Marty Taube Named Chair of DFI Ground Improvement Committee

Pittsburgh, PA (November 30, 2008): Marty Taube, P.E., P.G., director of business development at Menard, was selected by the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) to chair its new Ground Improvement Committee. The committee was established by the DFI Board to gather information and provide reference resources regarding ground improvement technologies.

"One of our first tasks was to define ground improvement in the context of DFI," explains Taube. "Our working definition of ground improvement is, the application of specialized construction techniques to improve: shear strength, stiffness and/or density, and drainage characteristics."

According to Taube, objectives for the committee for 2009 include organizing an educational seminar and developing a standard wick drain specification. In addition, the committee will work to increase the number of participants on the committee from DFI's membership.

Menard is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA and offers a full range of ground improvement services including: vertical wick drains, controlled modulus columns™, dynamic compaction™, dynamic replacement™, vibrocompaction, vibro stone columns and vibro-concrete columns. The company's broad range of ground improvement solutions are alternatives to deep foundations and have been successfully used in the construction of commercial warehouses, port and airport platforms, heavy industrial storage areas, roads and railways.

Menard is the US branch of Menard an international ground improvement specialty contractor. Menard is affiliated with The Reinforced Earth Company, the inventor and market leader of the Mechanically Stabilized Earth retaining wall industry, and Freyssinet, specialists in prestressing, cable stayed structures and structural repair. The three companies form the Freyssinet Group, a division of VINCI Construction, one of the world’s largest construction companies.

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