GBA | News Archive - Page 14 of 31

2022 Photo Contest Winners Announced

GBA is committed to promoting the value of geoprofessionals and for our 2022 photo contest we asked Members to share: “How do you depict the day in the life of a Geoprofessional?”

Over 50 photographers submitted this year and through the images they captured, the pride of geoprofessionals was on full display. We think you will agree, these vibrant photos capture our members in field activities, meeting with colleagues and clients, and observing safety in some amazing locations.

All winners’ photos will be featured during the 2022 Fall Conference in October.

Thank you to all who submitted photos.

Grand Prize Winner

Photographer: Dallin Lindsay, Strata, Inc.
Photo Information: Teton County, Wyoming
Caption: Jackson Hole Airport Runway
Full Depth Reclamation, Beginning of the night shift FDR Observations

Overall First Runner Up

Photographer: Laura Mooney, CTL|Thompson, Inc.
Photo Information: Breckenridge, CO Reiling Drench in French Gulch

Caption: Up in the high country, a lot of our investigations include narratives of mining history on the site, for both environmental and geologic hazards. During the Ranch at Breck investigation, I created a map of placer mining activity on the site (shafts, audits, prospect pits, and historic structures) using historic hand-drawn BLM surveys from the 1800s. We followed up with a geologic hazard assessment. I also investigated the surrounding properties, which in this case included several larger mining areas such as the Sallie Barber mine, the Iowa Mill, and French Gulch, which the Reiling used to move up and down, dredging the creek for gold. The Reiling is now a historic site, so there are informational plaques around it and the hike to it. It operated in the early 1900s, dredging rock and leaving behind miles of those dredge rock piles along French Creek and the Blue River.

Overall Second Runner Up

Photographer: Samantha Sorensen, CTL|Thompson, Inc.
Photo Information: Near Denver, CO
Caption : Piers drilled at this location are used to increase foundation stability for private homes. At least 5 feet of bedrock must be dug through, here we are reaching a complete depth averaging 42 feet. The drill creates 18-inch diameter holes that are later filled with rebar and cement

Category Winners

Safety Category

Photographer: Joseph Meiburger, P.E., LEED AP, ECS
Photo Information: Annapolis, MD US Naval Academy Chapel
Caption : The chapel dome at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland undergoes a rehabilitation to the structure and cladding. The rehabilitation required an elaborate scaffolding system to allow construction workers and inspectors safe access to the work area.

Client Collaboration Category

Photographer: Jared Cohen, CTL|Thompson, Inc.
Photo Information: Vail, CO Vail Mountain Resort
Caption: Due to settlement of the existing lift tower foundation, a new footing and tower was being constructed to replace the failing one. CTL|Thompson performed a rebar inspection for the footing and tested the concrete during placement. The photo represents the staging area during concrete placement operations.

We were staged at the top of the ski resort and concrete was flown to the footing by the helicopter with an attached cable and bucket assembly. At the time of the photo, we were performing pre-placement physical property testing of the concrete for spec compliance. Additional concrete testing was also performed during the placement.

CoMET Category

Photographer: Ethan Talabo, E.I.T., G2 Consulting
Photo Information: Trenton, MI

Caption: Overlooking a 300-foot deep former limestone quarry, turned landfill, as they raise grades using coal ash (coal combustion residuals, or CCR).

Environmental Category

Photographer: Gyan Bade, Hillis Carnes
Photo Information: Lovettsville, VA

Geotechnical Category

Photographer: Travis Halverson, P.E. Jorgensen Geotechnical, LLC
Photo Information: Alta, WY
Caption: Observing helical pier test probe installation for a proposed residence in Alta, WY with the Tetons in the background

Join Us for 4thFriday40 Leadership Series

Leaders must understand how to optimize business performance. No A&E professional wants to become a commodity – viewed as the same as everyone else. When two or more firms appear to be the same, price becomes the key differentiating factor. A&E services have become commoditized due to heavy competition, fee pressure, and self-sabotaging behaviors motivated by negative, self-limiting beliefs. Fear of losing, fear of upsetting clients, even fear of being “too expensive” are causing your firm to lose out on higher fees, change orders, and upsells.

Business Management Expert, author, and past GBA Conference keynote speaker, June Jewell will be the next presenter for the 4thFriday40 Leadership Series. This is a monthly webinar for GBA leaders at all levels to promote professional development, optimize influence, and facilitate achievement. In short, we want to help you to be a stronger, smarter, more successful leader.

June will reveal her 5-Step process all business leaders can use to help you break the trap of commoditization, stop competing on price and embrace your true value so you can get better clients and higher fees.

Free to all GBA Members.

