"Trade associations are the safeguards of small business and thus prevent the extinction of competition. With wisdom and devotion, their voluntary forces can accomplish more for your country than any spread of the hand of government.”
Herbert Hoover,1923
About Us
The Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Association is a not for profit trade association organized under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. Members are firms, organizations and individuals engage in providing subsurface utility engineering services, as well as kindred and ancillary activities. SUEA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the members and officers elected from the Board. SUEA operates under adopted bylaws.
As a 501(c)(6) organization, the SUE Association is a “business league”, exempt from federal income tax. Under this section of the IRS Code, SUEA can engage in activities to promote the common business interest of members and to improve conditions of business; and allows lobbying and other legislative activities. Dues, registration fees and other expenses paid to the SUE Association by members may be tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses under IRS rules.
The SUE Association is not intended to duplicate or compete with other trade associations or professional societies. Rather, it is complement those organizations and fill a void by having a specific focus on SUE practice, recognition of ASCE Standard 38-02, SUE education, advocacy, certification and best practices. It is the intent of the SUE Association to work cooperatively with other associations and societies on matters of mutual interest and to bring a SUE component to those other associations and organizations.
Why SUE Association?
The SUE Association was formed by a group of principals, owners and partners in leading SUE firms to raise the profile of SUE practice; open a dialogue and exchange of information with clients of SUE services; promote SUE practice and best practices therein; and implement programs to make SUE more widely accepted and understood in the marketplace. The founding of the SUE Association is based on a belief that a void currently exists among trade associations and professional societies in engineering, surveying, and related fields that lacks attention to SUE practice and is not adequate to promote the SUE discipline in a manner that can be accomplished by a new, dedicated SUE organization.
Est. 2018
The Subsurface Utility Engineering Association was launched at a kick-off conference on July 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. The organizing conference’s attendees elected a board of directors, adopted bylaws, and approved a dues structure. There were more than 40 firms and entities represented at the first conference. The attendees selected ten SUE professionals to lead the association in their first year. In addition, the attendees addressed the following:
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Legislative Priorities
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By-Law Amendments
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Dues Structure
Board of Directors
Committees
By-Laws
Article I: Name and Principle office
Section 1. Name. The name of the Corporation shall be the Subsurface Utility Engineering Association (SUEA). This organization will hereafter be referred to as the Corporation in this document.
Article II: Membership
Section 1. Regular Member Firm. Any firm engaged in performing subsurface utility engineering services, licensed by the relevant governmental board of professional engineers and/or land surveyors, if applicable, may become a Regular Member by making written application to the President accompanied by payment of one year's dues. "Engaged in performing subsurface utility engineering services" means any private, for-profit organization where one of its purposes is to investigate and depict existing underground utility infrastructure through the collection and analysis of records, visuals, geophysical, and/or exposure methods and assigns achieved Utility Quality Levels to non-visible Utility Segments and Utility Feautures based upon the integration of all the analyzed data with profession judgement at a defined point in time, and depict those data for engineering decisions. A representative of a Regular Member shall have on vote on matters before the Corporation and may serve on the Board of Directors.
Article III: Dues
Section 1. Annual Dues. The Board of Directors will set the amount of annual dues for all classes of members.
Article IV: Meetings of Members
Section 1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of members shall be held each year at such time and place as the Board of Directors may by resolution determine, for the election of Directors and for the transaction of such other business as may properly by brought before the meeting. Notice of such meeting shall be transmitted to each member at least thirty, but no more than sixty, days before the date of the meeting.
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Call to order. -
Reading of the minutes of previous annual meeting. -
Reports of Officers. -
Reports of Committees. -
Election of Directors. -
Other Business
Article V: Directors
Section 1. Powers, Number and Term. The property, affairs and business of the corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors consisting of ten persons. The Directors shall be individuals elected by the members to serve two-year staggered terms, the number of Directors being elected at each annual meeting as determined by the number of Directors whose terms expire at each annual meeting. The President shall serve four years on the Board, two as President Elect and two as President. Elected Directors shall serve for two years or until their successors are be elected and qualify. Only individuals from Regular Member Firms may serve on the Board of Directors, except one Director may be elected from a category other than a Regular Member Firm. Only one individual from any firm may serve as a Director at any time. If a Director should leave office during a Director’s term, the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with Section 4 of this Article. If a vacancy should occur in the position of an officer, a successor shall be elected by the Board in accordance with Section 1 of Article VI.
Article VI: Officers, Executive Director, and Staff
Section 1. Executive Officers. The Executive officers of the corporation shall be a President, a President Elect, a Treasurer and a Secretary, from among the individual representatives of Regular Member Firms elected to the Board of Directors. The President shall be the immediate past President Elect and shall serve as President for two years. The remaining Executive officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors at its first meeting following the annual meeting of members or at such time when an Executive office becomes vacant. The President Elect shall hold that office for two years and shall automatically succeed to the President after two years, or sooner if the office of President becomes vacant. If the office of President becomes vacant, the President elect shall become President to fill out the vacant term of President and shall then remain President for two more years. The Board shall elect a new President elect to fill the term of the previous President elect and serve in that office until the office of President becomes vacant. If the office of President Elect becomes vacant, the Board shall elect a new President Elect to fill out the term of the Previous President Elect and to serve in that office until the office of President becomes vacant.
Article VII: Code of Ethics
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A SUEA Member agrees to practice its business with high regard to standards of excellence and fairness to its clients and those whom it may employ. -
A Member will not engage in garrulous or misleading advertising and will project the services offered in a truthful and dignified manner. -
A Member will observe and abide by the laws and regulations governing good business practice and any applicable licensing law. -
A Member will not slander, nor will it in any way impair the ethical image of its competitors. -
A Member will, to the best of its ability, uphold and increase the technical and professional status of the science of Subsurface Utility Engineering in an unselfish manner. -
A Member will not violate the trust and confidence, reliance and dependence given it by its client, and it will render full value for payments it receives. -
A Member will be considerate of and sensitive to the effect its business may have upon the public welfare and safety at all times. -
A Member will advise its clients properly and truthfully in all matters of its business, and not be affected by desires for unethical personal gain. -
As supplemental to its adoption of its ethical code, a SUEA Member agrees to accept and subscribe to the canons and code of ethics that direct professional society members, as they may pertain to the practice of Subsurface Utility Engineering.
Article VIII: Amendment

Nadia Pimental
Secretary
KCI Technologies, Inc.
Regional Practice Leader for Mid & South Atlantic Utility Services
Sparks, Maryland

Lawrence Arcand
Director
CARDNO
UES Area Manager
Ontario, Canada

John Berrettini
Director
A/I/Data, Inc.
Vice President
Baltimore, Maryland

TJ Stokes
Director
SJB Group, LLC
SUE Department Manager
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Daniel Checchia
Director
Subsurface Utility Engineering
Geographical Discipline Leader
Delray Beach, Florida

Bob Clemens
Director
WGI
National SUE Services Manager
Tampa, Florida

Nicholas Zembillas
Director
Subsurface Utility Engineering
Chief Executive Officer
Tarpon Springs, Florida

Art Worthman
President
RETTEW
Senior Project Manager
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Andrew Sylvest
President-Elect
Lamb-Star Engineering
SUE Practice Leader
Lakewood, Colorado

Donald Haines
Treasure
Utility Mapping Services, Inc.
Business Development Mgr & Senior Engineer
Shoreline, Washington