TEXTILES.ORG
1995
GFR covers the Geotextile Division’s ongoing fight against the EPA’s proposal to include geotextiles as a product that can be manufactured with recovered materials … after five years as editor, Danette Fettig moves into a marketing position at IFAI and Dawn Sawvel is named GFR editor … Austria-based Polyfelt (later acquired by Royal TenCate) ceases U.S. operations, leaving 75 people out of work and 5-6 million pounds of geotextiles stockpiled in its warehouse.
1996
After a year in IFAI marketing, Fettig returns to the geo world as the Geosynthetics Division’s staff director as well as conference coordinator for Geosynthetics-1997 in Long Beach and 6ICG (1998) in Atlanta, Ga. … GSI’s Robert Koerner is awarded the 1996 Terzaghi Lectureship, presented by ASCE’s Geo-Institute … Two interesting items in the 1996 GFR calendar: Sept. 30–Oct. 2, the first EuroGeo conference—EuroGeo1 in Maastricht, Netherlands; and “Legal issues and the geosynthetics manufacturer”—a seminar held during the 1996 IFAI Expo in Atlanta.
1997
GFR reports that the American Association of Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is asking IFAI’s Geosynthetics Division to develop specifications for geosynthetics in pavement-subbase reinforcement … A new look for GFR is introduced (below).
1998
IFAI announces that its geotextile and geomembrane divisions are merging into a single Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA)… With funding, sponsors, and attendees getting harder to arrange, the class of 1998 is the finale for the Educate the Educators program at Auburn University (below).
1999
GFR covers the EPA’s accelerated plan for toxic contamination cleanup at facilities that generate, store, treat, or dispose of hazardous material—1999 projections are 200 cleanup sites per year until at least 2005 … GMA is named the representative geosynthetic trade association to the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) … GMA opens an office in Mexico City.
2000
Maria de Lurdes Lopes from Portugal and GMA managing director Danette Fettig from the U.S. are the first women elected to the IGS Council … GFR reports on the largest geomembrane footprint project in North America—301 acres at Florida gypsum stack site (below).