Register for 4thFriday40 Leadership Series: HERE

Best Practices: Project-Records Retention

GBA Business Practices Committee

This is the updated version of previously published Practice Alert on Project-Records Retention. Accurate records are critically important for resolving a dispute or defending a lawsuit. Not having the information you need when you need it can be disastrous. But sometimes retaining too much information can be disastrous, too. This revised publication gives recommendations on what project records you should keep and what not to keep. It also gives recommendations on how long and where those records should be kept. It is a guideline for the firms, but this will be also depend on the company policies.

The GBA Best Practices series of documents, available to members only, provides guidance on geoprofessional business-practice issues. As indicated by the name, Best Practices, it is a combination of great ideas and proven actions our members have gathered through collaboration into one document. The document was produced by GBA’s Business Practices Committee and reviewed by GBA’s Legal Affairs Committee for all members to consider when establishing or updating document retention policies.

GBA Best Practices documents are free for all members.

Download: PROJECT-RECORD RETENTION

NEW! Best Practices: Establishing a Mentoring Program in Your Firm

GBA Business Practices Committee

This Best Practices document, highlights proven tactics to help member firms establish a sustainable mentoring program that enhances professional development, elevates employee engagement, and propels your employees to achieve their highest potential through meaningful relationships with others.

This Best Practices document:

• defines mentoring (contrasting it to coaching);
• identifies the many benefits of mentoring, for the firm, for mentors, and for protégés;
• discusses types of mentoring programs;
• provides a program overview and addresses the five basic program phases;
• offers guidance on program leadership and leadership levels and how these vary based on firm size;
• speaks to an array of program issues, introduced as questions;
• advises about keeping the program current; and
• identifies resources you can use to establish a mentoring program in your firm.

The GBA Best Practices series of documents, available to members only, provides guidance on geoprofessional business-practice issues. As indicated by the name, Best Practices, it is a combination of great ideas and proven actions our members have gathered through collaboration into one document. The document was produced by GBA’s Business Practices Committee for all members to consider when implementing or updating their mentorship programs.

GBA Best Practices documents are free for all members.

Download Best Practices: ESTABLISHING A MENTORING PROGRAM IN YOUR FIRM

4th Friday 40 Webinar Series Continues with Steve Farber

GBA Multimedia Delivery Committee

Best Selling Author and past GBA Conference keynote speaker, Steve Farber rejoins GBA as the next presenter for the 4th Friday 40 Leadership Series. This is a monthly webinar for GBA leaders at all levels to promote professional development, optimize influence, and facilitate achievement. In short, we want to help you to be a stronger, smarter, more successful leader.

Attend and earn one-half of a Professional Development Hour (PDH) for each webinar.

Free to all GBA Members.

Put the 4th Friday Leadership on your calendar and invite your friends and colleagues to join you. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

More Information: HERE

Profits Push Higher for GBA Members: GBA’s Annual Financial-Performance-Survey Results Published

GBA Business Practices Committee

Backlog trends exceed record highs, and some overhead costs are declining as the trend for GBA firms to be more profitable continues. GBA’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Annual Financial-Performance Report shows health and identifies areas of concern as we enter an inflationary cycle.

Get on top of your game. In addition to building your reserves, areas to watch are decreasing utilization and increasing DSO. Although backlog is soaring, be concerned about the significantly reduced investment in marketing costs. Lay the groundwork now for potentially tougher times ahead.

How does your firm stack up?

For more than 15 years, GBA has been collecting key financial metrics from member-firms so our members can measure their success, improve business performance, and optimize efficiency. The newest GBA Business Brief — available only to members – compiles data from GBA Business Practices Committee’s 2021-2022 Financial-Performance Survey, in a short report, covering key financial-performance issues of surveyed firms.

This report includes more data and trendlines so our members can track their progress on key financial indicators for companies that match your firm’s size.

In the spirit of our Association, GBA publications are a collaborative effort of GBA Member-Firms. They are provided to GBA Members to make them stronger, smarter and more successful and they are FREE to all members.

Download: HERE

Find GBA Resources Easier: Case History Digest

GBA Resource Collaboration Committee

One of the most valuable resources GBA offers are vast library of Case Histories that provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management.

Our members can learn where others went wrong, how they handled their problems, and to avoid the same problems in the future.

With over 110 Case Histories, GBA’s Resource Collaboration Committee created the Case History Digest to help you find Case Histories much easier.

With colorful titles including:
• Cheap Contractor Paves Way for Problems
• Clear Communication Saves Big Bucks
• If You Don’t Have $13M Sitting Around You Need to Read This
• Cutting Corners Leads to Big Change Orders
• Did Your Engineer Really Say That?

The document includes a short summary, lessons learned, and indication to its related industry (Geotech, COMET, Environmental, Practice Management) make it easier to sort when you search for Case Histories with keywords. And each case history is directly linked so you can retrieve them in one easy step to download and share with your firm’s employees.

