GRITS Chapter Newsletter Summer 2012

CHAPTER NEWSLETTER Summer 2012 IN THIS ISSUE GRITS Goes Nationwide page 2 Highlights from 2012 GRITS Spring Workshop page 2 Get Involved - Join a Committee Today page 4 Introduction to GRITS Website Forums page 5

ITSA Recap page 6 and cont. on page 7 Smoother Commutes Ahead for Louisiana Travelers page 7 ALDOT Prepares to “Set the Wheels in Motion” page 8 Featured GRITS Recipe page 8 US 78 in Mississippi Gets Upgrades page 9 2011 GRITS Meeting Enjoys Success page 9

President’s Message Welcome to the first GRITS Newsletter. We are very excited to share with you all the latest news and events going on in our chapter.

On April 3, 2012, our chapter held its third regional workshop. The workshop, held at the Ferguson Center at the University of Alabama, was focused on Event Management – something our friends at BAMA know plenty about. The workshop drew more participants than any we have held thus far - 78 total! In all GRITS hosted 13 students, five academic sector attendees, 28 public sector participants, and 32 private sector registrants. The Chapter gained 43 new members through the workshop!

GRITS was represented at this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition held May 21-23 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Our chapter sponsored a kiosk in the ITS America Pavilion. I am proud to announce GRITS was awarded 2nd place for Membership Growth for 2011 this year!

Your GRITS Board of Directors have been diligently working on the next three GRITS Annual Meetings. This year’s Annual Meeting will be part of the National Rural ITS meeting in Biloxi, MS. Our 2013 GRITS Annual Meeting is planned for the fall in New Orleans, Louisiana. In particular, a BP Meeting Incentive fund has provided a great opportunity for our 2014 meeting to be held in Mobile, Alabama. To take full advantage of the incentive, GRITS has teamed with ITS Florida and ITS Georgia to hold a joint chapter meeting, which will provide opportunities for our chapters to share ideas, network, and enjoy the comforts of the gulf coast. There are plenty of opportunities available for anyone interested in joining the planning efforts or in presenting at one of the future meetings, so don’t hesitate to contact us.

In November 2011, I challenged the GRITS Board of Directors with the task of growing our student membership. In response, the Board has been developing several opportunities for student outreach and education. A scholarship program is under development, along with plans to engage students in GRITS at each of the major universities in our three states. Also, the regional workshops are being scheduled on our university campuses to help further the initiative. Our fall regional workshop will be held on the Louisiana State University campus. I encourage all our GRITS members to reach out to students in their area to get them involved with GRITS and ITS in general.

I hope you enjoy our newsletter.

Sincerely, Jonathan Fox, 2012 GRITS President

Newsletter Prepared by GRITS Communications Committee

GRITS Goes Nationwide - A Message from Acey Roberts, 2012 Annual Meeting Chair If you are planning to attend the Gulf Regional ITS Annual Meeting this fall in Biloxi, MS you can expect to see many familiar faces, but also a number of new ones, as GRITS is proud to host the 2012 National Rural ITS conference (NRITS).

The joint meeting, to be held at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS September 16 - 19, is expected to draw not only participants interested in ITS in the region, but national attendance as well.

The meeting will include several conference session tracks, such as Transit, Safety, a GRITS oriented track that will be centered on other non-rural topics and two general ITS tracks. A tour of the Mobile (AL) Bay Tunnel Control Center and the Gulf Coast (MS) Transit Facility will be available. There are several social group events and activities planned, such as a museum tour and dinner, golf tournament, dinner cruise, and ice cream social among others. Many opportunities for socializing and networking are included in the agenda, allowing participants to explore the Mississippi Gulf Coast individually or as a group.

How the Joint Meeting Came About This meeting comes after several years of planning by GRITS members.

In 2008, MDOT hosted the first ITS Forum in Choctaw, MS, to further spread the knowledge of ITS in Mississippi and to gauge the interest of starting an ITS chapter with adjacent partners in Louisiana and Alabama. It was a great success as more than 200 attendees were present from the three states. After having such a successful meeting, GRITS first president, Mike Stokes, outlined co-hosting NRITS in Mississippi as a key goal for GRITS once a chapter was officially formed.

Later that year, contacts were made with the National Rural Conference, held in Anchorage, AK and the process of hosting NRITS in Mississippi was set in motion. Though several years passed while the GRITS chapter was officially chartered and grew to what it is today, the time has finally come when the duel conference dream, will become a reality.

