A Return Trip

The inaugural C&D Recycling Forum, held in downtown Baltimore in October of 2010, was to some extent a leap of faith on the part of its organizers. As planning for the event began in early 2010, the overall economy seemed to be tentatively recovering, but the construction sector remained in low idle.

Fortunately, Construction & Demolition Recycling and two key allies—the National Demolition Association and Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB)—combined a little bit of faith with a lot of hard work to produce an event that garnered good reviews from its attendees, speakers and exhibitors.

Encouraged by our ability to draw 160 people to a new event in a recessed construction economy, we’ve made plans for a 2011 edition of the C&D Recycling Forum, which will take place Sept. 25-27 at Turf Valley, a resort and conference center in Ellicott City, Md., just outside of Baltimore.

Attendees who enjoyed affordable and easy airline or driving access into Baltimore in 2010 will benefit from our return to the region in September. Airfares into Baltimore-Washington International Airport remain some of the most competitive, thanks to the large presence maintained by Southwest Airlines and several other major carriers at the airport.

As they did last year, attendees will have the chance to do some “one-stop shopping” in an exhibit hall that will feature more than 20 suppliers to the C&D recycling and demolition industries.

It is gratifying that most of last year’s exhibitors quickly agreed to return in 2011, and special thanks goes to 2011 Forum sponsors General Kinematics, SSI Shredding Systems Inc. and Machinex Technologies Inc.

The 2011 C&D Recycling Forum program is taking shape as one that can provide insight to people throughout the C&D recycling chain. Demolition contractors will have the chance to hear about several case studies of projects that successfully combined on-time demolition work with high recycling rates and maximum profitability.

Mixed C&D recyclers and aggregates recyclers can learn from the same case studies as well as attend sessions covering what’s new in the areas of wood recycling, emerging markets and other factors affecting how materials flow into and out of recycling facilities.

And consistent with last year’s event will be numerous opportunities to network with colleagues before and after sessions and during meals and receptions designed to encourage conversation. We’re working hard to ensure that this event can offer an opportunity for the industry to gather in the fall, just as it does in the spring for the National Demolition Association Convention and C&D World.

If you attended the 2010 C&D Recycling Forum, I hope we earned a return visit from you. If you did not and want to find out more, please visit the http://forum.cdrecycler.com website to view a video summarizing last year’s event and to view the full roster of sessions on tap for the 2011 event at Turf Valley. I hope to see you there!