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AAPA member profile
1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AAPA MEMBER AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME ONE? Geofabrics has been a AAPA member for over 30 years and the company were already members when I joined. We’ve enjoyed the rich association across all states and their members during this time. Their overall presence and interaction with the industry is great, by hosting various events breakfasts meetings and conferences.
2. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? I’m currently Executive Director of Geofabrics for sales and business development. My primary role is leading the team with customer relationships and business development predominantly on road projects and delivering our products.
3. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE? It’s working across all regions of Australia with different companies and authorities and seeing our solutions being used in key infrastructure projects that change our city landscapes and deliver safer road networks to regional communities. The best thing is having the opportunity to work with geotechnical engineers on challenging projects and seeing them successfully delivered.
4. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? Given that my first exposure to the road industry was working with Geofabrics, one of the biggest achievements that I am proud of today is my contribution to grow the use of geosynthetic products into the industry. Working with VicRoads to develop our paving fabrics for sealing major highways. We introduced paving fabrics into the Australian market in the 1980’s so we worked closely with VicRoads to commence trials on low volume roads. This involved many trials
Peter Tzelepis leads the team with customer relationships and business development.
across many regional areas before the road authorities approved this treatment.
5. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THAT? The biggest change in the road industry that we have noticed is the industry’s increased desire to use geosynthetic solutions on difficult geotechnical situations. I strongly believe the asphalt industry has been very progressive, with seeking new technology with treatments. Another recent change is the shift to greener roads and the sustainability policies to move to use more recycled materials and Australian made products. This is really exciting for us, as a locally based manufacturer first producing geotextiles and pipes from Australian sourced recycled plastics and foremost the goal for us is to keep local economies moving with employment. Earlier this year we launched Australian made recycled geotextiles made from local recycled plastics.
6. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? The industry continues to innovate and deliver on significant infrastructure projects and challenges they are presented with. It’s quite a dynamic industry that is the backbone of the Australian economy. It continues to grow, innovate and deliver projects faster.
7. HOW HAS BEING A MEMBER OF AAPA BENEFITED YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? It allows for the Geofabrics team and me to network amongst a highly experienced group of members on different issues and brings key people to industry discussions. The exposure to key government departments and national companies is great. It allows us to sit on a round-table with them to network and share technologies along with new opportunities. The AAPA family and its members is probably one association I enjoy the most.
8. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? We are encouraged by government spend and we continue to be very close to the road construction industry. Our goals for the future are to continue to increase awareness of our solutions and treatments for the roads sector. We will continue to lead as an Australian manufacturer of geosynthetics, invest in new technology and grow our sustainable product range. We want to continue our research with industry, as our roads will continue to be an important aspect of our daily lives, we travel on them for work and pleasure, our kids learn to drive on them. We feel like we are part of that furniture and we want to ensure our roads are safer and better whether its ride quality or pavement performance.
