Geosynthetics August/September 2022 - 34

INDUSTRY NEWS
GEO NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Commercial Metals
completes acquisition
of Tensar Corporation
Commercial Metals Company has completed
the acquisition of TAC Acquisition
Corp. ( " Tensar " ) from Castle Harlan,
a New York-based private equity firm,
for a cash purchase price of $550 million,
subject to customary purchase price
adjustments. Tensar is a global provider
of innovative ground stabilization and
soil reinforcement solutions, selling into
more than 80 national markets through its
two major product lines: Tensar® geogrids
and Geopier® foundation systems. " I am
thrilled to welcome Tensar's 650 worldwide
employees to Commercial Metals, "
said Barbara Smith, chairman of the
board, president, and CEO. " This acquisition
marks another important milestone
in CMC's growth strategy, expanding the
scope of products and services we can
provide to our customers. "
Raven Engineered Films
acquired by Industrial
Opportunity Partners
Sioux Falls-based Raven Engineered
Films announced that Industrial Opportunity
Partners ( " IOP " ) has acquired the
business from CNH Industrial N.V. IOP
is an operations-focused private equity
firm based in Evanston, Ill. Scott Wickersham,
president and general manager of
Raven Engineered Films, will assume the
position of CEO under new ownership.
" The acquisition by IOP represents a
new chapter for Raven Engineered Films
that will benefit our team members and
our communities, " said Wickersham.
" We believe IOP will enable us to unlock
the next levels of growth by innovating
new products and creating value
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Geosynthetics | August September 2022
for our customers. " Raven Engineered
Films is a former business unit of Raven
Industries, Inc., which was acquired by
CNH Industrial N.V. in November 2021.
Raven Engineered Films produces all
HydraLine™ products from its facility in
Sioux Falls.
IGS offers response to
European Commission on
microplastics, geosynthetics
The International Geosynthetics Society
(IGS) calls on the European Commission
to fully understand the sustainability
benefits of geosynthetics when
considering how to reduce microplastics
in the environment.
The IGS submitted its response to
a European Commission public consultation
on microplastics in May. It
calls on the Commission to ensure that
this important issue is addressed using
the best available scientific data and
case studies. The IGS also calls on the
Commission to fully consider the entire
lifecycle benefits of all products that use
synthetic materials in their manufacture.
It is inappropriate to compare singleuse
consumer plastics, which decompose
rapidly and are often disposed of
irresponsibly, with high-quality durable
engineering products that deliver longlasting
benefits to entire communities.
Geosynthetics present a negligible environmental
risk, and where risk exists
at all, it is a rare occurrence within the
highly regulated disciplines of civil and
environmental engineering. Potential
examples such as the use of incorrectly
specified products or misguided installation
and maintenance practices are
addressed through high technical and
professional standards in the industry.
Watershed Geo strategic hires
Three new hires have recently joined
Watershed Geosynthetics. Geosynthetics
innovator Randy Thompson has joined
the company as director of HydroTurf
revetment. Credited with the development
and introduction of the geosynthetic-armoring
technology adopted
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to protect 85 miles (137 km) of levees
in southern Louisiana after Hurricane
Katrina, Thompson brings more than
25 years of technical expertise in the
infrastructure market to the role.
Daniel Ward joins Watershed Geo as
the company's field operations manager.
Ward previously served as a project
manager for environmental construction
company and geosynthetics
installer COMANCO Environmental
Corp. working on projects involving
municipal solid waste landfills, utilities,
phosphate and mining. Trey Hardin
has stepped into the role of inside sales
technical representative. Prior to joining
Watershed Geo, Hardin spent more
than a decade working in various sales
capacities, including senior premium
membership service consultant for the
Atlanta Hawks and rental and sales coordinator
for Mashburn Equipment.
Sercel acquires Geocomp
Geocomp announced it is being acquired
by Sercel's Sensing & Monitoring
Division. Sercel is a division of CGG of
Paris, France. CGG is a global technology
firm that supports clients in efficiently
and responsibly solving complex digital,
energy transition, natural resource,
environmental and infrastructure challenges
for a more sustainable future.
With CGG continuing to accelerate its
Geosynthetics August/September 2022

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