Plastics Pipe Institute names Projects, Members of the Year

The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI) has announced the winners of its Projects and Members of the Year program during its annual membership meeting, which was held in Scottsdale, Ariz. in May.

“Aside from the excitement of announcing the winners of our industry competition,” stated PPI President David M. Fink, “there was a true sense of delight from our more than 368 members who attended because this was the first annual membership meeting that we were able to hold in person for more than three years.”

PPI is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry. Each year the association’s members vote for Project of the Year and a Member of the Year for each of the five PPI divisions:

Building & Construction
Drainage
Energy Piping Systems
Municipal & Industrial, and
Power & Communications

Winning projects ranged from helping three Texas rural communities restore their water supply to a drainage system for a warehouse that required more than 17 miles of pipe. The PPI Member of the Year Award is for an individual’s outstanding support and contributions to the association and the industry.

This year’s winning projects and members are:

Building & Construction Division Project of the Year

This Is The Place Heritage Park, Salt Lake City, Utah

PPI Member Company: REHAU Construction LLC

More than 40,000 feet of REHAU RAUPEX pipe was used for the SIM system at the Utah Heritage Park.

Jonathan Bittenbender, director, engineering of REHAU receives the Project of the Year Award from PPI President David M. Fink.

This Is The Place Heritage Park recreates the West as it was in the early settlement of Utah and has rides, exhibits, and meeting and wedding venues. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the Utah winter while being introduced to the benefits of a hydronic snow and ice melting (SIM) system installed on the nearly 30,000 square foot walkway, keeping it clear and safe. More than 40,000 feet of REHAU RAUPEX pipe was used to make up the 165 loops for the system.

Drainage Division Project of the Year

Greencastle, Pa. Warehouse Distribution Center

PPI Member Company: Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. (ADS)

The largest of five retention beds was constructed from 24,500 ft (4.64 miles) of 60-inch diameter corrugated HDPE pipe. Photo shows the bed 50 percent completed.

Tori Durliat, director of marketing for Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. with the Project of the Year plaque.

A new warehouse facility in Greencastle, PA required a large amount of underground storage beneath the proposed loading and parking areas. This project had five large retention beds that included more than 17 miles of ADS N-12^® corrugated HDPE pipe, as well as fittings, gaskets, Nyloplast drains/grates and FlexStorm inlet filters. The need for the underground, watertight system was due to the karst geology of the area and the vast impervious area of some 83 acres.

Energy Piping Systems Division Project of the Year

Frontier Natural Gas, Elkin, N.C.

PPI Member Companies: Performance Pipe and The Dow Chemical Company

Frontier Natural Gas used more than 50,000 feet of the new pipe in its 100-psi gas distribution system.

Nik Koganti of Performance Pipe (left) and Dell Doyle of Dow (center) with PPI’s Randy Knapp, the director of engineering for the association’s Energy Piping Systems Division.

At the request of Frontier Natural Gas, Performance Pipe and Dow collaborated and expedited the commercialization of a solid yellow, bimodal PE4710 option, DriscoPlex^® 8400 Series Gas Distribution Pipe. The utility used more than 50,000 feet of the new pipe in its 100-psi gas distribution system. The bimodal PE4710 pipe provided the improved physical properties Frontier needed.

Municipal & Industrial Division Project of the Year

Saving Texas Water Supply, Red River Basin and Aspermont, Texas

PPI Member Companies: The Dow Chemical Company, Pipeline Plastics LLC, Modern Dispersions Inc., and McElroy Manufacturing Inc..

Nearly eight miles of HDPE PE4710 pipe was used to rebuild the potable lines for three rural Texas communities.

The team that brought water back to rural Texas celebrates winning the Project of the Year for PPI’s Municipal & Industrial Division.

Winter storm Uri that hit Texas did more than bring record setting cold temperatures. It froze and snapped potable water lines, stopping water from flowing to the three rural communities of Carey, Northfield and Aspermont, south east of Amarillo. The broken water pipe problem was solved by the emergency efforts of a group of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe companies, and PPI. Dow donated the resin to make the pipe. Pipeline Plastics, which has several manufacturing plants in western Texas, contributed the manufacturing end. Modern Dispersions provided the carbon black, a key ingredient added to the resin, and McElroy Manufacturing, whose fusion equipment was used, provided the training for the Carey/Northfield project.

Power & Communications Division Project of the Year

Data Center

PPI Member Company: WL Plastics

For a new data center, PPI member company, WL Plastics, provided 165,000 feet of four-inch diameter DR 11 orange solid wall HDPE conduit that was installed by pulling 24 conduit strings at the same time in 400-foot segments using horizontally directional drilling (HDD). The HDD installation was possible due to the flexibility of the conduit, and necessary because of the many environmental barriers and a very short installation timeframe. This project demonstrates how multiple strands can be pulled at once, reducing disruptions to the environment, traffic, creek systems and life around the installation site.

PPI Members of the Year

PPI Building & Construction Division Member of the Year

Mike Casavant, HeatLin

Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., (left) director of engineering for PPI's BCD, congratulates Mike Casavant.

Drainage Division Member of the Year

Greg Bohn, Advanced Drainage Systems Inc.

PPI Energy Piping Systems Division Member of the Year

Greg Goble, RW Lyall

Fink (left) presents the EPSD Member of the Year Award to Greg Goble.

PPI Municipal & Industrial Division Member of the Year

The Municipal & Industrial Divisional Appreciation Award was presented to each of the 17 PPI members serving as AWWA C901, AWWA C906 and M55 Subcommittee members.