Toddies with Tom ~ November 12, 2021

                                                                                                          YOU ARE INVITED!

                                                                                          Toddies with Tom ~ November 12, 2021

You are cordially invited to join GBA’s President Tom Blackburn for a casual afternoon of information and social networking with friends and colleagues from across GBA. Tom will introduce you to friends as we wind down the week and toast the weekend with a seasonal beverage.

Please join us for a fun and informative hour.

Date: November 12, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM Eastern

Request Link: HERE

Topics will include:

Double Down on Risk Management and Loss Prevention – David L. Coduto, President and CEO (Terra Insurance Company). Investment in risk management and loss prevention provides significant ROI. Mr. Coduto will share risk management and loss prevention tips and claims statistics with the audience to illustrate the benefits of proactive risk management.

Introduction to Peer Groups – Stu Thompson, P.E., (CTL Thompson, Inc) Chair of the Peer Review Committee. GBA created Peer Groups for CEO’s to share information and support one another while confronting the challenges of leading in their respective firms. It is an opportunity to both give and receive best practices and solve common problems together. GBA has expanded this effort by forming Peer Groups for Chief Operating Officers (COO’s), Chief Financial Officers (CFO’s) and Human Resources Managers of Member Firms. Each Peer Group is limited in size and GBA provides a facilitator. Topics are selected by the participants and focus on the most pressing issues.

What’s up with EIT? – Jeff Gebhard, P.E., (Braun Intertec) Chair of Emerging Issues and Trends Committee Fresh off Halloween, join us as we peer into our crystal balls and decipher the issues that may impact our profession in years to come! We’ll review some of the trends discussed during our recent meeting held concurrent with the Fall meeting. We’ll also share highlights from our last Crystal Ball Workshop as we prepare for our next Workshop in 2022. We want to hear what you think will most impact your operations as we consider issues of staffing, supply chain, engineering education, client management, work-from-home, artificial intelligence and more!

Tom’s Toddy Toast: Spiced Citrus Mulled Wine
As winter weather sets in for most of the country, and we gather with family and friends for the holidays, mulled wines have been a favorite since the 2nd Century AD when Romans created the drink to fortify themselves against the cold.

Ingredients:
• 1 bottle cheap red wine
• 1 shot of Port
• 1 orange, cut into wedges and pierced with cloves
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon **
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg **
• 1-3 tablespoons of brown sugar (based on preference)

Mixology Instructions: Heat all of the ingredients together on medium for 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL! Remove from heat and serve warm.

**Ground spices can make the wine gritty. Use whole spices when possible or remember to strain the mix before serving to improve the look**

For those in a more festive mood, cranberries, cherries, pomegranates, apples and pears may be switched in to enhance the flavors.

Food pairings: Stilton or cheddar cubes and grapes make a great snack, but lately my go-to has been cucumber slices with a drop of cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon. For the more adventurous, figs wrapped in bacon is a perfect compliment for this strong flavored cocktail.

History of Mulled Wine: While some thought the spices carried medicinal benefits, the drink was created to help extend the life of lesser quality wines. Long before the Clean Water Act and disinfection processes changed our life expectancy, it was safer to drink wine than water. But what to do with the “bad” batches? Ancient Greeks devised a way to upcycle the wine by adding spices to improve the flavor. I suspect any medicinal value was derived from the vitamin C and antioxidants in the oranges, apples, pears, and pomegranates. Heating the mix helped blend the flavors and warm your guests before sending them out into the cold. While freezing may be less of a concern to modern consumers, mulled wines live on for their storied history and association with our fond memories of holidays spent with good company.

Bonus Info: Can you reheat leftover mulled wine? Yes! Just remember not to boil it