Fall Meeting Re-Cap Sarasota County

The FACERS Annual Meeting was held November 15-17, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota County. The meeting was attended by over 40 county, city, state, federal and business employees, and included a packed agenda with education and networking opportunities. Photos from the event are displayed below. As the FACERS membership grows, we look forward to providing you with the most up to date information from not only our State and Federal partners, but our business affiliates and other FACERS members who have had successful projects competed in their communities. We hope that you will join us for the Annual Meeting being held June 26-29, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Orange County. Registration will open in May - we hope to see you there!

Roman Gavarrete and Russell Parker smiling during a coffee break before presentations begin.

Vice President Joe Kunkel and Mark Massaro having an interesting conversation during the FACERS meetings.

A shot of the FACERS meeting room at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota in Sarasota County.

Alan El-Urfali gives his presentation on the FDOT Manual on Intersection Control Evaluations on Wednesday.

John Goodknight, Brian Barnes, Dorian Popescu, Sage Kamiya, and others converse with each other before presentations.

Mark Van Hala and Roger Schmitt pose during a break in between presentations for the day.

Vice President Joe Kunkel announces the upcoming presentations while speaker Ben Quartermaine, P.E. from Sarasota County awaits to present.

Tracy Straub, President Faith Alkhatib, and Clinton Howerton meet before presentation begin.

Ramon Gavarrete, Margaret Smith, and Commissioner Jimmy Johns talk over some coffee.

Mark Van Hala smiles for the camera. The photographer was loving Mark's sense of style. Way to go Mark!

Fall Meeting Sponsors

Gold

Silver

Bronze

FACERS Dues Increase

Board of Directors vote to increase dues at Fall Meeting During the last day of the FACERS Fall Meeting, members of the Board voted to increase dues by $50 for both county/municipal members and sustaining members. The dues for county and municipal members will now be $130. The dues for sustaining member will now be $180. The following membership brochure was sent out to all current FACERS members. To view attachment, click here . As you can see, the membership brochure reflects the new change in prices for the upcoming year.

President's Message

As 2017 comes to an end and the holiday season is upon us, it is a great time and opportunity to look back, assess and reflect upon the great accomplishments of this unforgettable year. FACERS has continued to grow and has become a commanding association in the State of Florida. Each year FACERS attracts more members and increases its sponsorship base. Together we are also making an impact on some of the most important issues facing society.  During this holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible. It is in great spirit that we say thank you and best wishes for the holidays and New Year. I am proud to have such great directors, members and sponsors and look forward to serving you in the coming year. I appreciate working with you and hope that the holidays and coming year will bring you nothing but happiness and success. I hope that 2018 will be memorable, successful and productive for you, your colleagues, your family and your loved ones.  I want to wish you all a happy, healthy, safe and wonderful holiday season and a joyful, peaceful and prosperous New Year. Thank you for your continued support and dedication. I would like to express my sincerest appreciation for the trust you have placed in me to be your president and am honored to serve this esteemed association. I could not be more excited for the upcoming year and for the opportunity to work with you all to make FACERS a better association.  Best wishes, Faith Alkhatib, President

Member Spotlight Scott Herring

Professional Bio I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in 1983. After graduation, I worked with Kimley-Horn and Associates then started my career in government as the Martin County Traffic Engineer. I returned to the private Sector at Calvin, Giordano and Associates, then returned to Government sector as St. Lucie County Traffic Engineer. Was promoted to Assistant Road & Bridge Manger, then Road & Bridge Manager.

Left in 2006 to go to Georgia as Construction and Facilities Manager. Returned to Florida in 2009 as County Engineer in Nassau County and then was promoted to Public Works Director in 2010. I joined Hernando County in December 2017 as Director of Public Works/County Engineer overseeing Road & Bridge, Engineering, Waterways, and Facilities.  Additionally, I have been active with various leadership associations and organizations. In 2016, he was presented with the Leadership Nassau Alumni of the Year award. I served as chair of the Technical Coordinating Committee for the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization in 2012 and 2016. I also served as president of the Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents from 2000 to 2001.

Personal Info What’s playing on your iPod? County Western  What’s the last book you read? The Green Book! What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends? Go to Thrift Stores and look for finds! What’s your favorite part of FACERS? The exchange of information and talking to my peers during the round tables!

Sponsor Spotlight Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS)

Founded in 1966, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) is a global manufacturer of water management solutions with 61 manufacturing plants and 34 distribution centers. Your Florida ADS field team is comprised of 18 product specialists who are involved with projects from conception to completion. There are 2 manufacturing plants and 2 distribution centers here in Florida, providing FDOT and Highway contractors with the most innovative and sustainable drainage products in the industry.

ADS works closely with FDOT, AASHTO, FHWA, NETPEP and others to develop structural & material standards, QA/QC testing protocol, post installation inspection requirements which allows us to proudly lead the way in thermoplastic product innovation. Corrugated drainage products have changed the face of the storm water conveyance market by providing a cost competitive & high performance solution to traditional storm sewer products by increasing project safety, joint performance and long term service life. Manufacturing corrugated black HDPE pipe to fill the need in the agricultural industry is where ADS began. Since then we have grown by creating products for the private, commercial & public industries through understanding the needs of the market… this mindset ultimately led to development of our corrugated gray polypropylene pipe (HP Storm). HP Storm is a high-performance polypropylene pipe for gravity-flow storm drainage applications, and is tested & approved by the FDOT with a full 100 year design service life rating. Made from an engineered impact modified co-polymer compound, the superior strength and material properties of polypropylene offer robust pipe stiffness, and excellent handling characteristics. It is highly resistant to chemical attack and is unaffected by soils or effluents with PH ranges 1.5 to 14. The unique light grey resin color provides immediate jobsite recognition as well as improving the pipe’s interior visibility during post-installation inspection. This innovative product is provided in 13’ & 20’ lengths with sanitary sewer grade joints, itis quickly becoming the norm for highway construction in Florida and across the country. From a federal perspective, polypropylene pipe is approved for use by the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) under airfield pavement, and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) applications under railroads. From your Florida ADS team, we look forward to continuing to work alongside Agencies, Engineers, Contractors & Stakeholders to raise the bar in infrastructure solutions.