Microtunneling Achievement Award Winners Announced

Reynaldo “Rene” Inosanto, of Frank Coluccio Construction Co., Greg Raines, of MWH Global, and John Grennan, of Ward and Burke, are the 2015 recipients of the Microtunneling Achievement Awards.

The winners will be honored at the 2015 Microtunneling Short Course banquet dinner Feb. 12. The 21st annual Short Course takes place Feb. 10-12 at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado.

Created by Short Course organizers Tim Coss, of Microtunneling Inc., and Levent Ozdemir, of Ozdemir Engineering, the awards recognize the individuals and companies that have worked toward successfully completing complicated projects and advanced the industry.

Rene Inosanto

Reynaldo “Rene” Inosanto’s involvement in the microtunneling industry predates the arrival of the method to the United States. He was raised in Manila, Philippines, and earned a B.S. in civil engineering at FEATI University in Manila.

Inosanto began his career with F.F. Cruz & Co. in the Philippines as a field engineer for road and highway construction, but his career took a turn in 1983 with he got involved with a microtunneling project in the congested Tondo district in Manila. Inosanto has worked on projects in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and the Caribbean.

In a microtunneling career that spans more than 30 years, Inosanto still gets satisfaction from a job well done. “For me, I have a good feeling when the microtunnel machine is removed from receiving pit and we were able to finish the project successfully,” he says.

Greg Raines

Greg Raines got involved with the underground industry early in his career. “I was in high school when I was first introduced to underground mining by a close family member,” Raines says. “He was an underground miner, and it is because of his influence that I am now working in this industry. I like to think this is why underground work is so natural for me. It was his passion and dinner table education that first got me underground, and because of this influence, I focused my education in tunneling.”

From dinner table conversations to today, Raines remains fascinated by the industry and the innovations made in the underground construction world.

“The microtunneling industry brings the excitement of technological advancements as well. Completing an entire project through remote control is a unique and cutting-edge,” he says. “These projects put me and my team on the cusp of innovation. We are a part of the future.”

John Grennan

John Grennan, Director of Ward and Burke Microtunnelling Ltd., began his career with Ward and Burke in Ireland in 2005, and got involved with microtunneling along with the company in 2007. After earning his master’s degree from MIT in Boston, he returned to work for Ward and Burke in Ireland in 2010. In 2011, the decision was made to open a branch in Canada, and Grennan was the first over to set up shop.

In 2011, Ward and Burke Construction completed the Gore Road project in Toronto. Due to the uniqueness of the project and limited options, Ward and Burke was able to re-introduce microtunneling technology to the area.

Since that time, Ward and Burke has completed some of the most technically challenging projects ever completed in North America, including the Keswick Effluent Outfall, the first combined vertical and horizontal curve completed in North America, and the Elgin Mills Road Watermain, which included a 2,400-ft drive of 60-in. pipe with three designed curves.

For more information about the Short Course, visit www.csmspace.com/events/microtunnel.

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