Summer Meeting 2026
July 19 – July 22
Plan to attend ADSC’s Summer Meeting in Chicago! Registration is now open! This meeting program is full to the brim with fun, interspersed with great opportunities for networking and moving the deep foundations industry forward, and punctuated with an exclamation point of education at the end. Join us. Reconnect with friends. Bring your family. You’ll create lasting memories and progress that carries on for years.
Why You Should Attend
Just the other day, you were thinking… “What I really need is a fun summer trip with a bunch of old friends!” We think we’ve gathered all the right ingredients for you to create the perfect getaway.
- July in Chicago? Check. (So much to do and such lovely weather).
- Old ADSC friends? Check. (Our Hall of Fame ceremony will bring in LOTS of blasts from the past).
- New ADSC friends and their families? (We have such a fun group of people!)
- A stunning hotel right on Michigan Avenue? Check. (The Ritz-Carlton is FABULOUS).
- Cruising down the Chicago River while drillers tell tales of epic projects? Double check. (Have you ever met Mike Wysockey? Impossible not to have fun around him.)
Registration
Cost
| Attendee | $1,350 |
| Companion Antendee | $750 |
| Opening Reception ONLY | $150 |
| Opening Reception & Hall of Fame Dinner ONLY | $450 |
| Hall of Fame Dinner ONLY | $350 |
| Saturday Boat Tour Join us for a boat tour on the Chicago River with food, drinks, and a fireworks show! | $175 |
| Saturday Boat Tour (Kids 12 & under) Join us for a boat tour on the Chicago River with food, drinks, and a fireworks show! | $100 |
Professional Development Hours (PDHs)
More information coming soon.
Hotel Accommodations
Room block closes June 19.
Please contact Gabby Hawkins at ghawkins@ads-iafd.com for any questions.
160 East Pearson Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Saturday, July 18
| 4:00 PM | Closed Board of Directors Meeting |
| 7:30 – 10:30 PM | Boat Cruise with fireworks (SEPARATE REGISTRATION) |
Sunday, July 19
| 4:00 PM | Associates Committee Meeting |
| 4:00 PM | Governance Committee Meeting |
| 5:30 PM | Opening Reception |
Monday, July 20
| 7:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 8:00 AM | Safety Working Group |
| 9:00 AM | WiC Roundtable |
| 10:00 AM | Break |
| 10:30 AM | |
| Anchored Earth Retention Committee (Concurrent session) | Membership Committee Meeting (Concurrent session) |
| 11:30 AM | Micropile Committee Meeting |
| 12:30 PM | Safety Award Lunch |
| 1:30 PM | Owners Roundtable |
| 2:30 PM | Drilled Shaft Committee Meeting |
| 3:30 PM | Break |
| 4:00 PM | General Membership Meeting |
Tuesday, July 21
| 7:00 – 8:30 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Golf |
| 11:00 AM | Family Activities |
| 6:00 PM | Reception and Silent Auction |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner, Live Auction, and Hall of Fame Ceremony |
Wednesday, July 22
| 7:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 8:00 AM | Education Task Force Meeting |
| 9:00 AM | Education Tracks #1 and #2 Begins (Concurrent sessions) |
| Education Track #1: Improvising at the University of Iowa | Education Track #2: Difficult Access on a Narrow Jetty |
| 10:00 AM | |
| Education Track #1: Assembling the Arsenal – A Contractor’s Weapons in Defending Drilled Shafts | Education Track #2 – Trust as a Tool for Safety on Transmission Foundation Jobsites |
| 11:00 AM | |
| Education Track #1: Concrete Slam Regional Trends | Education Track #2: Logistics Issues for Transmission Structure Foundations |
Summer Meeting Preview
Speakers
Monday, July 20 @ 9:00 AM
Women in Construction Roundtable
Rick Kalson, Cozen O’Connor
Rick Kalson will give a presentation on the protection of business and personal assets, followed by a group discussion. This information is valuable for both women and men in the industry.
Wednesday, July 22 @ 9:00 AM
Improvising at the University of Iowa
Gene Sheedy, P.E., Midwest Drilled Foundations and Engineering
This project was notable for the cooperation between the drilling contractor and the construction manager to change the schedule so that existing structures could be used as a working platform for a major portion of the job. Additional collaboration prevented conflicts with earthwork contractors working in the same area when drilling took place.
Difficult Access on a Narrow Jetty
Nick Ibach, Tri-State Drilling
Those in the transmission structure business know that access and logistics often comprise the most critical parts of the job, as schedule constraints only allow short windows to get in and get out. This presentation will highlight just such a project in which the “How do we get there?” was much more complicated than the “How do we drill this?”
Wednesday, July 22 @ 10:00 AM
Assembling the Arsenal – A Contractor’s Weapons
in Defending Drilled Shafts
George Piczalko, GRL/PDI, Scott Webster, GRL/PDI, Scott Jacobs, Keller
From legal strategies to methods of insisting on ACTUAL inspections, this session will serve as the first in a series of workshops on how to assemble an arsenal of defensive weapons while proactively insisting on practical and quality execution from the Owner’s side.
Trust as a Tool for Safety on Transmission
Foundation Jobsites
Zach Kane, Aldridge Group
Gravity doesn’t work differently on transmission structure projects, but the temporary nature of jobsite infrastructure often means that a different approach to safety is needed. Zach Kane will speak about trust as a tool and how to establish a safety mentality even when the jobsite can change on a daily basis.
Sponsorship Opportunities
| Price | Type | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| $3,500 | Golf Sponsorship | Show off to everyone in the golf tournament with your logo on all the golf carts, a post on social media, and a listing in the onsite program. |
| $250 | Golf Hole – 18 | Bring all the players good luck by having your logo blow in the wind at a hole with a hole sponsor that has your logo on a hole flag. |
| $1,000 | Breakfast – Monday | Branded signage and onsite program listing |
| $2,000 | AM & PM Break – Monday | Includes Logo-branded snack bags, branded plates, signage, social media promotion, and onsite program listing |
| $1,000 | Breakfast – Tuesday | Branded signage and onsite program listing |
| $1,000 | Breakfast – Wednesday | Branded signage and onsite program listing |
| $1,000 | Coffee | Branded signage and onsite program listing |
| $5,000 | Opening Reception Bar & Specialty Cocktail | Includes a specialty cocktail. Your brand will be front and center with logo placement on bar signage, napkins, drinkware, as well as recognition in the onsite program and across social media. |
| $2,500 | Safety Award Lunch | Branded signage, logo placement on presentation slideshow, and an onsite program listing. |
| $5,000 | Wifi | Branded signage and onsite program listing. |
| $4,000 | Lanyards | Have everyone wear your logo around their necks by sponsoring the lanyards given to every attendee at the meeting. This will also include a listing in the onsite program. |
| $1,500 | Bus Sponsorship | Branded signage and onsite program listing. |
| $725 | Onsite Program Advertisment | Full page ad in the onsite program given out to all attendees. |
| $2,000 | Table Top Exhibit Space | Dedicated tabletop display area, signage, and onsite program listing. |
For any questions, please reach out to Gabby Hawkins at ghawkins@adsc-iafd.com
