Underground Construction - May 2018 - 34

REHABTECHNOLOGY

Jeff Awalt | Executive Editor

RehabZone to Build on Record-Setting

T

The RehabZone was launched in
2002 to help educate and instill
confidence among sewer and
water industry professionals
in the advancing capabilities of
trenchless technologies at the
start of a rehabilitation boom.
By the time Andy Rothenberg
became chairman in 2016, the
RehabZone had become a destination "show within a show" at
the annual Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exposition
(UCT).
The challenge, Rothenberg
recognized, was the number of
repeat visitors was starting to
decline.
"Technology in our industry
is constantly advancing, and
the RehabZone provides one of
the best ways to keep up with
these changes year after year -
but only if people return," said
Rothenberg, owner of Florida-based Primeline Products.
"The vast majority of visitors
gave very positive reviews, but
the exhibit was getting a little
stale and we needed to provide
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MAY 2018 | UConOnline.com

more reasons to come back,"
Rothenberg said. "We also
looked for ways to make it more
interactive to be more appealing
to younger professionals."

Success in 2018
Two years later, there seems to
be little doubt that this renewed
focus on annual updates and
hands-on features are paying
off with high repeat-attendance
rates and increased sponsorships. Fundraising by the RehabZone, which is sponsored by the
National Association of Sewer
Service Companies (NASSCO),
increased 27 percent in 2018,
compared with 2017, allowing
'Zone management to make several much-needed upgrades and
replacement for the exhibits.
New additions for 2018 included the safety section and the
Cutter Challenge - a test of skills
using the TryTek T150 Lateral
Reinstatement cutter. Two machines were set up for operation
in a designated section of the
RehabZone - one providing an

opportunity to learn and practice the controls, and another
for a competition among attendees.
Educational stations included
the NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification Program and
Inspector Training Certification
Program; sectional CIPP, water
main, lateral and manhole lining; joint and seal repairs; pipe
bursting; bypass pumping; and
others staffed by industry professionals, who presented objective information without sales
or promotion.
Jack Doheny Companies
brought essential permit-required, confined-space training to the RehabZone with its
mobile "classroom." The fully
operational training truck was
stationed within the exhibit to
provide access by attendees to
all of its features. Illustrating
the interactive focus, participants were strapped into a harness and lowered into a simulated manhole. Experts were on
hand to answer any questions
about the truck, OSHA require-

ments and other safety aspects
of underground infrastructure
operations.
Most of the 2018 UCT attendees, who responded to a survey
conducted during the New Orleans event, said they attended
the RehabZone and benefited
from the experience. The positive feedback came from industry newcomers and veterans,
and from first-time visitors and
repeat attendees alike.
Steve Freeman, a project
manager who has worked at
Kenner, La.-based Fleming Construction Company for about 20
years, said he found the RehabZone "very beneficial" during his
first visit to UCT this year.
"Today's market is so competitive that you just have to
make time to keep up with new
technology and equipment. It
was very informative," Freeman
said, noting that many New
Orleans rehab projects employ
cured-in-place liners, along with
some microtunneling. "There's
no real estate left for anything
new in the metro areas now, so
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