MAADI GROUP/Make-A-Bridge® SPONSORS EPM BRIDGE TEAM

March 23, 2011—MONTREAL, CANADA – The MAADI Group engineering firm, specializing in bridge design and construction, featuring its patented Make-A-Bridge® for commercial, industrial and marine applications, is co-sponsoring the École Polytechnique de Montréal’s EPM Steel Bridge team in the North American collegiate Student Steel Bridge Competition, organized since 1992 by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and also by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Students are challenged each year to design, build, and then assemble on site a steel bridge structure that meets new criteria and requirements every year.

This year’s École Polytechnique’s EPM Steel Bridge team participants are divided into groups to work on each aspect of the design/build process: the Administration group, the Conception group, the Construction group, and the Regulations group. MAADI Group president and CEO, Alexandre de la Chevrotière believes that this important competition is a very worthwhile endeavor for the students. “Each year the EPM Steel Bridge team tackles a new grand challenge, which helps to develop and broaden the students’ technical expertise and prepares them well for real-world civil engineering projects. These students are highly motivated to succeed, and the MAADI Group is pleased to co-sponsor their efforts to promote creative innovation in bridge design,” says de la Chevrotière.

The 2011 EPM Steel Bridge team will travel for the third time to the regional competition, which will be held this spring to Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. The team will make their technical presentation to the panel of judges, and then construct their bridge design after which load tests will be conducted and the EPM Steel Bridge team’s bridge structure will be ranked among its competition.

Regional Conference competitions are held in conjunction with 18 regional ASCE conferences. The winners and first runners-up from each regional conference are invited to compete at the national level. This year’s national competition will be held at Texas A&M University on May 20-21, 2011.

MAADI Group joins several companies and organizations in co-sponsoring the 2011 École Polytechnique EPM Steel Bridge team. MAADI Group wishes all members of the team great luck in the regional competition, where they plan to qualify for the national competition. For further information on the EPM Steel Bridge team, sponsored by the École Polytechnique de Montréal and many engineering and construction-related sponsor companies and individuals from throughout Quebec, and on the competition, please visit these links: http://www.groupes.polymtl.ca/pontdacierand www.aisc.org/content.aspx?id=780.

For more information on the Make-A-Bridge® pedestrian walkway, contact MAADI Group’s Alex de la Chevrotière, alex@maadigroup.com, Tel: 514.871.0179 or visit www.makeabridge.com.