The benefits of having a combined meeting with NRITS are sure to be felt by all GRITS members in attendance. By co-hosting a NRITS/GRITS conference, private members and vendors will have an opportunity to make new contacts outside of the gulf region. Public and private members will be given the opportunity to learn best practices and hear about ITS projects and programs and cutting-edge technology from more individuals, not only local to the gulf region, but from across the country.

There will also be much more discussion about ITS at the national level, giving GRITS members a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge.

The GRITS board invite you to the 2012 meeting where you will experience ITS “Southern Style.” For more information or to register visit: www.nritsconference.org. See ya’ll there!

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

Highlights from 2012 GRITS Spring Workshop Susan Byrd

The GRITS chapter held its first regional meeting of the year on April 3 at the University of Alabama’s Ferguson Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The workshop drew more participants than ever before, 78 total. GRITS hosted 13 students, five academic sector attendees, 28 public sector participants, and 32 private sector registrants. The Chapter gained 43 new members through the workshop. The meeting was sponsored

by Inline and Temple, Inc and was centered on event management.

Presentations given during the meeting included: • Auburn University Gameday, Darrell Skipper • City of Tuscaloosa Airshow, Tera Tubbs • Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament - Mother Angelica, Travis Kilgore • University of Alabama Gameday, Dr. Robert Batson • NASCAR - Talladega Superspeedway, Ken Cush • New Orleans Superdome, Jacob Benfield Members may review presentations given during the workshop by visiting the GRITS website. Links to presentations, workshop photos and the workshop survey may be found on the 2012 Spring Workshop page.

The meeting began at 11:30 a.m. with a catered lunch. Presentations were given until the meeting’s conclusion at 3:30 p.m. A GRITS board meeting immediately followed.

The workshop was one of a series of regional workshops hosted by GRITS each year. The next regional workshop will be in late fall in Louisiana.

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Your Newsletter Submissions are Welcome

Do you have a great idea for an upcoming edition of the chapter newsletter? Would you like to see your firm or project featured?

The GRITS newsletter is a great way for you to let your voice be heard! Take advantage of your opportunity as an ITS professional to share your projects, plans or other ITS related information with the GRITS community . If you are aware of information that may be of interest to fellow members, contact us and it may be considered as an article in a future newsletter.

Newsletter Prepared by GRITS Communications Committee Laura E. Hartley - Chair Susan Byrd Acey Roberts Allison Brunet Jeff Rudis Chris Schultz Contact Us at info@gulfregionits.org

Upcoming Events

NRITS/GRITS Annual Meeting september 16 - 20 Beau Rivage Biloxi, MS

ITS World Congress October 22 - 26 Vienna, Austria

Fall Regional Workshop TBD - FALL LSU Campus Baton Rouge, LA

Visited the GRITS Website or Facebook Page Lately?

If you haven’t visited the GRITS Website or Facebook page lately you may have missed some additional features and member resources. While there are more than we can adequately discuss here, we do hope that you will enjoy the additions next time you visit.

From extras like a GRITS recipe blog, an FAQ page and the addition of forums, we have tried to make it a one stop shop for GRITS news, member resources and information exchange. We also continue to update the GRITS Facebook with news and happenings in the ITS community. If you have a suggestion or question please don’t hesitate to contact us. We welcome your input and ideas.

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

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Get Involved - Join a Committee Today!

Laura E. Hartley and Susan Byrd

Want to get more involved in GRITS and support chapter initiatives, assist in setting the chapter direction and spreading the word about ITS in the region? Why not join a committee? There are a number of committees to choose from that will afford you opportunities to be more involved in the chapter, interact with other members, and show your support.

Time commitments vary by committee but you don’t have to devote all of your free time to help out. The following is a brief description of each committee. Additional information on the committees and a list of committee members are available on the Committees page under the Members Only tab of the GRITS Website. If you would like to join one or more of these committees please feel free to contact us or the Committee Chairs.

The Academic Committee The Academic Committee is charged with reaching out to students to introduce them to ITS and encourage participation in GRITS. The academic committee is responsible for planning and carrying out social and networking activities at each of the major universities be it through making presentations, conducting pizza parties or participating in engineering and computer science career days. The academic committee also organizes the annual GRITS scholarship program, reviews applicants and selects scholarship recipients.

