DFI Magazine September/October 2020 - 9

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE

DFI45 - People, Purpose, Passion. That's DFI!
hen this year's organizing committee
th
Annual
Conference as People, Purpose, Passion, it
struck a chord as I immediately identified
with what Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, the
DFI45 chair, and Gregg Piazza and Jennifer
Nicks, program co-chairs, were looking to
capture. For me, those words are DFI!
I have been at 21 annual conferences
since joining the DFI staff. It started in 1999
in Dearborn, Michigan, where DFI held an
equipment expo outside with an indoor
exhibition and single plenary session
throughout the two-and-a-half days; it was
small in comparison to
today's IFCEE events,
but ambitious for a staff
of one part-time and one
half-time person. Yes, I
know, I'm showing my
age, but I remember it as
if it was yesterday - we
were having dynamic
and static equipment
exhibits in a hotel
parking lot - talk about
risk! And this girl (yes, I
was a girl then) from the
office was being able to meet - and put
faces and personalities - to all the people
whose names I'd been typing into documents, and whose voices I'd been hearing
on the phone.
Anyway, I don't feel my age, because
whenever DFI holds another annual
conference, I get as excited as when I was
asked to help out at that first one. And
when it's over each year, I feel a bit sad that
it's ending because of all the camaraderie
among staff and volunteers that goes along
with the hard work and planning. It's like
going to a family reunion; however, that
first time I didn't know what to expect. As a
newbie I was anxious to do a good job and
for everything to go smoothly, and it did.

W set the theme for DFI's 45

I was welcomed into the DFI
fold with open arms. The excitement was palpable coming from
the most senior leaders to the new
members in attendance. That
showed me how passionate DFI
members are about their profession, and about supporting DFI as
their industry association of choice, in
addition to their willingness to share that
passion and expertise with others via conference presentations and papers that
contribute to the body of knowledge on deep
foundation techniques and best practices.
I also learned why
these events had the aura
of a grand reunion. This
is where members made
connections; where
board members became
lifelong friends; where
committee members
debated the topics of
their industry segment
- passionately, yet
walked away for a beer
with their competitors;
and where general
attendees and exhibitors found an
atmosphere of appreciation for what they
could share.
As a 20-plus-year participant, I share
the sense of loss of not making DFI45 the
22nd year where I gather with "my peeps,"
giving and receiving hugs, and having that
beer in the bar. But that's not going to stop
me from being as excited as ever for this
year's online annual conference. Not only is
DFI about People, Purpose and Passion, it's
about resilience, innovation and loyalty too.

Each and every (annual

conference) attendee,

speaker, exhibitor and

staff person brings a

passion to advance the

state of the practice.

Industry Support
As we continue to navigate this year with all
its ups and downs and twists and turns, I'm
grateful for the support DFI has already had
during Virtual SuperPile, Virtual S3 and our

Theresa Engler
Executive Director
tengler@dfi.org

Energy Foundations, ITS Money
and WiDF Webinar Series. All these events
had people, purpose and passion infused
into them because again - that's DFI!
By mid-August, we had already begun
rolling out the options for exhibitors,
sponsors and attendees to consider for our
annual conference, and I have no doubt of
the support we will receive from DFI's
"people." Because the purpose of DFI45
remains the same: providing an international forum for discussion among geoprofessionals and an atmosphere of
fellowship. The DFI45 online conference
will bring together like-minded people
interested in the deep foundations industry
to share knowledge and expertise; network
with colleagues and competitors; and
showcase innovative and diverse products,
tools and services.
Why will the event be the same?
Because each and every attendee, speaker,
exhibitor and staff person brings a passion
to advance the state of the practice.
Whether it's talking in a hallway or in an
online video chat room, that passion will
come through and the purpose of the
gathering will be accomplished. Until we
"meet" again, let's show our passion for
deep foundations and "meet" online at
DFI45! It's the next best thing to being
there - in fact, we may surprise ourselves
and find out it's even better because more
can participate from all over the world and
contribute to the organization's purpose.
"See" you there, and meanwhile, here's my
virtual hug to you all :)X ((hug)).

DEEP FOUNDATIONS * SEPT/OCT 2020 * 9

DFI Magazine September/October 2020

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