EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE What Makes Me Smile? H aving a government employee member (a public owner) walk up to me at a seminar recently to say, “Thank you for bringing this DFI seminar to our area so I could attend. What makes DFI’s events stand out are the presentations, specifically the case histories, which provide information from all members of the project team while other ’similar’ industry events usually are debates among persons in the same discipline — academic only or engineer only or contractor only — one perspective, not the many we hear at DFI that allow us to grasp the full scope of a successful project outcome.” Brings a smile to my face… Having a committee chair congratulate me (aka DFI) for providing access to the online proceedings for seminars and conferences he’s attended conveniently through his MyDFI account; making it easy for him to access these resources that would normally be lost in a pile on his desk or a file cabinet. Cause for another smile… Receiving thank you cards from students who have received a scholarship or been provided with free membership, showing appreciation for the assistance in pursuing their career goals. Still smiling… Receiving emails from members and event attendees commending DFI staff for going the extra mile to walk them through a process, or going out of their way to assist them with a problem, or for executing a well-organized conference, or for being there to support a committee’s activities, or for connecting them with someone who can provide a solution to their project, or for providing a forum for learning about the latest innovations. Smiling with a feeling of accomplish- ment and pride in our team… Whether you are a member who attends many DFI events, contributes to a committee, downloads a free publication, purchases a new one once in a while, reads the magazine when it arrives in your mailbox (or inbox), writes a paper to share your knowledge or pays your dues once a year — all of you allow DFI to continue to grow and provide new benefits that cause others to walk up to me and make me smile. And it’s not just the Theresa Engler Executive Director [email protected] positive, congratulatory comments that have me smi l ing, i t ’s also the constructive criticism I receive such as suggestions for new topics that DFI should pursue, a better location for a conference, a new method for delivering technical content, a better way to acknowledge sponsorships, a request for Save the Date “…all of you (DFI members) allow DFI to continue to grow and provide new benefits that cause others to walk up to me and make me smile.” lower rates or any other “sug- gestion” that comes through. Within those messages are opportunities for DFI to improve its offerings and remain relevant to those in our industry who look to DFI as a leader and provider of up-to-date industry information. Thank you in advance for renewing your mem- bership or for joining DFI for the first time, so you can be one of the people that make me smile. It is thanks to you that my job is a rewarding one. Knowing our members are finding value is definitely something to smile about. 2018 International Conferences DFI-EFFC International Conference on Piling and Deep Foundations Rome, Italy | June 6-8, 2018 International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo 2018 Presented by ADSC, DFI, Geo-Institute, PDCA Buena Vista, Florida | March 12-17, 2018 For more information email [email protected]. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2016 • 9