Committee Chair: Jeff Smith The Awards Committee The Annual Awards Committee organizes the annual awards program for the chapter. With the assistance of the communications committee, the Annual Awards Committee develops nomination forms including criteria for yearly awards. The committee solicits nominations for chapter awards, reviews applications, and selects deserving recipients. The committee also coordinates the awards presentation held during the chapter’s annual meeting. The current GRITS President is the annual awards committee chair, and committee members must be a GRITS Board member or actively involved in at least one additional committee. Committee members may not participate in the award selection process any year they are associated with an award application.

Committee Chair: Jonathan Fox The Training Committee The training committee coordinates training opportunities for the GRITS membership. This may include training session workshops to be held in conjunction with the annual meetings, or as stand alone events, webcasts, webinars, certificate programs or other private sector consultant / vendor opportunities. They proactively identify and advertise “free” training opportunities to the membership, as well as coordinate specific training sessions that are sponsored by GRITS. Committee Chair: Marshall Elizer The Elections Committee The Elections Committee is tasked to seek and reach out to knowledgeable, talented and passionate individuals in the ITS community to serve on the GRITS Board of Directors. As part of the outreach, the committee presents its recommended list to the GRITS Officers for the chapter’s nomination. The committee also oversees the management of the elections process including announcements, member’s nominations, and casting ballots.

Committee Chair: Jonathan Fox

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

The Membership Committee The Membership Committee is charged with tracking the GRITS membership, helping GRITS leadership to identify areas or sectors where GRITS can grow in membership and by reaching out to those individuals or organizations.

This may involve coordinating and conducting membership drives or special programs geared towards attracting new members and maintaining existing members each year. The membership committee may also coordinate with the communications committee to set up polls or surveys for the purpose of gaging member interests or determine how GRITS is doing in terms of providing value and quality benefits to our members. The Membership Committee reports membership levels by type, region, sector, etc. to the board annually and tracts trends over time.

Committee Chair: Wayne Curry The Communications Committee The Communications Committee acts as a venue by which the society conveys information to the membership and onther non-member contacts. The committee works to increase communication within the organization to facilitate information sharing and exchange. The committee engages members and recruits new interest through use of the chapter website, social media, and marketing materials. Supporting the chapter and the advancement of ITS, the committee develops a semi-annual newsletter as well as continually posts relevant information to GRITS sites, keeping members informed of ITS news, not limited to the GRITS chapter but the ITS industry in the region. The committee also coordinates with and supports other committees within the chapter in developing and implementing ways to engage members and nonmembers in ITS and the GRITS chapter.

Committee Chair: Laura Hartley Annual Meeting Planning Committee(s) Each year GRITS holds an annual meeting in one of the 3 member states. The annual meeting planning committee varies from year to year and includes individuals, most of which are local to the state where the annual meeting is to be held, that are responsible for planning and putting on that year’s meeting. The committee selects the venue, makes all necessary arrangements, develops and maintains the meeting budget, coordinates sponsorships and exhibitors, sets the program and handles registration. Basically the committee coordinates every aspect of the annual meeting. While this is hard work and a time commitment for committee members, being on this committee is very rewarding, as these individuals see that each year’s meeting is a success.

Committee Chairs: 2012 Acey Roberts, Marshall Elizer; 2013 Jonathan Fox; 2014 Chris Hilyer

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Introduction to GRITS Website Forums Acey Roberts and Laura E. Hartley

GRITS has added a new feature to the website to encourage information sharing and exchange among the membership as well as committee collaboration. This new feature, the Forums, can be found on the GRITS website under the “Members Only” tab. (you will need to login to the website to access this feature) There is a general membership forum which is open to all GRITS members, as well as individual committee forums reserved for members of each particular committee.

Have you ever been involved in a 3 day long email conversation between 8 GRITS members discussing multiple versions of the annual budget or reviewing different options for promotional material, and you can’t remember which one is the final version that you are supposed to be reviewing? Instead of searching back through your emails, now you can use the Committee Forums. This is a place for committee members to post planning materials, discuss ideas and ask questions. It is intended that this also serve as a common location for the committee to go to get updated documents, lists, or other notes.

Like the Committee forums the General Members Forum is also a place to share and collaborate more effectively. Do you have a question about an ITS technology, application or project? Or do you have a job you are looking to fill or industry news that you would like to share with the membership? We welcome you to post your questions or news to the GRITS Members Forum.

