Kurt Fraese and Mark Kramer Named GBA Fellows
Kurt R. Fraese, L.G. and Mark K. Kramer, P.E. have been appointed to the prestigious Council of Fellows of the Geoprofessional Business Association (GBA). The organization established the Council in 1975 to provide guidance for GBA’s direction and to pursue other activities its members deemed appropriate. W. Jerrold Samford, P.G., chair of GBA’s Council of Fellows, announced the appointments. A past president of GBA (2001-02), Mr. Samford is an environmental-compliance specialist with Troutman Sanders, a 600-person law firm with offices throughout the United States and China.
Mr. Fraese is president of GeoEngineers, Inc.
a 360-person earth-science and technology firm based in Seattle, Washington, with 14 offices nationwide. A graduate of Humboldt State University, Mr. Fraese began his career in 1983 with Woodward-Clyde Consultants. He joined GeoEngineers in 1988 and became CEO in March 2007, serving in that role until March 2016. He has led more than 1,200 projects and has served extensively as a regulatory liaison and client representative. A past president of GBA (2013-14), he is president of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, a leading nonprofit land-conservation group based in the Puget Sound Region.
Mr. Kramer is CEO of SME
a 200-person engineering-consulting firm specializing in the geosciences, building materials, and the environment. Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, SME is ranked among the top 500 U.S. design firms byEngineering News-Record. Mark has built a strong following for his ability to translate technical project information into language client representatives can understand, allowing them to make informed decisions that save time and money while confronting risk. A “veteran” of the GBA board of directors, he is president-elect of ACEC Michigan and serves on the Board of Directors of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Motor City Chapter.
Established in 1969, GBA serves to “help its geoprofessional-member firms and their clients confront risk and optimize performance.” Geoprofessional firms provide geotechnical, geologic, environmental, construction-materials engineering and testing, and related professional services. (Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoprofessions.) All GBA Member Firms’ technical activities are under the full-time control of an individual who is legally and/or ethically bound to hold paramount public health, safety, and welfare. GBA’s associate membership comprises geoconstructors; geoprofessional educators and students; geoprofessionals employed by government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and industry; and attorneys and other consultants to GBA Member Firms.