The SPED 2010 Annual General Business Meeting and Corporate Member Showcase (CMS) will be held October 28, 2010 at the Houston Marriott Energy Corridor. Sponsors are already lining up to participate in the CMS. The deadline to register for exhibiting at the Corporate Member Showcase is September 15, 2010.

In its 30th Anniversary Year, SPED is expecting to double the participation and attendance at the Corporate Member Showcase and Annual General Business Meeting held at the Houston Marriott Energy Corridor on the 10th floor overlooking Houston's west side. Starting at 8 A.M. a PPD Review for Level III, and Testing for Levels I and III will be conducted on the 10th floor by Dr. William G. Beazley. Following the Review and Test, a reception will be held beginning at 6 P.M. in appreciation for Level IV Certified Pipers who have participated in the PPD Advisory Committee. Southwest Design Services, Inc. will host the reception in the Lobby Level of the Houston Marriott Energy Corridor. The Corporate Member Showcase exhibits and reception will begin at 6:30 P.M. The Annual General Business Meeting will follow at 7:30 P.M.

Kathey Ferland, Project Manager, Texas Industries of the Future, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, The University of Texas at Austin has agreed to present at the 30th Annual Meeting. Ms. Ferland will focus on "Achieving Superior Energy Performance via a Management System for Energy".

Thomas J. Van Laan, P.E., Senior Vice President, Intergraph, CADWorx & Analysis Solutions has agreed to speak at SPED's 2010 Annual General Business Meeting and Corporate Member Showcase November 4th at the Houston Marriott Energy Corridor. Mr. Van Laan has been extensively involved in the development of products such as CAESAR II, the world's leading pipe stress program, and CADWorx, a suite of AutoCAD-based plant and piping design software. With 28 years of engineering and software experience, Mr. Van Laan is considered to be an expert in the fields of pipe stress analysis and design, having taught over 75 training courses worldwide and having co-authored the engineering text Piping and Pipe Support Systems: Design and Engineering. Mr. Van Laan holds degrees in civil engineering, computer science and business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York Institute of Technology and Pace University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in three states. We look forward to his presentation at SPED's Annual Meeting.

Participation in the Corporate Member Showcase (CMS) requires Corporate Membership. If you would like to participate in the Corporate Member Showcase, contact Sarah Evans or Rachel Nichols at 832.286.7678.

If you would like to register for the Review and Exam, contact Rachel Nichols at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 832.286.7678 

If you are PPD Level IV Certified and wish to participate in the PPD Advisory Committee, email Bill Beazley at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Houston Marriott Energy Corridor sleeping rooms are available at the CMS/Annual Meeting rate. Follow this link to register; the discount code is already entered for you.

Blocks of tickets can be reserved for Corporate Members at the special rate of $15 each with a 10 ticket minimum. Contact Sarah Evans or Rachel Nichols at 832.286.7678 for Corporate Member ticket reservations. Individual Professional Member tickets are $25, Students are $10, and guests or non-members are $35. Individual tickets will go on sale in September.