PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Look Ahead! A t my motorcycle training facility, one of the things we try to teach riders is to always look ahead and to focus your vision forward toward the line that you want to follow. Good riders know that they automatically steer the bike toward wherever they are looking. If your attention is focused on an obstacle that you need to avoid, you are likely to ride right into it, and, so, you need to focus your vision on the line you intend to follow. Basketball shooters know to keep their eye on the basket when making a shot (and you can fill in another example from your favorite sport). As we look ahead to 2018, it appears G-I, which promises to be nothing shor t of spectacular. The equipment expo at IFCEE provides a rare opportunity to see so much new stuff in one place that this feature alone makes it a not-to-be-missed event. Our joint DFI-EFFC International Con- ference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement in Rome, June 6-8, focuses on megaprojects in one of the world’s Dan Brown, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE. President [email protected] something completely different,” our annual conference in the fall to me that we DFI members have a lot of opportunity to positively influence our industry. I am personally involved in several technical activities that have great promise to do so (i.e., the Tremie Concrete Guide and the Support Fluid Guide, both of which are collaborative efforts between DFI and EFFC — the European Federation of Foundation Contractors), and many of our technical committees are engaged in projects that can have significant effect on important issues. Now into our sixth year of funding, the DFI Committee Project Fund, which financially sponsors research endeavors via the technical committees, is supporting much of this activity. Our collaboration with other trade organizations (e.g., PDCA, ADSC and Geo-Institute) on proposed modifications to the IBC code has been an exercise in patience and determination, but it looks like we are making progress. DFI of India is building momentum, as are collaborations with other groups and organizations worldwide. The upcoming year also looks to be an exciting year for some really special conferences, those organized and hosted by DFI and those with which DFI will collaborate. The International Foundations Congress and Equipment Exposition (IFCEE) in Orlando in March 2018 is our triennial conference with ADSC, PDCA and As we look ahead to 2018, it appears to me that we DFI members have a lot of opportunity to positively influence our industry. birthplaces of megaprojects; this conference is being held near the Roman Coliseum and Vatican City, presenting an opportunity to make this conference into a trip of a lifetime. If you can’t make it to Rome, or even if you can, SuperPile ’18 follows on June 27-29 to America’s Big Apple, New York City. And, as Monty Python would say, “now for will visit sunny Southern California with a stop in Anaheim. Soon, we will be having our winter planning meeting in February with the trustees and all of the chairs of DFI technical committees and working groups. That’s our chance to get together as a group and collectively “look ahead.” If you’re a committee chair or trustee, please give this meeting some thought in advance. If you’re a committee member, please think about where we should focus attention and share that with your chair at your next committee meeting so that they can bring ideas to the planning meeting on behalf of your committee. If you’re a DFI member and not on a committee, give some thought to joining a committee; it’s where things get done and you can make a difference! P.S. Yes, that’s me in the photo. Notice that I’m looking ahead, allegedly at my line through the corner, and quite possibly because former world champ Kevin Schwantz is so far in front of me. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2017 • 7
