Seminar: SMI Snow Makers and the Sochi 2014 Olympics

This presentation will focus on SMI Snow Makers and its Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics story. SMI built a brand-new resort to host the Olympics’ alpine, freestyle, and extreme events in the Caucasus region of Russia. Mr. VanderKelen will highlight the challenges of the high-visibility project over a six-year period from a construction and engineering perspective. Organizing the water, power, access, and working on steep slopes were all part of the solution.

 

Joe VanderKelen is the president of SMI Snow Makers. Joe joined SMI in 1987 and has over 25 years of engineering experience related to snowmaking system design and installation worldwide (over 400 systems). He has been a guest speaker at trade shows and seminars in the U.S., Canada, Austria, Sweden, Korea, Russia, China, New Zealand, and Australia. He serves as chairman of the board at Snow Machines, Inc. and as chairman of the Compensation Committee and director at Wolverine Bank. In the past, he has served as chairman of the Human Resources Committee and director at West Midland Family Center, and also on the NSAA and MSAA boards of directors. Joe has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering technology and a master's degree in business administration from Michigan State University.

This event is free and open to the public. Light snacks will be available beginning at 6:00 p.m. while they last.

 

The lecture qualifies for one professional development hour. PDH certificates will be provided to interested attendees.

 

The Mid-Michigan Section of AIChE was founded in 1952 to promote opportunities for chemical engineers and other chemical professionals in the Great Lakes Bay Region and to work with the local community to improve the understanding of science and technology and their impact on society. The Section provides a series of lectures during the year and has an active education outreach program. The Section also annually provides a scholarship for a high school student to attend the Summer Youth Program at Michigan Technological University, as well as a scholarship to study chemical engineering in college, and gives demonstrations of science and technology for students in the local middle schools.

 

For more information about the Section and its events, visit http://www.mmaiche.org/. Also, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. To become a Mid-Michigan AIChE member, see the JOIN MMAIChE link on our Web site, or contact membership@mmaiche.org.

 

For more information, contact Bruce Holden (989-636-5225), or visit http://www.mmaiche.org/.