Geosynthetics April/May 2023 - 36

GMA NEWS
GMA is dedicated to
our members' success.
GMA actively identifies,
assesses, analyzes
and acts upon market
growth opportunities
and issues that affect
its member companies.
The activities of
the association are
proactive in nature and
center on five areas:
» Engineering support
» Business development
» Education
» Government relations
» Geosynthetics industry
recognition
GMA moves forward
O
By Fred C. Chuck and Bryan Gee
ver the past decade the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) has grown by
leaps and bounds, establishing itself as a leading geosynthetics organization in the
areas of education, technical support and government relations. GMA's membership has
nearly doubled since 2005; GMA-supported educational conferences have attracted more
than 25,000 attendees; and GMA's lobbying efforts have reached 24 states and hundreds
of elected officials, resulting in the inclusion of geosynthetics language in multiple infrastructure
bills. The most recent is the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of
2022, created by a bipartisan coalition and signed by President Biden. The activities are
critical in achieving GMA's mission of advancing the industry together and growing our
members' businesses.
Since 2005, GMA's membership has risen to 63 companies. Members represent all
facets of the industry, especially manufacturers and distributors of geosynthetic products.
GMA members create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue each year.
Membership consists of three levels: executive council, general and distributor. Companies
that join GMA at one of these levels have the opportunity for their employees to participate
in a wide variety of educational offerings, government relations activities, technical focus
groups and conferences. Employees of member companies gain access to unique opportunities
that allow them to work with fellow members to help grow the geosynthetics market
and, at the same time, increase their companies' piece of the pie.
Supporting geosynthetics conferences has been a core part of GMA's strategic plan, and
Fred C. Chuck is the
executive director of GMA.
since the 1980s, GMA has helped its parent association, the Advanced Textiles Association
(ATA), organize more than 20 conferences. Conferences grow the industry through collaboration,
education and the sharing of new ideas. GMA hosts member meetings at
these conferences, and its leadership meets to set the association's agenda for the year.
GMA's 2023 set of meetings started in February with the 2023 Kansas City Geosynthetics
Conference co-located with the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). On the
horizon is the Infrastructure Morning at the ATA 2023 Outlook Conference in Greenville,
S.C., on May 1 with targeted speakers from agencies, industry and associations, and the
GMA Spring Lobby Days in Washington, D.C., May 14-15, 2023.
GMA ramped up its government relations activities starting in 2005, hiring the D.C.Bryan
Gee is the director of
education and training for
Tensar International Corp.
and the chair of the GMA
executive council.
Division
Geosynthetics is the official
publication of the Geosynthetic
Materials Association.
36
Geosynthetics | April May 2023
based lobbying firm Whitmer & Worrall to represent GMA's interest in our nation's capital.
This partnership has blossomed over the years, resulting in GMA playing a critical role in
coal ash policy and geosynthetics being named in a half dozen pieces of legislation, such as
the Obama-era Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the Water Resources
Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) and the 2018 Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Reauthorization Act signed by President Trump. GMA has honored senators and
representatives with the GMA " Leader of the Year " award. Congressman Peter DeFazio,
D-Ore., was the most recent awardee, receiving the honor for his exemplary work promoting
innovative materials, including geosynthetics-dedicated language on the House floor.
Success at the federal level naturally led GMA to expand its government relations program
to the state and local levels, and since 2012 GMA has visited several states, delivering a
message about the benefits of geosynthetics to regulatory agencies, governors' offices and

Geosynthetics April/May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics April/May 2023