INDUSTRY PROFILE
J.F. Brennan won a safety award for no lost time incidents since February 11, 2013, translating to 2.2 million man-hours,
and 1,638 days without an OSHA lost time incident. The family-owned company has supported WEDA by participating in
the organization on a local and national level. Matthew Binsfeld is a member of the WEDA board of directors. Patriarch
Tony Binsfeld received a WEDA Lifetime Achievement award in Vancouver. Celebrating after the award ceremony
are, from left, Luke Ploessl, Matt Binsfeld, Mike Binsfeld, Andrew Timmis, Tony Binsfeld and Greg Smith.
D.C., established the WEDA Safety Commission, which
promotes papers on safety at every meeting, convenes separately
in conjunction with annual meetings and presents
several safety awards annually to companies who have outstanding
safety records.
A major raison d’etre of WEDA is the presentation and
publication of technical papers, and the group produces
printed proceedings for each meeting. The WEDA Journal
of Dredging is published several times a year and presents
peer-reviewed technical papers on dredging. It has been in
publication since 1999, and is distributed to every member.
Changing directions again
At the 2014 annual meeting in Toronto, the board of directors
approved a new set of by-laws and parceled out organizational
duties to board members according to their expertise.
Officers, board members and a new executive director
were approved at that meeting.
The current executive director is Tom Cappellino.
President and chair of the board of directors is Marcel
Hermans of the Port of Portland. Vice president is Alan
Alcorn of Moffatt & Nichol, treasurer is Matthew Binsfeld of
J.F. Brennan, Co., Inc., and secretary is Carol Shobrook of JT
Cleary. There are 20 board members from industry and government
positions, hailing from countries throughout the
Americas. Representing Canada on the board is Jos Clement,
director of technical services for CEDA Dredging & Fluid
Management in Edmonton, Alta.
WEDA members receive reduced registration rates for
all events put on by the three WODA organizations, complimentary
subscriptions to the journals International Dredging
Review and Terra et Aqua, reduced subscriptions to other
journals, newsletters with information about the dredging
communities, access to other WEDA members, ability to
participate in activities and committees focusing on dredging
issues such as safety and the environment, ability to
help recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding
achievements in dredging and marine construction and
the opportunity to support students interested in pursuing a
career in dredging and marine engineering.
On the organization’s website – www.westerndredging.org
– are the proceedings of all conferences, notably the chapter
meetings, where papers generally appear within a day of the
meeting. The website was produced by WEDA members, who
created a modern, clean, interactive site, easy to use and providing
all necessary information.
Benefits for Canada
WEDA member Norman Grant, president of Canadian
dredge manufacturer Normrock Industries, says
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/www.westerndredging.org