Each forum has an individual page found by clicking on the link. You can start a thread or respond to an ongoing discussion. For example, by clicking the Annual Meeting Planning Committee Forum link as shown in Image 1.

Image 1 In Image 2, you will find the list of current topics being discussed. Clicking on the topic will allow you to read the post and other members’ input on the subject thread.

Also note that there is now a Forums General Preferences choice added to your member Profile screen. This choice allows you to control your individual preferences for viewing messages and threads, authoring messages, and the personal information displayed. A second choice, Forum Memberships, allows you to subscribe to forums (and unsubscribe as well) and to customize your preferences in each forum Image 2 that you are a member of.

If you have any questions on using this new feature please feel free to contact us.

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

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ITS America Recap - GRITS Chapter Stays Informed, Involved and On Top Laura E. Hartley

The Gulf Region Intelligent Transportation Society was well represented at this years ITS America Meeting.

The 22nd ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition was held at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor, Maryland May 20th – 23rd. Over 20 GRITS members were in attendance at the event, participating as exhibitors, speakers or as meeting attendees.

Staying Informed The many special interest, interactive, technology, and executive sessions afforded GRITS participants the chance to stay abreast of the latest in ITS. Additionally, presentations were given by several GRITS members during these sessions, which furthered the message on current ITS projects, technology applications and programs in the GRITS member states.

A Connected Vehicle Demonstration and related sessions gave participants insight into where the program stands and the latest work being done by the CAMP VS3 Consortium (Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership Vehicle Safety Communications 3 Consortium). During

this demonstration participants were able to ride in cars equipped with V2V technologies and experience first hand the safety applications in several crash avoidance scenarios.

The Plenary Sessions provided the opportunity for participants to hear GRITS kiosk in the ITS America Pavilion from many high-level officials and execufuture and perceptions of the current tives regarding the current and fupolicy and funding debate. ture state for ITS and transportation Staying Involved funding. Ursula Burns, Chairman and The meeting commenced on Sunday, CEO of Xerox, a relative newcomer to May the 20th with a State Chapters the ITS arena, discussed her experiWorkshop. During this workshop ences and perspective on the market GRITS representatives convened and industry. Her unique passion for with other State Chapter representhe transportation market and cantatives to collaborate on everything did remarks made for an inspiring from membership retention, annual and thought provoking start to the meetings, training opportunities, meeting. In as much as the start to and outreach programs at the local the conference engaged meeting and regional chapter level. participants and inspired ideas, was In addition to the workshop, the its close. The Closing Plenary includGRITS chapter participated in the ed panelists from USDOT, the DepartITSA meeting by sponsoring a chapment of Energy and AASHTO. During ter kiosk, located in the ITS Amerthe session panelists discussed viica Pavilion section in the exhibit sions for the nation’s transportation hall. The kiosk was staffed Monday through Wednesday by chapter members supporting the chapter’s goal to participate and support ITS and information exchange at the national level. “The kiosk allows GRITS members the opportunity to share with others some of the activities of our chapter as well as promotes our chapter at ITSA,” commented Chris Hilyer, GRITS Chapter Vice President.

“National events such as these allow the chapter to see and be seen, to advance our policies and programs, and bring success to our chapter.”

ITS America recap - cont. on next page

Tri-states represented at the World War II Memorial in D.C.

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

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Smoother Commutes Ahead for Louisiana Travelers Allison Brunet

Travelers in Louisiana can look forward to a smoother and safer commute with the completion of two ITS projects, in Houma and in the Shreveport / Bossier City regions. Both projects are purposed to improve day-to-day operations of the regional transportation network as well as facilitate the area’s unique needs for hurricane related traffic management.

In Houma, the ITS Phase 3 project was recently completed. The project provides interconnectivity communications to support incident and emergency management between Louisiana Department of Transportation, Terrebonne Parish Consolidate Government, local police, fire, 911and Emergency Medical Services. The fiber optic communications and wireless system connects 30 local centers. Also included in the project is a drawbridge advisory system that provides advance warning for

LA 315 Over the Intercoastal Canal at the Houma - Bayou Dularge

ITS America Recap - continued Laura E. Hartley

Downtown Shreveport, LA and the Texas Street Bridge water traffic to motorists crossing the Houma Navigational Canal Bridge and Intercostal Waterway Bridge. The system communicates real time bridge status to drivers at key locations allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their route.