Download the GBA Case History Digest and use it to search for real-world learning experiences to propel your firm forward, then share it with everyone in your firm.

Note: Each title has a direct link to the case history. Once you click on the link you will need to log in to your GBA Website account. After you sign in, click on go shopping which will bring you to the specific Case History.

CASE HISTORY DIGEST: HERE

WANTED: GBA Case Histories

GBA has a tradition of collaborating on issues that impact the geoprofessions. One of the ways we work together is by providing lessons learned through GBA Case Histories. GBA Case Histories provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management.

Here is your chance to share with others what went wrong, how you handled the problems, and how others can learn from your experiences so everyone can avoid the same problems in the future.

Here is how to get started:

Step 1. Share your idea for a Case History using one of the appropriate GBA template(s):

• Case History Project Management
• Case History Practice Management

Step 2. Send your idea to the Chair of Resource Collaboration Committee (RCC) for preliminary review.

Step 3. If your idea is selected, the RCC will provide all the support you need to prepare and publish a new GBA Case History.

Peer Review Committee is Offering a Free Training Course for Peer Review Captains

GBA Peer Review Committee

GBA applies 51 years of peer experience to help you prosper, and one of the most visible ways it does this is through GBA Peer Review. Engineering News-Record lauded GBA Peer Review as one of the 125 most significant construction industry innovations of the prior 125 years. GBA Peer Review was the only association program cited. GBA Peer Review provides valuable feedback on your existing business practices so you can improve. It can help enhance the quality of your practice while simultaneously reducing your exposure to professional liability claims and losses.

GBA Peer Review is voluntary. It is not used to grade a firm; it does not lead to a certification of any kind. The process has been designed solely to provide a framework for improvement. Firms participating in GBA Peer Review recognize that no one can better render informed guidance than peers who themselves have extensive, successful management experience.

The Peer Review Committee is working on refreshing the process of the peer reviews and the list of available Peer Reviewers and Team Captains. The updated Peer Reviewer’s Guide includes a Team Captain/ Peer Reviewer qualification form which can also be found here. If you are interested in being a Peer Reviewer or Team Captain, please complete the form and send it to Sara Menase or Stu Thompson by August 10th. This will allow us to update the list of Team Captains/Peer Reviewers for firms to choose from when they sign up for a peer review. If you do not complete the form, you will not be listed.

The Committee also is scheduling a Peer Reviewer and Team Captain training course on September 21st at 1:00 PM Eastern via Zoom. This training will include the recently developed guidance on virtual peer reviews. Please plan to participate in this training if you are interested in being a Peer Reviewer or Team Captain.

Apply to be a GBA Peer Reviewer: HERE

4th Friday 40 July 22, 2022 Webinar

You are invited!
GBA’s 4th Friday 40 Leadership Series

4th Friday 40 Leadership Series is a monthly webinar for GBA leaders at all levels to promote professional development, optimize influence, and facilitate achievement. In short, we want to help you to be a stronger, smarter, more successful leader.

Join our experts for a 40-minute webinar as they share valuable insights to help you be more confident, highly effective, and a more successful leader. Attend and earn one-half of a Professional Development Hour (PDH) for each webinar. Free to all GBA Members.
On July 22, 2022, our featured speaker will be Adam Markel, Resilience Expert as he discusses how we can build resilient leaders and change proof cultures.

Plan for the Next Recession Now – Three Resources to Help You

No one knows when the next recession will arrive, but most economists agree that another recession is certain. Most also agree that we’re getting closer to the next recession. GBA has three valuable resources available for members as they plan now for the next recessionary cycle.

Business Brief: Planning for the Next Recession Now
GBA Business Practices Committee

This Business Brief explores what can geoprofessionals do now to prepare for the next recession?
• Create or Update Your Strategic Plan
• Strengthen Client Relationships and Increase Your Brand Equity
• Identify Ways to Increase Cash Availability
• Examine Your Financial Structure and Results
• Align Your Corporate Culture with Your Strategy

These themes are presented along with practices to deal with the recession once it arrives. The Business Brief focuses on how to help you prepare for and thrive during the next recession.

Annual Report Issued

GBA’s Annual Report was prepared for the Board of Directors and all Member-Firms to report progress and highlight key accomplishments of the Association during the fiscal year 2021-2022. It is intended to keep all members current with significant accomplishments of the Board, Committees and all the volunteers that support it.

Includes Updates on:
• Association Membership
• Annual Awards
• Conference Attendance
• New and Updated Publications and Podcasts
• Alliance Organizations
• Association Finances
• GBA Committees
• Other Notable Accomplishments
• Plans for Fiscal Year 2022-2023
Please check it out and share your thoughts with us HERE.

