After 40-plus years of geosynthetic materials performance consulting work, Dr. Ian D. Peggs has made the strategic decision to close I-CORP INTERNATIONAL for the foreseeable future and to retire. Dr. Peggs will continue his own research and development and technical support projects.

Dr. Peggs was awarded an honorary membership in the International Geosynthetics Society at the 2018 International Conference on Geosynthetics in Seoul, South Korea.

His business philosophy has been to seek novel test methods, develop them for geosynthetics and teach others how to use them. For instance, he started work on geoelectric liner integrity and leak location methods in about 1993 the, together with TRI, started an instruction/certification course in 2004. He has done many failure investigations of whales and bottom liners of wastewater plant ponds.

He started geosynthetics work at Hanson Materials Engineering in Edmonton, Alb., Canada, about 1983 and then formed a joint venture (GeoSyntec) with Robert Wallace of EBA Engineering, also in Edmonton. Dr. Peggs moved to Florida in 1991 and was the seventh member of the Giroud/Fluet GeoServices consulting team, setting up the GeoSyntec lab and investigating liner failures—mostly stress cracking. I-CORP followed in 1991. He also initiated www.geosynthetica.net, which was developed by his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Peggs.

The kinds of activities Dr. Peggs may still be involved in in retirement include:

·         Remote field surveys controlled from the office

·         Drone-assisted construction quality assurance (CQA)

·         Liner/pipe failure cataloging

·         Student monitoring

·         Industry resources