TBE's Zembillas Appointed to the Buried Asset
Management Institute-International

02/17/2009

CLEARWATER, FL –Nicholas M. Zembillas, senior vice president, utilities division, and principal of TBE Group headquartered in Clearwater, FL, has been re-appointed to the board of directors of the Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I). The Buried Asset Management Institute - International (BAMI-I) is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to provide a center of excellence for owners of underground water infrastructure to join with industry and researchers, using sound science, to evaluate and /or develop buried asset management protocols for application worldwide to benefit ratepayers and other stakeholders. It does this by protecting public health, maximizing asset life-cycle value, improving the environment, sustaining economic development, and enhancing the quality of life.

“We are pleased to have Mr. Nick Zembillas serve on the Board of Directors for the Buried Asset Management Institute-International,” said Tom Iseley, Ph.D., P.E., BAMI-I President and Professor/Director of Construction Engineering Management Technology and IUPUI-Purdue School of Engineering & Technology. “Mr. Zembillas’ many years of experience and international leadership in the areas of transportation and underground utilities infrastructure will ensure that BAMI-I continues to accomplish its mission of being a center of excellence where owners of water utilities join with industry representatives and academic researchers to establish best practices for the management of our buried assets. Mr. Zembillas has been a strong supporter of BAMI-I ever since it was established in 2003 under the leadership of Commissioner Jack Ravan of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management and the inspiration and vision of Mayor Shirley Franklin.”

Zembillas is an internationally recognized expert in subsurface utility engineering, an engineering process that incorporates civil engineering, surface geophysics, surveying and mapping, non-destructive excavation, and asset management technologies to identify and classify subsurface utilities.  Project owners, engineers and constructors use the data to develop strategies that manage risks, avoid costly conflicts, and reduce project delays.

Under Zembillas’ leadership, TBE’s Utilities Division has been recognized as a subsurface utility engineering leader by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and most departments of transportations throughout the United States and Canada.  Zembillas is often called on to speak on subsurface utility engineering at conferences and seminars worldwide. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including ENR, Underground Focus, Underground Construction, Trenchless Technology, CE News, and Milestones.

In addition to his activity on the BAMI – I, Zembillas currently serves or has served as a subsurface utility engineering technical advisor to the FHWA, the National Utilities Locating Contractors Association, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of the Navy, Associated General Contractors, Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technologies, North American Society for Trenchless Technology, National Utility Contractors Association, and the United Kingdom’s research study called Mapping the Underworld.

Zembillas has been a Damage Prevention Advisory Board Member and is currently a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of American Military Engineers, American Society of Highway Engineers, American Public Works Association, American Association of Port Authorities, American Association of Airport Executives, Transportation Research Board, International Consulting Engineers, Common Ground Alliance, American  Council of Consulting Engineers , International Right of Way Association and Florida Utility Coordination Committee.

TBE Group offers a full range of consulting, design, engineering and construction services, including civil, environmental, transportation planning and design, right-of-way acquisition/relocation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and mapping, 3-D underground imaging, and utility coordination. TBE currently ranks #6 on Trenchless Technology’s Top 50 Design Firms (2008) and #175 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) List of Top 500 Design Firms (2008). TBE has received numerous industry and civic awards, including the 2004 Large Business of the Year Award from the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers (FICE) 2005 Grand Award for its Clearwater Northwest Fire Station brownfields redevelopment project. TBE is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and has more than 40 offices serving clients in the United States, Canada, China and Puerto Rico. Visit us at www.tbegroup.com. TBE is a Cardno Group company.