Download Annual Report: HERE

You are invited! GBA’s 4th Friday 40 Leadership Series

You are invited!

GBA’s 4th Friday 40 Leadership Series

Our June 24, 2022 presenter is Bob Kelleher, the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global consulting firm that works with leadership teams to implement best in class leadership and employee engagement programs, workshops, and surveys. Bob Kelleher is a best-selling author, international keynote speaker, and consultant who travels the globe sharing his insights on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends.

Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS, NBC News, Business Week, Forbes, Training Magazine, Yahoo, and Fortune), and is a frequent guest writer and contributing editor on many national publications.

In Memory of Woody Vogt, GBA President 2018-2019

It is with a heavy heart that we must share the passing of a dear friend and significant contributor to the Geoprofessional Business Association, numerous other associations, and the geoprofessions.

On Friday, June 3rd., Woodward L. “Woody” Vogt, P.E., D. GE, F. GBA, F. ACI, F. ASCE, F. ASTM (Paradigm Consultants/CMT) passed away after complications associated with brain surgery that was performed in March.

Despite his long list of professional licenses, and well-earned titles as diplomate and fellow, to everyone, he was simply “Woody”. Mr. Vogt was President of Paradigm Consultants, Inc. in Houston which was recently purchased by CMT Engineering Laboratories. He had more than 40 years’ experience providing geotechnical, construction materials and investigative and forensic engineering services. Mr. Vogt was a Diplomate of Academy of Geo-Professionals and a fellow of GBA, the American Society of Civil Engineers, ACI International, and ASTM International.

Woody served as GBA’s President in 2018-2019 after many years of service as Director. Before joining the GBA Board of Directors, Mr. Vogt was a founding member of GBA’s Construction Materials Engineering and Testing (CoMET) Business Committee and chaired the GBA Accreditation and Certification Task Force. Most recently, he served as a Vice Chair of GBA’s Resource Collaboration Committee.

He served on the board of directors of the International Council for Certification of Construction Inspectors and was past board chair of the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. He served as President of TCEL/Geoprofessionals Serving Texas and past president of the Houston Chapter of TCEL.

Mr. Vogt received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology (“Georgia Tech”) and was a licensed professional engineer in Texas and Louisiana.

A contributor to many GBA publications, Mr. Vogt’s most significant contributions included: Moist-Curing Room Design, Construction and Maintenance; Best Practices: Do’s and Don’ts for Fact Witnesses; Case History 104: The Wrangler Turns Bandit. He was also a regular contributor at GBA Conferences. Likely his most significant contribution to GBA was his effort to refresh and update over 100 Case Histories in the GBA library, a task that took over 2-years to complete with the support of a team of dedicated reviewers.

Besides his passion for geotechnical engineering and construction materials engineering and testing, Woody was an avid outdoorsman and regularly sought opportunities to duck hunt and fly fish with family and friends.

He is survived by his longtime wife Beverly who is also a dear friend to GBA, and their family.
We will provide more information about Woody’s passing and his family’s plans to celebrate his life when they are available.

Rest in peace Woody.

2022 Photo Contest – The Day in the Life of a Geoprofessional

2022 Photo Contest – The Day in the Life of a Geoprofessional

GBA is committed to promoting the value of geoprofessionals and we want to see it through your eyes. For our 2022 Photo Contest, we’d like to know: “how do you depict the day in the life of a Geoprofessional?” Is it field activities? Is it meeting with colleagues and clients? Is it performing testing in the laboratory? How is safety incorporated into your work? How are you positively impacting the world? Capture those vibrant moments and express what being a geoprofessional means to you!

Contest Starts – June 1, 2022
Contest Ends – August 31, 2022

Submit Photos to: GBA Photo Contest

Prizes Awarded:

One (1) Overall grand prize winner will receive:
• A $100 Gift Card
• A photo mention in GBA NEWSlog
• Recognition at GBA’s Fall 2022 Conference.
• Winners Plaque
• Mention on GBA’s digital presences.

One (1) Overall runner-up winner will receive:
• A $50 gift card
• A photo mention in GBA NEWSlog
• Runners Up Plaque
• Recognition at GBA’s Fall 2022 Conference.
• Mention on GBA’s digital presences

One (1) Overall second runner-up winner will receive:
• A $50 gift card
• A photo mention in GBA NEWSlog
• Runners Up Certificate
• Recognition at GBA’s Fall 2022 Conference.
• Mention on GBA’s digital presences

Five (5) Category Winners (Geotechnical, Environmental, Construction Materials Testing and Inspection, Safe Working Practices, and Client Collaboration) will receive:
• Recognition at GBA’s Fall 2022 Conference.
• Category Winner Certificate
• Mention on GBA’s digital presences

Submission information and contest rules: HERE

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