; and Stefano Valagussa, Treviicos. The trustees thanked David Borger, P.E., of Skyline Steel for serving three 3-year terms. They reviewed the policy adjustments recommended by the officers and revised further or voted. They also reviewed the proposed budget, discussed adjustments and made suggestions for future revenue streams. The upcoming 2018 planning meeting structure and introduction of leadership training was discussed, and all expressed their interest in attending and learning new skills to run more efficient and productive meetings both at the board level and technical committee level. Locations for future conferences and seminars were decided; industry-wide initiatives on safety, risk and working platforms were advanced; and potential new committees were suggested and discussed. DFI’s journal and magazine content, as well as other technical publications in development, were briefly considered while new media for disseminating committee information was thought through. The success of the committee project fund and upcoming deadlines for project proposals and the selection process were reviewed. Following the adjournment of the board meeting, the pertinent Dan Brown and out-going trustee Dave Borger details pertaining to the technical committee chairs were relayed during the committee chairs meeting that followed. The committee chairs also went over plans and logistics for the next day’s technical committee and working group meetings. All DFI leaders then celebrated the day’s work with a group dinner at the famous New Orleans restaurant Arnaud’s. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2017 • 31
