GBA Board Member Spotlight – Kenneth R. Johnston – GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.
A Road Less Traveled
It will not take long to see that my path to the Geoprofessional Business Association 
is quite different from my fellow GBA Board Members. The first indication is that I don’t share the P.E, P. Eng, or P.G. designations that the majority of my GBA friends and business colleagues share. In fact, when I will become GBA’s 51st President in April 2020, I believe I will be the only GBA President to date without any of these designations after my name. This has been the story of my life, as I have always chosen the road less traveled.
I attended Norwich University which is the Nation’s Oldest Private Military School in the Country founded in 1819. Pro
udly, Norwich University has a 200-year history and it is where Reserve Officer Training (ROTC) was founded. I wanted to study at an institution that offered mental, physical and disciplinary challenges while living as part of a Corp of Cadets but was not accepted at my first choice which was the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis). I am grateful for the education and leadership training that Norwich University provided me and being part of the University’s long history. Additionally, my Dad was a Captain in the United States Navy and former fighter Pilot who fought in WWII and the Korean Conflict; I know succeeding at Norwich University made my parents proud.
I earned a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Computer Science in 1982 which was a personal victory because the graduation rate at Norwich was around 60%. This was due to the rigorous physical demands and the high academic standards. My success at Norwich required drive, passion, and determination that has fueled my almost 40-year professional career. On a daily basis, I am often one of the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave. It has always been this way throughout my career, and I do not know of any other way then to give it my all. While working full time, I continued my education. In 1985 I earned an MBA from New Hampshire College, and in 1994, GZA sent me to executive training classes at Duke’s Fuqua School.
In short, I am an entrepreneur living in a technical world and more than half of my career has been spent at GZA GeoEnvironmental. I am currently GZA’s Chief Administrative Officer, Bedford District Office Manager, and a Senior Principal. I also serve on the Executive Team of the firm. In this split role, I have responsibility for the overall management and development of the Bedford, New Hampshire office, while also 
being involved in most of GZA’s administrative tasks including the negotiation and execution of all real estate related activities and major acquisitions.
My path to GZA is another road less traveled. I have worked in financial positions for Sanders Associates/Lockheed along with two entrepreneurial stops along the way. One stop was with a small group of investors from Minnesota that formed a start-up company called Storage Investment Management, Inc. This group was involved with all phases of operating and managing mini-storage warehouses across the country. I also spent many years as an owner of Allstate Polyethylene Corporation, a polyethylene packaging company. I would not change the path I have taken as I have enjoyed every moment and cherished all the great people I met along the way. The road I traveled also helped me to prepare for my leadership roles at both GZA and GBA.
In 2008, Bill Hadge, my former boss, close friend, and CEO at GZA suggested I start my involvement in GBA. As I began learning about GBA, participating in Committees and attending events; I met and established lifelong friendships with some of the greatest people in our industry while travelling to many interesting places around the country. The GBA relationships that I developed helped my career in many ways and hardly a week goes by that I am not in contact with a GBA friend and colleague looking for advice on an issue we might be facing. This sharing of knowledge works well because we have a mutual trust. It is a “two-way street” as we are always willing to share our experiences and provide advice to each other. This is a way of life with GBA members and just one example of the many values this organization provides.
My “work hard, play hard” mantra has been valuable in all
parts of my life. When I am not working, I enjoy all sports and could be considered a sport junky. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled the country and attended numerous sporting events including Superbowl’s, an NBA championship, World Series, and Stanley Cup games. I am also an avid bicyclist, having pedaled over 81,505 miles (as of 4-15-2020: Did I mention I am a type A compulsive personality) in the past 30 years. My lifetime goal is to bike along more roads less traveled reaching 100,000-miles before unclipping my cycling shoes and retiring from cycling. As motivation to ride, I annually focus my training on the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), a 192-mile bike ride from Sturbridge, Massachusetts to Provincetown, Massachusetts. This annual ride has become a tradition as I have completed the PMC 30 consecutive years, helping to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the country’s single largest charity fundraiser. I am proud to have raised over $215,000 for cancer research, while the PMC has raised over $717 million since its inception 40 year ago.
