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A festive ceremony on 8 October 2010 marked Sika's official celebration of the company's 100-year jubilee. In 1910 Kaspar Winkler launched the product Sika 1 with his newly founded firm; Sika 1 made mortar waterproof. Just eight years later the company achieved its breakthrough when the Swiss Federal Railway relied on Sika 1 to seal the newly electrified Gotthard Tunnel against ingress of water. Read more about the company's historical development and modern role as a leader in polymeric materials technologies, including waterproofing membranes.

The Erosion Control Technology Council, after two years of work and deliberations, has recently approved and published a comprehensive specification and application chart for hydraulic erosion control products. This specification is the product of consensus amongst the leading manufacturers of HECPs in the industry, and is designed to satisfy the needs of engineers, designers, hydro-seeding contractors and other end-users of these products. Formatted to be used in its entirety or easily modified as necessary by the end-user, this specification provides expert guidance from product classification and selection to product mixing and installation.

Registration is now open for Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), the next annual conference of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). Don't miss your chance to attend industry-leading education sessions, take advantage of the extensive networking opportunities, and see technologies and service providers in the largest expo of its kind. It's the world's largest soil and water event, and it's taking place 20-23 February 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Register by 10 December 2010 to receive the early-bird registration rate. Learn more here.;

When the Germany-based organization SKZ first brought its renowned "Lifetime of Geosynthetics" seminar to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, it may have been tough to envision it becoming more than just a seminar filling a void in the region's professional development opportunities. This year, the event--3rd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East--marks its gathering with strong international and domestic support, including the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. The impressive program has been announced. Read more.

Tensar Corporation announced today that President and Chief Executive Officer Phillip D. Egan has decided to retire from his positions. He will relinquish his duties effective immediately and will leave Tensar later this year. Don Meltzer will serve as interim President and CEO of Tensar Corporation while a search for a permanent replacement is conducted. Don has served as a Tensar Board member for the past year and has recently worked closely with the Tensar leadership team to prepare the company for growth and profitability expansion as the world recovers from the recent recession. Learn more.

AASHTO has released its "Technical Manual for Design and Construction of Road Tunnels - Civil Elements, First Edition." These guidelines provide recommendations for planning, design, construction, and structural rehabilitation and repair of the civil elements of road tunnels, including cut-and-cover tunnels, mined and bored tunnels, immersed tunnels, and jacked box tunnels. This 2010 publication is currently available only for pre-order. A delivery date estimate has not yet been announced. Learn more here.;

The AMI conference on Waterproof Membranes looks at the trends and technical developments in the international roofing and geomembrane industry. It takes place from 30 November-2 December 2010 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany. This year the markets will be reviewed by an international panel of specialists commencing with Jon Nash of AMI Consulting on European construction developments. This is followed by NTC "Gidrol-Krovlja" with an overview of trends in the Russian arena, then Polaris International (Bahrain) on Middle East single-ply roofing strategies and challenges, and Arab Water Seal (UAE) on MENA market trends.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition has extended abstract presentation proposals through 8 October 2010. General topics of interest include operations improvements, emerging trends and technologies, public works leadership, and the business side of public works. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more and submit a proposal electronically. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is calling for nominations for its 20th annual Awards of Environmental Excellence. This year's revamped awards program features eight categories to recognize industry professionals and organizations for their contributions to the erosion and sediment control community. IECA will honor all award winners during its awards program at Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11) 20-23 February 2011. The deadline to submit a nomination for awards presented at EC11 is November 1, 2010.

In St. Lawrence County, New York, five bridges have been constructed in the past year with geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments. Now, the federal government is sending a film crew to the area to document the next GRS construction. The speed of construction and performance strength found in these designs is grabbing attention and may soon find much larger acceptance throughtout the country. The film will be shown at upcoming transportation design sessions in New York, Massachusetts, and Atlanta. Learn more here.;

American Securities LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, today announces that it has completed its significant investment in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS), the largest producer of corrugated polyethylene pipe products in the world. Based in Hilliard, Ohio, ADS is a 40-year-old, privately-held company serving the storm and waste water industry. Equity for the investment was provided by American Securities Partners V, L.P., a $2.3 billion private equity partnership. Barclays Capital acted as financial advisor to ADS.