The ITS in Shreveport/ Bossier City was recently expanded with the completion of an ITS field deployment project in this heavily travelled area. Coverage has been expanded on I-20, and devices have been added on I-220 and LA 3132 also known as the Inner Loop Expressway. Thirteen Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) sites, six Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), and five Radar Detection Systems (RDS) were included in the project. The recent expansion builds upon a previous ITS project completed in 2006 that included the deployment of 17 CCTV, nine DMS, and over 60 RDS along I-20. In addition to this project, a 13 mile fiber optic project is underway in Shreveport. The project incorporates communications for traffic signals and devices along LA 526 (Bert Kouns Industrial Loop) as well as provides physical communications redundancy for the ITS network.

Stantec has been responsible for system engineering analysis, plan development, and construction support on these projects.

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

Staying On Top Evidence of the GRITS chapter’s success, GRITS came away from the meeting with 2nd place for Membership Growth for the 2011 calendar year. This marks the second year in which GRITS has received an award at ITS America. Jonathan Fox, 2012 GRITS chapter President accepted the award on behalf of GRITS. “Given that the chapter is still very much in it’s infancy, it is wonderful to be able to come away from ITS America with an award just seven months after receiving first place in membership growth for 2010 at the ITS World Congress last fall,” said Fox. The Membership Growth Award recognizes growth in state chapter membership, along with the activities undertaken to increase membership numbers. In GRITS officers and members with division 1, ITS New Membership Growth award York won first place with 15 % membership growth. The Gulf Region ITS Chapter took the second place award with 20 % growth.

Additional Photos from the event and the chapter award application narrative are available on the GRITS website and facebook page.

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ALDOT Prepares to “Set the Wheels in Motion” Laura E. Hartley

The Alabama Department of Transportation is setting the “wheels in motion” as they are deploying a new state of the art adaptive traffic signal system that will improve mobility, ease congestion, and decrease delay along an already overburdened corridor outside of Birmingham, AL. US 280, which forms a vital link for commuters in the area was selected as the site for Alabama’s first adaptive signal system.

The system that is to be installed will monitor traffic conditions and adaptively adjust signal timings to meet the demand, thereby reducing travel time and delay. It is purposed to improve travel for commuters along this segment, which ties Birmingham to Hoover and other populated suburbs, and in recent years has grown increasingly more ineffective in meeting the current traffic demands. The system includes all signals (25 intersections) along the stretch of US 280 from Elton B. Stephens Expressway to Doug Baker Boulevard.

“This system is going to count the number of vehicles that are using that corridor and will make real-time adjustments,” said Stacey Glass, State Traffic Operation Engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation.

The current light system works with pre-set Time Of Day (TOD) patterns. ALDOT Division Engineer Brian Davis said this system works at 99.9 percent of locations, but is not best for Highway 280. Instead of a predetermined plan, the new Adaptive Control System will constantly be adjusting according to the existing traffic. “The advantage is it lets you have hundreds of possibilities that are adjusting all day long,” Davis said.

Davis feels the system will improve traffic flow along the corridor. “I hope it will be a tremendous improvement,” Davis said. “Highway 280 is a very unique animal. It’s so different at different times of the day, so I think a system that reads the demand and adjusts itself all day is the right system.”

Similar systems are also being deployed along heavily traveled stretches of East South Boulevard in Montgomery and Governors Drive in Huntsville.

A research project to evaluate the performance of the 280 project and the other two deployments is already underway with the University of Alabama Transportation Center. The research project will document changes in the operational performance measures (delay, travel time, number of stops, etc.) to compare before and after conditions.

This project comes following visits to similar systems in other states and evaluations of their effectiveness. ALDOT and Alabama Federal Highway officials examined a similar system in Columbia County GA for example that saw 30 to 40 % reductions in travel time from A to B after the adaptive system was deployed. Additionally, a similar system deployed in Topeka, Kansas saw marked reduction in exhaust emissions, gas and crashes. During its first year in operation the Topeka system reduced emissions by 191,000 pounds, saved 123,000 gallons of gas and resulted in a 28 % reduction in crashes according to Traffic Engineer Linda Voss.

Featured GRITS Recipe Jeff Rudis

Baked Cheese Grits Ingredients 6 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups regular grits 3 (6-ounce) rolls cheese with garlic 1/2 cup milk 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup butter 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.

2. Bring the broth, salt, and pepper, to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan.

3. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined.

4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 minutes.

