Summer Meeting 2026

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. 

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?”

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.