Last year, the event raised an incredible record-breaking gift of $63 million. What separates the PMC from other fundraisers is the fact that 100% of rider raised money goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer institute to help find a cure for cancer. God willing, I hope to stay involved with this event to watch them break the one Billion Dollar mark in donations which should be in the next 5 – 6 years. I am also proud to have ridden the PMC several times with my two children, Lauren and Jeff who have also raised over $50,000 for this cause.
I have the sincere honor of being on GBA’s Board of Directors since 2015 and currently serve as President-Elect. My road less traveled also includes serving as a past board member, and coach of many teams for the Stoughton Youth Athletic Club (STOYAC) in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Since March of 2010, I have been given the opportunity to give back to my alma mater as a member of the Board of Fellows. I served as a fellow for the Business & Management School culminating as the Chairman. After that position, I was selected to serve as the Chairman of the Executive Leadership Team overseeing the 96 members that comprise the Board of Fellows from the eight schools within the Norwich University system.
My road less traveled could not have been as enjoyable or as successful without my wife Sherri and our children, Lauren (Bryant University Class of 2011), and Jeff (United States Military Academy at West Point Class of 2015). Both Sherri and I are proud of our children and their spouses. They share my “work hard, play hard” mantra and all of them put it on the line every day for this great country. My son-in-law Adam is a Boston Police officer and former army soldier that served in Afghanistan. Jeff and his wife Julie, also a West Point graduate 15’, are both Captains in the Army, Blackhawk pilots, and both recently returned from distinguished tours in Afghanistan. My ultimate hero is my daughter Lauren, who is taking a sabbatical from her professional career to take on a more important role as a Mom to Malcom, our first grandchild and our pride and joy who was born in April 2019.
While my path to become the President of GBA has not been a traditional one, the road I took has been exciting and rewarding with opportunities to explore the scenery around each bend, experience interesting stops along the way, and grow a network of colleagues and friends from many diverse locations that I will cherish for life. When I look back over my career, I have to say that getting involved with the GBA back in 2008 was one of the best and rewarding decisions I ever made. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve you.
times. Family, loved ones, friends, employees, co-workers, neighbors,society are foremost in our minds at this time. We’re also very concerned about our livelihoods, our firms and the economy. I realize that GBA is a very minor item in a world in which such important things are brought into such sharp focus.
the latest of its widely acclaimed Crystal Ball Workshop (CBW) series in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 2 and 3, 2019 and their efforts have been published. The CBW confronted the exponential rate of technology-driven change in what has been termed the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Central to this revolution are the roles of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. EIT expects that these technologies will forever change the nature of how geoprofessionals will deliver their services.
GBA Case Histories 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. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued.
after contamination was discovered. The site’s owner was willing to pay for additional services, however, so the project moved forward. But that was a serious mistake,the Member Firm learned. If only the firm had spent 30 minutes inquiring about the new client’s reputation, $84,000 worth of litigation could have been avoided.
in the anticipated engagement, so it just forgot about it.But not only had the estimate been used as a final report, it was applied to a project whose size was changed. The GBA-Member Firm learned what it should already have known: The size of a risk is often inversely proportional to the size of the project. In this case, a hoped-for $50 profit cost the firm well over $2.5 million, not including the value of the time it had to spend or the opportunity cost.
back filling of utility lines in a housing subdivision. Ten months after completion of the infrastructure, the ground surface and sidewalks settled over the sanitary lines in three areas. The principal-in-charge reviewed test data, spoke with the resident engineer on the project, and learned that his firm’s responsibility was slight. Nonetheless, he provided $6,000 worth of remedial services to fix the problem and convinced the contractor to contribute even more. By doing so, he avoided litigation and gained a “client for life.”
at the Marriott Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa.
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.
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.
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.
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?