We introduce to you...Kimberly Putnam

Kimberly Putnam has been in the accounting/management field for over 12 years. She is responsible for all the day to day accounting activities, payroll, taxes, fixed assets, inventory, license certifications, and project management. Kimberly has worked at International Lining Technology for 6 years.

Because Kimberly plays such an integral part of ILT's daily activities and success we have decided to make her our very first blog interview!

Now let's get to it, shall we?

Blogger: How did you get involved in the liner business?
Kimberly: I found Michael Salley when he was looking for a full-time Bookkeeper and he hired me.

B: What do you like best about your job?
K: The variety of things that I do on a daily basis. I also like being able to travel for the company.

B: What personality trait do you believe is important to have in this business?
K: The ability to change direction at a moment's notice, multi-tasking, and patience.

B: What is the best thing about working at ILT?
K: Working for a GREAT boss (Michael Salley) who appreciates me and is not afraid to admit it!

B: Now let's get personal - What is something that you enjoy doing?
K: Traveling.

B: What is your favorite book and why?
K: The Cay - My favorite teacher read it to the class in the 3rd grade. I've loved it ever since.

B: If you could go on a trip where would you go?
K: Someplace sunny, warm, and sandy - Like a deserted, Caribbean island.

B: Where are you originally from?
K: I was born in Southern California but grew up in Sacramento, Redding, Susanville, and Reno.

B: Tell us about your family.
K: I'm the oldest of 4 kids and I have 2 kids of my own. Ashley is 18 and Cory is 20. I also have a 7 month old granddaughter named Jenova.

B: What is the most unique fact about yourself?
K: That I don't look as old as I am! *Laughter*

See, told you there are wildly interesting people here at ILT. Stay tuned for more interviews with the rest of the crew!

Extra! Extra! Read All About ILT!

The majority of our industry is familiar with the Geosynthetics Magazine published by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) which provides a forum for consistent and accurate information to increase the acceptance and promote the correct use of Geosynthetics. It is the primary news source for our industry.

In the February/March 2009 issue, ILT was highlighted as the installer in an article about Geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) shrinkage and possible solutions.

For those of us who don't know what it is, GCL is typically used in place of clay for permeability physical characteristics. "The geotextiles offer a long lasting resistance to physical or chemical break-down in harsh environments. The bentonite's high swelling capacity and low permeability provide an effective hydraulic seal." Cetco.com, Cetco, 9 Apr 2009.

The purpose of the article was to show the field techniques and observations used on a 150 acre lining project done by ILT. The article presents information that the installation may provide a possible solution in regards to GCL shrinkage due to the technique ILT used for heat-tacking every GCL seam.

The site of installation was the Carlota Copper Mine. The mine is under development near Miami, Arizona. It is owned and operated by Quadra Mining of Vancouver, British Columbia. The mine uses heap leach technology to extract metals from mined rock ore by leaching the poles of mined ore with various solutions that dissolve the desired mineral. The bottoms of these leach piles are designed with geomembrane liners and liquid collection systems.

Our gratitude goes out to the writers of the article Richard Thiel and Chris Thiel for bringing this issue to forefront with a possible solution. For the complete article you can download this issue from http://www.ifai.com/Geo/0209GS_TOC.cfm.

Oh the places we go.

We recently traveled to Salt Lake City, UT for the Geosynthetics 2009 conference. This show is the largest geosynthetics industry event in North America. In addition to the trade show floor with multiple exhibitors, there were 35 technical and educational programs scheduled throughout the duration. The issues addressed were those that included affecting water resources, mining, construction, and regulatory communities in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

The theme of the conference was Hydraulic and Environmental Enginneering and the areas of focus were shoreline and water protection, conveyance and storage, mining, agriculture, aquaculture, temporary roads, and drainage.

The attendees included geotechnical engineers, environmental engineers, civil engineers, project designers, specifiers, government regulators, landscape architects, contractors, fabricators, installers, manufacturers, distributors, researchers, professors, and facility owners.

This was our first major trade show and after this experience, will definitely not be our last. Stay tuned to see what other adventrues we will embark upon.