Geosynthetics October/November 2021 - 39

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
A
By Fred C. Chuck
Fall Lobby Day, GeoNashville and
executive council happenings
re you registered for the Fall 2021 Lobby Day, Oct. 20, in Washington, D.C.? Will we
see you in person at GeoNashville, Nov. 4-5? As you are reading this, we are preparing
for the first two returns to in-person activities for the Geosynthetic Materials Association
(GMA). Here are the current options for the Oct. 20 fall fly-in: (1) we may be back to the
traditional meetings in the congressional offices of
the House and Senate buildings, or (2) due to the
continued restrictions, we may host our visits with
the congressperson and staff at a central location
near the congressional offices where they can come
to visit us. Our third possibility might be a hybrid
of the first two. At the time of writing, the procedures
for congressional office visits require security
clearance, an escort to the meeting, departing the
building after the meeting and re-entering security
to attend another meeting. Whether this is still the
policy come October will be the deciding factor on
our selection of option 1, 2 or 3.
GeoNashville will be on Nov. 4-5 at the Music
City Center in Nashville, Tenn. The theme is
" Geotechnical Innovation, Renewed Connections, "
GMA is considering options for fall Lobby
Day. Photograph courtesy Diego Delso,
http://delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA
Fred C. Chuck is the
executive director of GMA.
planned to be the first chance post-COVID lockdowns to get back together face-to-face.
The industry has stepped up to consume all the exhibit space, and the regional engineering,
agency and academic community is expected to fill our 200+ attendance. Our all-plenary
session conference will feature forward-looking presentations on the future of geosynthetics
from the perspective of the Federal Highway Administration (Silas Nichols), the Federal
Aviation Administration (Jeffrey Gagnon) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Jeb
Tingle), and Dr. Jie Han will be presenting his 2021 Koerner Lecture. Each of our presenters
will be highlighted a second time as we place them on an open-discussion panel session.
In addition to the four plenaries, several geosynthetic manufacturers will be showcased
during the Innovation Technology Spotlight and Panel Session. It may not be too late to
join us in Nashville. Details can be found at www.GeosyntheticsConference.com.
In GMA news, the executive council met in July to hold officer elections for the 2021-2023
Division
Geosynthetics is the official
publication of the Geosynthetic
Materials Association.
>> For more, search GMA at
www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com.
www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com
39
term. Bryan Gee, Tensar Corp., was elected to his first term as chair of the executive council.
He had been serving out the term vacated when I assumed the role of executive director of
GMA. Likewise, Steve Thaxton, Owens Corning, had been completing the term of Doug
Brown as first vice chair and was formally voted into his first term as first vice chair. Both
positions will be able to have a second term (two years) if the council so votes in 2023. The
second vice chair position remains vacant as we review and revise the GMA bylaws. G

http://www.delso.photo http://www.GeosyntheticsConference.com http://www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com http://www.GeosyntheticsMagazine.com

Geosynthetics October/November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics October/November 2021