The Trenchless Technology Podcast

Back in 1998, Benjamin Media Inc. (BMI) created the HDD Rodeo and it quickly became the spotlight event for the Horizontal Directional Drilling market for several years. Flash-forward to 2024 and the HDD Rodeo is back and better than ever! BMI president Rob Krzys shares all the details for this highly anticipated HDD return!

In the January issue of Trenchless Technology, industry experts weighed in on what's ahead for the trenchless industry in 2023. One of those experts — NASTT executive director Matthew Izzard — joins the Podcast for a more in-depth view the state of the trenchless industry. We also look ahead to the 2023 NASTT No-Dig Show and what attendees can expect.

In this episode, we learn about Westlake Pipe & Fittings and what they bring to the table for the trenchless technology market. Keith Moggach shares his expertise on the company, as well as the benefits of using the Certa-Lok line of PVC pipe on your trenchless applications. This episode is sponsored by Westlake Pipe & Fittings, a Westlake company.

Meet our 2022 Trenchless Technology Person of the Year Derek Potvin. Derek is the second Canadian to receive this prestigious award and he shares his thoughts on that and much more. He also offers his perspective on today's trenchless market.

In construction circles, especially horizontal directional drilling circles, undergrounding power transmission and distribution lines is getting a ton of attention. In this episode, Mike Beehler with the Power Delivery Intelligence Initiative explains it all for you and what the future looks likes for this hot topic.

The entrepreneurial spirit in the LaValley family runs deep. In this episode, LaValley Industries founder and CEO Jason LaValley shares how that family trait helped him to launch his game-changing pipe handling tool and his company, using his life-savings in the process.

Engineering has historically been a male dominated profession. As women continue to make gains in those numbers and leadership professions, the future is bright for the next generation of female engineers. We talk with two outstanding engineers — Woodard & Curran's Jennifer Glynn, P.E., and Granite Inliner's Denise McClanahan — for their perspective on this career path for women, as well as looking back at their journeys.

Benjamin Media president Rob Krzys has a special affinity for the horizontal directional drilling market. In this episode he talks about his relationship with the drillers, as well as reminisces about the popular HDD Rodeos of the 1990s and early 2000s.

In the final episode of a special three-part podcast celebrating HDD turning 50, Dr. Sam Ariaratnam with Arizona State University is the guest. Dr. Ariaratnam, who's been in the industry for more than 25 years, discusses the early days of HDD education, as well as presents perspective on the globalization of horizontal directional drilling.

In the second episode of this special 3-part podcast celebrating HDD turning 50, the guest is Digital Control Inc. co-founder John Mercer. Mercer is an industry pioneer and is considered the Father of Locating. He shares his perspective on the industry's early days and how locating pushed HDD forward.

A special 3-Part Podcast, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) industry. First up is the Father of HDD: Martin Cherrington. He offers recollections and perspective of how the industry got its start, as well as insight into its future.

Kevin Smith was tapped in January as the general manager of the recently formed Ditch Witch Division of The Toro Company. Smith is now leads the revamped Ditch Witch brand division and he talks about those plans, as well as perspective on the 2021 trenchless market in the era of COVID.

In Part 3 of our CIPP at 50 Podcast, Ralph Western, Aegion Corp's COO of the Infrastructure Solutions Platform, which includes Insituform, shares how cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) and Insituform revolutionized the underground rehab market. This is the final episode of the CIPP at 50 special Podcast.

In Part 2 of this special Podcast series, celebrating 50 years of cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), Trenchless Technology Center executive director John Matthews joins us. John talks about how research and education of CIPP has evolved over the years, as well as its impact on the trenchless industry and underground infrastructure.

We're celebrating 50 years of Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) in 2021 with a special 3-part Podcast series. First up is trenchless rehab expert Lynn Osborn, who shares the history of CIPP and its impact on the underground infrastructure market.

We’re talking with John Fluharty, chair of the Power & Communications Contractors Association (PCCA) and a longtime member of the HDD contracting community, getting his take and perspective on how the COVID pandemic is impacting the fiber-to-the-home market in relation to the HDD market. Check out the full story at https://trenchlesstechnology.com/hdd-fiber-installation-covid-era

Toro Co.'s Rick Rodier joins the Podcast to discuss acquisitions. He shares how the integration process is going between Toro Co. and Charles Machine Works, as well as the impact acquisitions have on the trenchless industry.

2020 Trenchless Technology Person of the Year Siggi Finnsson joins the Podcast. We discuss how he got into the trenchless world and how HDD locating has evolved over the last 25 years. He also shares his thoughts about short- and long-term impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the trenchless industry.

On this episode, AEM president Dennis Slater offers insight on the short- and long-term effects the COVID-19 pandemic will have on equipment manufacturers. He also talks about a recent AEM survey with CEOs and their opinions on the supply chain.

This episode features guest Jason Lueke, national practice leader of trenchless technology at Associated Engineering, based in Edmonton, Alberta. Jason offers a look at how COVID-19 is impacting the trenchless industry in Canada, as well as how his firm continues to do business during this global and economic crisis.