Fortune magazine's Dan Primack writes about Berkshire Partners' sale of Advanced Drainage Systems after 22 years of ownership. Learn more here.;

Colbond has long been known for manufacturing high-performance materials for some of civil engineering's toughest applications, such as for new levee designs, as well as specialty markets such as green roofing. In support of the company's established product lines and markets, a new website has been launched. The new-look www.Colbond.us focuses on North American business and separates out markets concisely with product solutions targeted to each of them. Literature and media links under each product/application section provide detailed information, from case studies to product data, on prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), erosion control materials, reinforcement geogrids, drainage geocomposites, and much more.

Berkshire Partners LLC, the Boston-based private equity firm, today announced it has sold its ownership position in Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS), the leading manufacturer and distributor of corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe products in the world. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. ADS serves a variety of markets including storm and sanitary sewer systems, stormwater retention/detention systems, septic systems, roadway constructions, residential and commercial construction, golf courses, athletic fields and agriculture. Today, more than 8.5 billion feet of ADS pipe are in service around the world.

The fast and outstanding development and growth of the United Arab Emirates has shown not just significant recognition among top-tier international companies in the long-term strength of business in the United Arab Emirates but deep commitment and effort by the UAE government in ensuring and providing a competitive infrastructure to support and enable the overall vision of success for the United Arab Emirates. When SKZ convenes the 3rd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East, it will do so with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as a headline supporter. Geosynthetics Middle East 2010 will take place 9-10 November 2010 in Abu Dhabi under the theme of "Waterproofing Systems and Reinforced Structures." Learn more.

A South Carolina geotextiles manufacturer is relocating to Stephens County. Crown Resources of Greer will make its new home between the cities of Toccoa and Martin. Company Chief Executive Officer Monte Thomas said Crown Resources is excited to move to the Toccoa area. Crown Resources serves mainly the construction and road building industries with its product. Learn more here.;

Over on the World Bank's blog regarding reducing poverty in Africa, today's post pertains to the role infrastructure can play and the challenges to that idea. A side-event at the United Nations on-going Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) took place on September 22 and focused on "Scaling up Africa’s infrastructure to meet the MDGs." The writer of the post notes that the discussion on infrastructure's potential role was unusual for three reasons. Read more. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) is pleased to announce the third class of GSI Fellows for the academic year 2010-2011. Four new proposals were approved and three proposals from the previous two years were awarded additional funds to continue research. New proposals includes research regarding temperature effects and shear behavior, vertical drains in railway stabilization, protection of buried pipes in fault zones, and improving water quality and filtration in stormwater runoff. Read more about GSI's fellowship program.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) is pleased to offer "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes -- Flexibility and Superior Performance," its popular short course, on 15 October 2010 in Denver, Colorado. The course organizers have added a presentation on the geomembranes used in the Gulf oil spill clean up. Dr. Timothy Stark will present on the geomembrane technology that was used to assist experts in the Gulf during the clean up and contaminant containment.

In Auburn, Maine, public works officials want to replace a waterside asphalt turnout with a surface that will provide some infiltration rather than route runoff directly down the shoreline and into the water. Gravel alone has performed poorly before. So the city is testing two gravel-filled systems, each of which can support vehicle weight: GeoPave and GeoWeb. It's a contest of plastics blocks vs. geocells. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 Sustainability in Public Works Conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event location and dates have yet to be announced, but 2010's event in Minneapolis was a great success. APWA's sustainability initiatives include not just this event series but a new APWA Center for Sustainability. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more here.;

The mission of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Awards Program is to recognize outstanding achievements in the erosion and sediment control industry in the following categories: Environmental Achievement; Sustained Contributor; Young Professional; Professional of the Year; Contractor of the Year; Organization of the Year; Technological Innovation; and Educational Achievement. Only current IECA members may nominate an individual, project or program for an award. Nominations must be submitted electronically and are due by November 1. Learn more here.;

Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Current tracks include Soil/Rock Mechanics and Modeling; Geotechnical Testing and Site Characterization; Foundations and Ground Improvement; Slopes, Embankments, and Earth Retaining Structures; Geosynthetics; Geoenvironmental Engineering; Geo-Hazards (Earthquakes, Landslides, Erosions, Others); Transportation Materials and Pavements; and Other Geotechnical Related Issues. Registration for this key event is now open.

Johannesburg, South Africa's only food-grade plastic recycling plant is run by Extrupet, a company that also operates non-food grade division. The non-food grade division, established in 2005, converts plastic bottles into components, such as fibers, that have been used in road stabilization and separation geotextiles. The company's latest expansion into food-grade recycled products is in response to a spike in demand for recycled content in new products. Learn more here.;