5. Add the garlic-cheese and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

7. Sprinkle with the Cheddar and bake for 45 minutes, or until set.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paulas-home-cooking/baked-garlic-cheese-grits-recipe/index.html

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

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US 78 in Mississippi Gets Major Upgrades Acey Roberts and Susan Byrd

After 34 years of approvals, environmental investigation, planning and design, Highway 78 is getting an upgrade to interstate status as I-22. As an added bonus, the route is being outfitted with ITS components, which will improve overall travel efficiency and safety along the stretch of roadway. The corridor will include what is now US 78 from Memphis, TN to Birmingham, AL. In Mississippi, the upgrade of 78 to interstate standards is being done in multiple phases. Currently, the first phase is underway, between Olive Branch, MS and Holly Springs, MS. Work includes shoulder widening, edge drains, pavement and subgrade repair in addition to the ITS communications infrastructure and devices that are being installed along the segment. It is anticipated that ITS elements will be included in future project phases as well.

The ITS work on the project includes 17 miles of fiber optic backbone, full camera coverage, side fire radar devices and two dynamic message signs (DMS). The prime contractor Lehman Roberts, selected Imago, which will be the first time this brand of signs will be installed in Mississippi.

The DMS will be located near the I-22/ Hwy 309 interchange alerting travelers to conditions Interstate 22 (Corridor X and U.S. Route 78) ahead between eastbound at Potts Camp, Mississippi Memphis and Tupelo.

Also, incident information gathered by operational personnel, streaming video from the CCTV cameras, and DMS messages will be available to the public via MDOT’s traveler information website, mdottraffic.com.

Gulf Region ITS Chapter Newsletter

2011 GRITS Meeting Enjoys Success Susan Byrd

The third annual GRITS meeting reached new heights this past year as over 235 registrants, 41 exhibitors and more than 23 states were represented. Attendees joined together November 2 4 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa in Montgomery, Alabama, to participate in information sessions, interactive technology demonstrations, technical tours, and an assortment of networking events with ITS industry leaders and professionals. The success of the meeting would not have been possible without the support of the meeting sponsors.

Wednesday, November 2 Events commenced with a golf tournament at the acclaimed Robert Trent Jones trail. Later in the afternoon, the group enjoyed an exhibitor social hour with a technology showcase. An opening session “Meet and Greet” reception followed, complete with an assorted buffet and live entertainment.

Thursday, November 3 Representatives from GRITS, the City of Montgomery and ALDOT spoke during the morning welcome. State of the State panel discussions, exhibitor breaks and technical breakout sessions occurred throughout the day. The day concluded with a general session highlighting “Vehicle Infrastructure Integration and the Automotive Industry,” and closing keynote Speaker John Croyle, founder of Big Oak Ranch.

After the closing session participants were treated to an “Evening Out” reception at 129 Coosa Street.

Friday, November 4 On the last day of the meeting, attendees were given an opportunity to participate in Hyundia Motor Manufacturing Alabama technical tours.

To view presentations and photos from the meeting, visit the GRITS 2011 Annual Meeting page.

A survey was conducted following the event.

100% of respondents said they would attend GRITS meetings in the future.

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2012 GRITS Officers & Board of Directors

President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Past President

Jonathan Fox, Stantec, Inc. Chris Hilyer, ALDOT Acey Roberts, MDOT Laura E. Hartley, Gresham, Smith and Partners Stephen Glascock, LADOTD

Alabama

Mississippi

Louisiana

Officers

Directors

Locke D. “Bubba” Bowden, City of Montgomery Stacey Glass, ALDOT Rod Turochy, Auburn University Jon Gifford, InLine Jeff Smith, Temple, Inc. Mike Stokes, MDOT Suzanne Dees, MDOT Dr. Waheed Uddin, University of Mississippi Ranzy Whiticker, Gresham, Smith and Partners Mark Bailey, Neel-Schaffer, Inc. Erik Smith, LADOTD Steve Strength, LADOTD Dr. Sherif Ishak, Louisiana State University Sage Roberts, Sage Roberts Consulting, LLC. Lauren Picou, Urban Systems

Ex Officio

Scott Belcher, ITS America

Jeff Dogan, AL FHWA

Michael Cribb, MS FHWA

John Broemmelsiek, LA FHWA

Marshall Elizer, Gresham, Smith and Partners

Meet the 2011 - 2012 GRITS Board of Directors

Founding Sponsors