Kurt Wright received the designation of Professional Water Asset Manager (PWAM) from the Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I) in December 2015. He achieved this designation by successfully completing all four asset management training modules CTAM 100, 200, 300 and 400 and successfully completing the relevant asset management experience tests. He is the first individual to receive this designation.
Mr. Wright was first introduced to CTAM 100 in January of 2012. After successfully completing CTAM 100 he began to apply what he learned to the Spindale Asset Management Plan. During the period of time Mr. Wright was writing the Spindale Asset Management Plan the Buried Asset Management Institute – International or BAMI-I was in the process of creating its second asset training module CTAM 200. At this time, Mr. Wright was introduced to the Executive Director of BAMI-I, Dr. Tom Iseley, which began a successful professional relationship. Dr. Iseley invited Mr. Wright to assist in developing the CTAM 200 module as a volunteer along with many other professionals who volunteered their time in this important endeavor. This relationship resulted in Mr. Wright later becoming a member of the BAMI-I Board of Directors and assisting BAMI-I in the further development of its asset training materials. He is now a member of BAMI-I’s Asset Management Certification Board.
Due to the important nature of Asset Management in the water and wastewater industry, and the close association Mr. Wright now has with BAMI-I and the CTAM certification process, additional information has been provided below on CTAM and BAMI-I well as a biographical sketch of Dr. Tom Iseley.
What is CTAM?
CTAM stands for Certification of Training in Asset Management. CTAM is primarily an online training program developed by BAMI-I in conjunction with the Trenchless Technology Center, Louisiana Tech University, and Benjamin Media, Inc. CTAM 100, 200, 300 and 400 are part of an Asset Management Certification process. The Associate Water Asset Manager or AWAM is the first level of certification followed by the Professional Water Asset Manager or PWAM, the second and final level of asset management certification.
Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I)
The Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I) is a non profit corporation with the following purpose.
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 by:
- Protecting public health
- Maximizing asset life-cycle value
- Improving the environment
- Sustaining economic development
- Enhancing the quality of life
Training of Officials with the North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure
The North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure (DWI) requested in 2014 that BAMI-I bring its CTAM 100 through 400 training program to Raleigh, North Carolina, in an on-site, face-to-face classroom training event for several of its staff. This training, the first of its kind, occurred in August 2015 and was very successful. Since then BAMI-I has conducted several of these classroom training event.
Mr. Wright’s Involvement with BAMI-I & CTAM and the Development of the Spindale Asset Management Plan
Mr. Wright took the first CTAM module, CTAM 100, in January of 2012. Immediately after completing the course he began using the training that he achieved to develop the Spindale Asset Management Plan (AMP). As he worked on the Spindale AMP Mr. Wright began a dialog with the Executive Director of BAMI-I, Dr. Tom Iseley. This led Dr. Iseley to invite Mr. Wright to become a member of the Board of Directors for BAMI-I and also to participate in the development of the next module, CTAM 200. Mr. Wright and his firm SDG Engineering, Inc. worked on the Spindale Asset Management Plan throughout 2012 utilizing the information that was being developed by the CTAM 200 team. The Spindale Asset Management Plan was completed in the first quarter of 2013 and submitted to the North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure for review. It was given high acclaim by the DWI review officials whose comments included giving it a “gold star” and that it was the best asset management plan submitted to DWI at that time. It continues to be considered by DWI officials as an outstanding asset management plan that can be considered as a standard in the industry. Subsequent to writing the Spindale Asset Management Plan, and assisting with the development of CTAM 200, Mr. Wright was asked by BAMI-I to be the director for the development of the CTAM 400 module. When all four CTAM modules were completed, BAMI-I conducted a classroom style training program for DWI officials in Raleigh, NC, at their request. It was well received by DWI officials and other professionals who participated in this training event. Continuing this successful classroom style training, BAMI-I has conducted additional training events in the following cities with plans to continue similar training events in the future.
- Columbus, OH
- Lewisville, TX
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Atlanta, GA
Dr. Tom Iseley, P.E.
Tom Iseley, Ph.D., P.E., PWAM, is the Beavers Heavy Construction Distinguished Fellow at Purdue University where he serves as a Professor of Engineering Practice in the Division of Construction Engineering and Management. Prior to this Dr. Iseley was a Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Technology at Louisiana Tech University. He was one of the founding members of the Buried Asset Management Institute – International (BAMI-I). Dr. Iseley has over 45 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of underground infrastructure systems. From 1982, he served on the faculty of Mississippi State University, Purdue University, and Louisiana Tech University. During the past 30 years, he has maintained an international leadership position in trenchless technology. In 1989, Dr. Iseley established the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University. He is a founding director of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT). In 1993, Dr. Iseley was selected as the Trenchless Technology Magazine’s Person of the Year. He received the ASCE 1995 John O. Bickel Award and the 1999 Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering Award. In 2015 he was awarded American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Distinguished Member Award, ASCE’s highest award. He has been selected by the Underground Construction Technology (UCT) as Most Valuable Professional. Dr. Iseley holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Iseley’s Bio.
For more information regarding the collaboration between Dr. Iseley and SDG Engineering, click here