The future of the trenchless technology industry — and indeed any industry —  is dependent on the quality of the young people joining the profession. Mindful of this fact, every year the North American Society for Trenchless Technology recognizes and applauds these youthful achievers by presenting the Trent J. Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award. (The late Mr. Ralston was the founder/president of TRB Specialty Rehabilitation Inc. in Gambrills, Maryland, and a former NASTT chairperson.)

According to the NASTT’s online rules, the Ralston Award is given to “savvy members under 36 who have demonstrated excellence early in their career by making valuable contributions to the trenchless technology industry, achieving noteworthy professional success, and actively participating in NASTT or its regional or student chapters. With their talent and ability, these impressive people are the future of trenchless.”

To be eligible for the Ralston Award, nominees must be current NASTT members with a minimum of two consecutive years of membership as a full-time trenchless professional, and under the age 36 with a minimum of five years in the trenchless industry at the time of nomination. These nominees are judged on three criteria: Professional achievements, contributions to the industry and NASTT participation.

“The Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award was inaugurated in 2012,” says Carolyn Hook, NASTT’s membership outreach and database manager. “The winners tend to be shining stars in the trenchless industry. Many have gone far in their careers and played significant roles in NASTT, including sitting on our board of directors.”

WHY THEY WON

Ask the Ralston Award recipients why they won and each of them will tell you a different story. 

Take Abhinav Huli, senior associate and trenchless practice leader at Haley & Aldrich Inc. in Boston. “I was a recipient of the prestigious Trent Ralston Award in 2014 for my contributions to the trenchless industry via technical papers, publications and for my contributions working on complex large-scale projects early on in my career,” he says. “The announcement came as a total surprise as I wasn’t aware that I had even been nominated, let alone by NASTT’s Trenchless Hall of Fame inductees, which made it all the more meaningful.”

Then there’s Rory Ball, a senior project manager with Wade Trim’s Water Resources Group in Cleveland. “I won the Ralston in 2016 mainly related to volunteering with NASTT, plus the number of industry publications I had done, and my involvement with helping advance curved microtunneling in North America,” he says.

Charles Tripp is pipe rehabilitation technical lead with HDR in Boston. He won the Ralston in 2018. “I believe I was selected for the award based on nominations submitted on my behalf, but also in acknowledgement of my devotion to trenchless technologies from past project experience, my contributions as a Board Member with the Northeast Chapter of NASTT, and in general for advocation for the use of trenchless technologies in the local construction market,” he says.

Brendan O’Sullivan is technical practice leader of trenchless technologies at Consor Engineers in Portland, Oregon. “I won in 2019 for my contributions and aptitude for educating infrastructure owners on the advantages of trenchless installation techniques/technologies and helping bridge the gap between contractors and owners in the delivery of trenchless projects,” O’Sullivan says. “At least that’s what my reference letters for the application said.”

Dr. Kalyan R. Piratla is professor of civil engineering and S.E. Liles, junior distinguished professor at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. “I won it in 2020 for a combination of impactful research, education and service activities aligned with the mission of NASTT,” says Piratla. “I have been research-active leading projects focused on buried pipeline infrastructure management in addition to teaching underground construction related concepts at Clemson for several years. Furthermore, I started a student chapter and mentored it since 2013 at Clemson which supported the workforce development needs of the trenchless industry.”

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

The purpose of an honor like the Ralston Award is to make the winners’ peers stand up and take notice of their achievements, and their value to the profession. 

That’s certainly what happened for the winners in this case. They each experienced positive immediate impacts on their careers as a result of winning the Ralston Award 

“As a young professional, it imbued an incredible sense of validation for all the hard work and only reinforced my dedication to the trenchless industry,” says Huli. “It helped me take on more complex projects and eventually become a member of numerous committees where I continue to learn and interact with professionals from across the spectrum, to make a meaningful and positive contribution to this industry.”

“There were several immediate benefits of receiving the award, but some of the most notable include building of my professional network, industry recognition and credibility, and increased confidence in my work,” Tripp says. “I experienced immediate recognition within my company primarily and a way to have more visibility in general within the industry as a younger engineer,” adds Ball. “Because of the visibility, I’ve been invited to more industry volunteer positions over time, which has allowed me to network with more peers.”

“The Ralston Award certainly supported me in establishing my career in academia,” Piratla says. 

“The immediate benefit came in the form of getting greater exposure for myself in the trenchless industry, furthering my credibility, cemented my passion for the trenchless industry and desire to remain engaged in the industry,” notes O’Sullivan.

IMPACT ON CAREER OVER TIME

After the immediate hoopla has died down, does being a Ralston Award winner really make a difference to a young professional’s career in trenchless?

According to the past winners, the answer is yes.

“I do feel that the award has helped to propel me into positions of increasing role and responsibility and continued to lend credibility to the work that I do in the industry,” Tripp says. “I have been welcomed by others in the industry to participate in committees for the review of abstracts ahead of the No-Dig Show conferences, became a NASTT CIPP Good Practices trainer, and provided technical feedback and expertise in the updating and on-going refinement of the NASTT CIPP Good Practices course and guidance document.”

“I remained in academia after winning the award,” says Piratla. “My career has progressed quite well with several leadership opportunities since then.”

“It has absolutely helped over time,” O’Sullivan says. “Winning the award affirmed I was on the right career path, that following one’s passion can translate into a rewarding career, and it allowed me to put more focus on trenchless design and how it can be implemented to help municipalities better their infrastructure and, by association, their communities. It’s also provided a path for continued professional growth. I serve as technical practice group leader for Trenchless Technology for Consor, which provides me the opportunity to get involved in trenchless rehab and new installation projects all over the country, grow our team of trenchless experts and share my passion to educate/mentor the next generation of engineers.”

“The award continues to open numerous doors on the professional front as it has helped distinguish my work with my clients,” says Huli. “On the personal front, I was moved when one of my colleagues from a different field of work reached out asking about my Trent Ralston Award a couple of years ago. When I expressed my surprise regarding her enquiry, she went on to inform that she is a very close friend of Mr. Ralston’s family and that the family finds a great sense of pride and happiness that such an award was instituted by NASTT, as she shared anecdotes of the family’s dedication to the trenchless industry. I was moved by this surprise encounter, and it only renewed my respect and gratitude toward the award years after being a recipient of one.”