OUCC and Trenchless Technology Road Show Held in October

The first Opportunities in Utility Construction Conference (OUCC) was held on Oct 9-10, at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. The conference was held in conjunction with the well-established Trenchless Technology Road Show.

The hallmark of the Trenchless Technology Road Show is the combination of classroom presentations, outdoor demonstrations and exhibition hall. The format allows for interaction between attendees and the speakers and exhibitors. More than 200 people were on hand for the OUCC/Trenchless Technology Show in Wilmington.

The idea of OUCC is to educate contractors on regional opportunities. In this case, OUCC featured shale drilling, trenchless technology, renewable energy and sustainability, and business management issues, including legal, financial and management strategies.

Featured speakers included Bernie Krzys, publisher of Trenchless Technology, who provided an overview of the evolution of the trenchless and utility construction market over the last 20 years; Tom Iseley, professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), who spoke on the topic “Utilizing a Living Lab for Developing Water and Energy Sustainable Solutions;” and Jim Schug, FMI, who spoke on management strategies for utility companies.

NUCA of Ohio, IUPUI and Bowling Green State University were partners in the event. Show sponsors included Advanced Rehabilitation Technology, Bridgewell Mats, JT Miller, Kundel Industries, Inc., Ohio HDD Association, OUPS and United Rentals.