Underground Infrastructure - June 2023 - 38

BUSINESS LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
Oatey
Matt Stem joined Oatey Co.,
a Cleaveland, Ohio,
manufacturer in the
plumbing industry, as
vice president, Distribution
and Global Logistics.
In his new role, he will lead Oatey's robust
distribution network, driving long-term
strategy and ensuring exceptional delivery
for customers and partners.
With nearly 25 years of experience in
logistics and operations, Stem most recently
was vice president, operations at Spray
Products Corporation.
RJN Group
Jeff Griffiths is the new
manager of infrastructure
for RJN Group, Inc.'s
East Coast team, responsible
for bringing the company's
water and wastewater
system evaluations to new markets across
the Mid-Atlantic region.
He has spent the better part of two decades
leveraging technology to refine and enhance
the pipeline assessment process and will
lend his technical know-how to advancing
RJN's ability to deliver cost-effective
engineering solutions.
UCTA/LAN
Elaiza Alvarez, P.E., senior
associate and municipal
team leader with Lockwood,
Andrews and Newnam Inc.,
was appointed as president
of the Underground
Construction Technology AssociationSouth
Texas Chapter.
In this role, she leads the Chapter in
its mission to promote the development
and use of underground technologies in
the construction industry. The association
provides a platform for professionals in the
field to share knowledge, collaborate on
projects and encourage the advancement of
underground construction technology.
Alvarez has been an active member of the
association for several years and has served in
various leadership roles within the organization,
including her previous role as vice president.
38 JUNE 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Available for free, Plastics Recycling-a Winning Solution
for the Infrastructure can be downloaded at
https://plasticpipe.org/Drainage/Drainage-Look-Deeper
The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI), a major
North American trade association, released
a new animated video that shows how the
industry uses recycled plastic to manufacture
pipe for the infrastructure that can last more
than 100 years.
According to PPI, large-diameter corrugated
HDPE pipe can be made with 40 percent
post-consumer resin (PCR) content. Studies
show that one standard 20-foot length of this
48-inch diameter HDPE pipe will take between
1,600 and 2,200 discarded detergent bottles out
of the landfill.
The corrugated HDPE pipe industry is
the largest plastics recycling sector in North
America, using more than 600 million pounds
of post-consumer resin annually in its pipe
products for the past 5 years.
" This is a great educational tool that can
be used to build recycling awareness and
engagement by public officials and pipe users,
Washington Utilities &
Transportation Commission
Washington Utilities and Transportation
Commission (UTC) has appointed Scott Rukke as
the permanent director of Pipeline Safety, after
serving as acting director since January this year.
He leads the UTC division responsible
for conducting inspections of Washington's
natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines
to ensure operators comply with state and
federal pipeline safety standards.
Rukke has an extensive background in
pipeline safety, spending 23 years with the
UTC's Pipeline Safety Program and 20 years
with Puget Sound Energy.
PPI
plasticpipe.org/drainage
alike, " said Daniel Currence, P.E., director of
engineering for PPI's Drainage Division.
" It addresses concerns that the general public
has about plastics recycling and demonstrates
the potential benefits to communities when
recycled plastics are used in corrugated highdensity
polyethylene (HDPE) drainage pipe
with a long service life, while cutting waste and
reducing the carbon footprint. "
ASCE
asce.org
ASCE's new Manual
of Practice (MOP 155)
on Direct Steerable
Pipe Thrusting (DSPT),
details how engineers
and construction
professionals can utilize
the method to design
and install pipelines.
Known as Direct Pipe, this recent innovation
in the trenchless pipeline installation industry
combines characteristics of horizontal
directional drilling (HDD) and conventional
microtunneling to design and install pipelines
in ground conditions that would be challenging
for other trenchless methods.
Divided into eight chapters, the manual
begins with the history of DSPT, delves
into methods, planning, site investigation,
and design, with contract documents and
construction considerations covered at the end.
MOP 155 serves as a contribution to the
DSPT engineering practice to benefit engineers,
owners, contractors, equipment manufacturers,
and other project and industry stakeholders.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of
Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000
civil engineers worldwide and is America's
oldest national engineering society. ASCE works
to raise awareness of the need to maintain and
modernize the nation's infrastructure using
sustainable and resilient practices, advocates
for increasing and optimizing investment
in infrastructure, and improve engineering
knowledge and competency.
DEVELON
na.develon-ce.com
Forest Pro, Inc., a premier logging equipment
dealership, is partnering with DEVELON,
formerly Doosan, to begin offering heavy
http://www.asce.org http://www.plasticpipe.org/drainage https://www.plasticpipe.org/Drainage/Drainage-Look-Deeper http://na.develon-ce.com http://www.UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Underground Infrastructure - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Infrastructure - June 2023
