IECA's EC10 – Day 2

Our second day at EC10–the largest soil and water event in the world–has been another very full day. From large-scale erosion and sediment control testing discussions to stormwater specification writing, from reclamation of oil and gas properties to LEED certification, Thursday’s educational sessions hit upon the key issues of the day in the erosion and sediment control field.

Joel Sprague of TRI/Environmental, for example, presented on a topic you’ll soon see much more about both on Geosynthetica and in the overall industry: "Performance Testing of Sediment Retention Devices."

In the exhibit hall, the networking continued while all around prize drawings were held, a silent auction was conducted, and informational video-learning spots were shown in a special area.

Video communication was everywhere, as two online broadcasts interviewed attendees and exhibitors.

Though the economic malaise has made things difficult throughout the stormwater and erosion and sediment control fields–both for manufacturers/distributors and conference organizers–the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has done an excellent job with this year’s event. The Hilton Anatole has been a lovely site, and we have commonly heard reports from exhibitors that while the quantity of visitors is perhaps down, as one expects at any event these days, the quality of interaction continues to improve. Attendees are quite focused on their goals: education, new product evaulation, and building a stronger network of contacts for site solutions.

In addition to thanking all of those I’ve talked to at the booth, I want to pay special thanks to Cindy McGovern (North American Green), Randy Massingill (East Coast Erosion Blankets), Shanna Egli and Emily Jones (Land and Water Magazine), Tom Wedegaertner (Cotton Inc.), Erin Griffin (Harvest PR), Joe Glasser (Eljen Corporation), and Larry Salzer (Syntec) for taking some extra time out to talk.

We hope to bring you in the coming week or two some case studies and product announcements from the many people who have paused to talk to us.

Some shots from Day 2:

Left: North American Green has had a buzzing booth.
Right: One of the conference hotel’s many pleasant public spaces.

Left: Randy Massingill of East Coast Erosion Blankets and Jay Sprague of Pennington Seed. Jay is the son TRI/Environmental’s Joel Sprague.
Right: Attendees pause to learn more about TenCate.

Left: A behind-the-scenes look, as Tamara Forlanski of ESCN.tv prepares to film a segment for the broadcast.
Right: Land and Water editor Shanna Egli and ESCN news editor Emily Jones talk to IECA board president Michael Chase.

Left: Giovanni Capra of Syntec.
Right: Shirley and Joe of Eljen Corporation.

Left: The dirtiest man in erosion and sediment control? John McCullah of Salix Applied Earthcare is well-known for his DirtTime TV episodes and education efforts.
Right: While face-to-face interactions are perhaps a little less frequent than they used to be, they remain of great value and interest.

With the final morning of events about to begin and a Friday afternoon into evening of airports, it’s safe to say that a wrap-up article will be published on Monday morning, February 22.

Chris Kelsey is the editorical director for Geosynthetica. He can be reached at chris@geosynthetica.net.