March/April 2023 - 23

D F I A C T I V I T I E S
DFI leadership at the 2023 Winter Planning Meeting
Planning for the Future
Savannah, Georgia, with its rich history,
numerous parks and beautiful live oaks,
was the location for DFI's Winter Planning
Meeting this year. The leadership
and staff met for three days of lively
brainstorming sessions, board meetings
and relaxed time to network and further
discuss ideas for DFI's future.
With DFI's 50th anniversary approaching
in 2025, and many new
committee chairs present, DFI Executive
Director Theresa Engler provided insight
into the evolution of DFI over its 48
years, as well as recapped performance
in 2022. DFI's purpose and mission have
remained the same since the Institute's
creation - providing a common forum
for all concerned with deep foundations.
Today, it continues bringing the industry
together to find common ground,
creating a shared vision and consensus
voice for continual advancement.
However, the needs of the industry have
evolved immensely.
With that in mind, the leadership
contemplated how DFI continues to be
relevant and valuable to its supportive
4,000 members, and how to attract new
members . In the '70s and '80s, and even
into the '90s, many deep foundation
techniques were young, and education
through guidelines, manuals and guide
specs, as well as seminars and short
courses, were needed across the U.S. to
make clients aware of their capabilities
as viable foundat ion solut ions.
Gradually DFI sought to bring this
information to a more global forum,
establishing chapters in Europe, India
and the Middle East. Additional
committees were established for new
technologies our members were delving
into such as ground improvement, slope
stabilization and tunneling. Technical
guides and the singular focused seminars
on specific foundation types were
less needed so events were combined
into our now annual SuperPile and S3
conferences. Sole volunteer efforts to
produce content became difficult as
demands on our volunteers from their
day jobs increased, and DFI established
the Committee Project Fund to fund
research identified by committee members.
DFI has also invested in its digital
infrastructure over the last five years,
just in time to address the many needs
presented by the recent pandemic.
The discussions at the planning
meeting included reviewing our
governance policies, developing
programs for trade/vocational school
students to attract them to our member
firms, potential training for the field
personnel of our member firms, a
student ambassador program, developing
classroom materials for professors
and providing funding for
student research, and identifying the
challenges faced by the market sectors
we serve and supporting them with
solutions to address those challenges.
Future conference themes and adjusting
the activities provided at our annual
conference were also considered.
The brainstorming sessions were
bookended by meetings of the Educational
Trust Board of Trustees and DFI's
Board of Trustees. At each, reports were
given and conclusions were made on
the way forward for both organizations
to work more closely together to benefit
the future industry professionals who
receive our scholarships, as well as getting
these candidates in front of the
member firms who will likely hire
them. With a tough financial year for
both organizations due to the downturn
of investments, ways to decrease
spending without sacrificing value were
seriously discussed and new initiatives
were prioritized.
The staff left Savannah ready to
tackle the new landscape of the deep
foundation industry and the needs of its
members and the clients they serve.
Clear direction from President Gianfranco
Di Cicco, Trust Chair Rudy Frizzi,
and the army of volunteer trustees and
committee chairs who are up for future
challenges, is steering DFI into another
50 years of successful service.
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * MAR/APR 2023 * 23
March/April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2023
