June 7, 2018 -- Reston, VA - A new trade and professional association of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) practitioners, the SUE Association, is being formed and an organizing conference will be held on Thursday, July 26 at the Capitol Skyline Hotel in Washington, DC. 

The intent of the SUE association is to fill a niche for firms and individuals engaged in providing SUE services, as well as allied stakeholders. The SUE Association is dedicated to supporting, promoting, and increasing client understanding of the ASCE Standard Guideline for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data (38-02) and its organizers have been working diligently to assure the new association complements and does not compete with or duplicate other trade, professional and technical association activities.

Discussions of a SUE association began with a meeting of more than 20 firms in the Middle Atlantic region in 2015. Earlier this year, a "SurveyMonkey" poll regarding the potential establishment of a national association of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) practitioners was issued. The results are in and the response is overwhelmingly positive. Consequently, an Organizing Conference on the establishment of the SUE Association will be held on Thursday, July 26 at the Capitol Skyline Hotel in Washington, DC.

A website,  www.sueassociation.com, has been established with results of the poll, information about the "kick off" conference and details regarding the new SUE Association. In the coming days, an online conference registration will be open on the site.

This special one-day conference will feature sessions focused on discussions of issues facing SUE practice led by respected subject matter experts in the field. Additionally, presentations on infrastructure from Congress and the Trump Administration are planned. At the event, the necessary business of formally establishing the association, such as approving bylaws, electing a Board of Directors, and generally organizing this exciting new association will be carried out. In the near future, the  website will have a full conference agenda.

"It has been my pleasure to work with a team of SUE firm principals and other interested parties in the development of the SUE Association and planning the Conference", said John Palatiello, whose firm, John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., has been assisting the SUE Association founders. Palatiello is one of the leading association management executives in the engineering and geospatial field, with more than 35 years of experience in managing national and state trade associations and professional societies in surveying, mapping, and engineering. An original member of the federal government's National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), Palatiello was named one of the "ten most influential people in the geospatial community" by Directions Magazine and is listed in Who's Who in Professional Design Practice. 

Mark your calendar and make plans to attend the Conference so you are part of the launch of a trade and professional association exclusively dedicated to the advancement of SUE practice. You can also reserve a hotel room at a special SUE Association discount. Hotel reservation information is also posted on the  website.