West Virginia engineer will be recognized during the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Innovation Contest Celebration June 20 in Virginia for his permanent solution for potholes.
Samuel G. Bonasso, P.E., F. ASCE, won the 2016 ASCE Grand Challenge Infrastructure Innovation Contest for Most Feasible Green Engineering Idea with his invention, Confined Aggregate Concrete, a tire reuse technology. Pothole Terminator is a derivative of Confined Aggregate Concrete and a permanent solution for potholes.
“I’m looking forward to this celebration,” Bonasso said. “Pothole Terminator is ready to go national, and this is just what we need to go to market.”
During this celebration, past winners will also have a chance to present to a mock-Shark tank panel and a national audience. While this is a mock-Shark Tank panel, the participants who offered to sit on this panel are real. Many of them control billions in assets.
“The mock-Shark Tank panel is a great dry run to practice how you will articulate that need to capital-venture people and equity partners,” said Jerry Buckwalter, A.M.ASCE, director of strategy for Northrop Grumman and key architect of the contest.
ASCE’s Industry Leaders Council created the Innovation Contest in 2016 as a part of the ASCE Grand Challenge to enhance the life-cycle performance of infrastructure by 2025. The Shark Tank event will bring engineers and innovators together to share their ideas.
Jim Matuga, CEO of Pothole Terminator, will also be presenting with Bonasso.
“Most road surface failures are caused by water penetrating into the compacted base-stone binder causing it to fall apart,” Bonasso said. “This causes potholes, which create safety problems for divers. Pothole Terminator physically confines and holds the base stone together. This process consistently creates a virtually indestructible, water permeable base course without depending on adhesives, binders or friction. It is fast, uses small equipment and instantly supports loads and resists erosion.”
Pothole Terminator is both U.S. and Canada-patented and has been lab-tested and field proven on a high volume commercial road in Granville and coal haul/industrial roads in six states. In addition to eliminating potholes, Pothole Terminator can drastically reduce or eliminate road edge and ditch wall collapse, slope and shoulder erosion, soft subgrade failures, ditch and channel scour as well as active soil pressure.
Bonasso graduated in civil engineering from the University of Miami, Florida, and West Virginia University. He is an inventor with five U.S. and Canadian patents and is a career civil engineering consultant and structural engineer. He has also served publically as the West Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Deputy Administrator, Research and Special Programs Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
Matuga graduated in advertising from the Reed School of Media at West Virginia University and is CEO and founder of InnerAction Media, a Morgantown-based Inbound Marketing agency. Matuga stays involved with the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, PACE Enterprises, Rotary Club of America West Virginia, BASS Federation and the West Virginia Miracle League.
To learn more about Pothole Terminator, visit www.pothole-terminator.com.
