A Seed that Was Planted Early Blooms into a Flourishing Family Business
GBA Director Spotlight: Tom Blackburn, CE, GE, F. ASCE, F. ACEC
I grew up on 12 acres in St. Louis, Missouri. I rode dirt 
bikes, jumped on the trampoline, played roller hockey,basketball, tennis and baseball. I also spent as much time as possible on my grandparents’ farm hunting,fishing and working hard. My passion for being outside drew my interest toward becoming a forest ranger but my Dad, who owned a small construction company, recommended that I become a civil engineer and eventually take over the family business. Although I did not join that family business, his example planted a seed in my mind that eventually bloomed into a family business of our own.
I attended the University of Missouri at Rolla, now Missouri University of Science and Technology and loved the whole college experience. I was active in the TKE house but mostly just getting through college courses until my senior year, when I discovered soil engineering. With the support of my parents, I stayed at Rolla and earned a master’s in civil engineering. Soil and materials engineering fueled my passion and I transformed into a pretty good student. I remember my Dad asking “will people hire you for that?” because in the early 80’s, soil engineering was still maturing, and geo-environmental engineering was in its infancy.
After graduation, I moved to Texas to work for GBA
Member-Firm Alpha Testing. Although my Dad was disappointed that I didn’t come home and run the family business, my parents were proud that I was working hard and enjoying my new career. I started in the field, then moved into the office and worked for long hours. After working for three years, I was given the opportunity to open an office for Alpha in Fort Worth. I am grateful to the Alpha folks for teaching me about the technical work and fueling my desire to grow a consulting business.
In 1987, Cupid struck when I met Grace. She wasn’t very interested at first, but I was persistent, and eventually won her over.
In 1988, Grace and I made plans to marry which included a move to Northern California where she grew up, and I was eager for a new adventure in the Golden State. I began my next chapter with Anderson Consulting (another GBA Member-Firm) and I loved the more challenging work associated with California’s complex geology and seismicity. Simultaneously, I started my GBA journey and became entrenched in loss prevention with the support of Gery Anderson and David Coduto (Terra Insurance Company) to whom I am eternally grateful.
In 1998, Grace and I planted the seed my father had put in my head many years earlier and we started our own firm, Blackburn Consulting, with the goal of focusing our efforts on public works projects and forensics. We were not interested in rapid growth, but rather on building a family business focused on engineering excellence. That concept
worked for us, and in 20-years we’ve gradually built an outstanding team and a firm with a reputation as a high-quality consultant. We have been blessed to work with wonderful people on challenging projects, and I consider it an honor to work in our profession.
GBA has been invaluable to Blackburn Consulting’s sustained success and in our early days we were regular conference attendees and active committee members as our business and our family grew. Our kids regularly attended GBA meetings with us and all have fond memories of the wonderful people they met and cool places we visited. Now, our family continues to be close and our business continues to include family members with our oldest son Donald, recently joining Blackburn Consulting as our Business Manager. GBA is also a family affair as Donald has joined the Emerging Leaders Class and Grace is active in the Peer Review Committee.
My father planted the family business seed many years ago. My passion for soils engineering and our desire to provide high-quality consulting services provided a platform for Grace and me to build our family business. Loss prevention and GBA’s resources around that topic helped us to grow our business and continues to be integral to Blackburn Consulting’s success.
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reflecting on the past year and those who have helped to shape our Association. It’s been quite a year for us all as we celebrate our 50th anniversary!
was discovered, the assistant state’s attorney general handling the case read the report. He interpreted ASTM “references” in the standard to mean “incorporated by reference,” and so proceeded to read each of the 15 referenced standards. One of the 15 feasibly could have been interpreted to have placed a burden of performance on the geotechnical engineer which, if fulfilled, might have prevented the problem. Although the lawyer’s interpretation was unrealistic, it was realistic enough to stand up in court, the geotechnical engineer assumed, and so settled.
Construction Industry Disputes and pointed out that the plaintiff’s expert had not established the standard
“had based his opinions on his vast experience; inquiry into the methods used by others was unnecessary.” the Member Firm’s expert explained that in developing her opinion, she had followed recommendations for establishing the standard of care, as set forth in Recommended Practices for Design Professionals Engaged as Experts in the Resolution of Construction Industry Disputes. The client’s expert admitted he had not. The judge, swayed by the thoroughness and professionalism of the Member Firm’s expert, upheld the contractor’s claim.
needed to complete the work and it was performed. When the client refused to pay the engineer, the engineer refused to pay the contractor, because a written change was not obtained. The engineer learned that sometimes the clearest, most explicit language might not be binding.
not be done. The Member Firm learned the importance of dealing with OSHA via an attorney who understands the issues.
German Mom. They came to the U.S. after World War II to make a new life and found each other in the land of opportunity. Our extended family was eleven with 5 from Europe and 6 born in the U.S. As a mixed heritage family, we did not have rich traditions from Europe or the U.S. but developed our own over time.
I followed my father’s footsteps and began studying electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Lissajous figures were not exciting to me and frankly, made no sense. My father’s warnings about becoming a “ditch digger” echoed in my head and I changed course to civil engineering like my roommate. It was through civil engineering that I found my true calling as a geotechnical engineer.
I could not have predicted my career path when I changed courses from electrical engineering to geotechnical engineering. I never imagined that I’d have the chance to do the things I’ve done, develop relationships with all the people I’ve met, and regularly been amazed by our vast world. I’m so lucky that I have been accompanied on this journey with my wonderful wife of 35 years, Lisa, and my amazing, accomplished daughters Amy and Holly. And now I am a Grandpa!
GBA has updated one of its most frequently, all-time best-selling resource – Important Information about This Geotechnical-Engineering Report. Some of the language and sections have been modified and updated,
that another recession is certain. Most also agree that we’re getting closer to the next recession. What can geoprofessionals do now to prepare?
– Important Information about This Geotechnical-Engineering Report. Some of the language and sections have been modified and updated, including a new section about understanding the geotechnical engineering services.
our website for “on-demand” viewing.
are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too.
and failure occurred. Although the GBA member was relatively blameless, it had agreed to an unwise indemnity in its contract and faced the potential of litigation that would likely cost it more than $1 million before reaching a settlement.
basketball games in our driveway and football in our neighbor’s side yard, kept me, my three brothers, and the neighborhood kids busy and out of trouble. Later we started organized sports, first Little League then Junior High and High School. Most of the folks in our town are HUGE Dallas Cowboys fans even going so far as to schedule the Sunday morning services to allow time for the congregation (which included our family) to make it home in time for a noon kickoff.
After graduating from high school with my other 32 classmates, I was fortunate to get a full-time summer job with the nearby Area Office of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Until then, I had primarily mowed yards and worked part time at local grocery stores. The TxDOT job was my first exposure to civil engineering and surveying. For the next 4 summers, I had a great time learning about surveying as a member of the field party, preparation of drawings for highways, running tests in a hot mix lab at a remote batch plant and working as an inspector at a ready mixed concrete plant. To this day, I fall back on what I learned and enjoy some of the relationships that I formed.
a member firm is faced with alleged violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ATDA). This Case History emphasized Project Managers must be trained in basic human resources (HR) issues and the importance of documentation when dealing with employee performance management.