GBA Launches New Podcast Series: Leadership Lounge
GBA Multimedia Delivery Committee
Have you ever wondered how a skilled coach might be able to help you or your firm? GBA’s Multimedia Delivery Committee launched a new GBA Podcast series called “Leadership Lounge” that features exclusive interviews with business coaches on topics like communication, culture crafting, and igniting innovation.
In each episode, hosts Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP2 (SME) and Ryan White, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE (PBS Engineering + Environmental) share ideas to elevate your team as they have conversations with business coaches who share their tools, insights, and practical tips.
The first episode of the Leadership Lounge series, “How to Communicate Like a Hostage Negotiator,” is available now on the GBA Podcast websi...
GBA Launches New Podcast Series: Management Best Practices
GBA Multimedia Delivery Committee
GBA’s Multimedia Delivery Committee launched a new GBA Podcast series called “Management Best Practices” that will dive into some of the unique challenges faced by geoprofessional consulting managers and supervisors.
Becoming a manager or supervisor is an important step in many people’s professional careers, and it introduces a set of new responsibilities that they may not have had in their prior role. This new podcast series highlights a handful of those responsibilities, the challenges that can go along with them, and best practices for navigating through them. The episodes in this series will provide valuable advice for new as well as seasoned managers or supervisors.
The first episode of the Managemen...
The Best of GBA 2023
We hope you had a great holiday season. As we reflect on a successful year, we would like to take a moment to thank all our loyal members, dedicated volunteers, and valuable business partners.
Below are the most popular NEWSlog stories in 2023, based on subscriber clicks. Our complimentary newsletter is published every two weeks and provides insight into opportunities and threats so your business can adapt and be more responsive, including the latest information on effective practices, legal rulings, educational events, contract clauses, employee recruitment and retention, and GBA itself.
Would you like to receive NEWSlog? SIGN UP HERE.
Happy New Year! We look forward to serving you in 2024 and beyond.
GBA News
1. ChatGPT: A Tippin...
GBA Podcasts Reach 10,000 Downloads
Multimedia Delivery Committee
GBA is celebrating today as the GBA Podcast has reached a momentous milestone of 10,000 downloads. GBA podcasts present information and expertise from geoprofessionals around the globe to provide their peers with wisdom and insight to optimize their business and reduce risk.
“This exciting achievement stands as a testament to the growing popularity and influence of the podcasts, which were launched with the mission to enrich the educational landscape and extend GBA Member-Firms’ valuable insights to geoprofessionals,” said Multimedia Delivery Committee Chair Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP2 (SME).
GBA podcasts were the brainchild of GBA’s Emerging Leaders Class 4 in 2020.
“We created the GBA Podcast to make th...
Streaming Now: GBA Podcast Completes Six-Episode Audio Education Series for Field Professionals
Multimedia Delivery Committee
As geoprofessionals, owners rely on our oversight to ensure that projects go according to plan. But too often, we encounter obstacles that can potentially derail operations, jeopardizing partnerships and public safety in the process.
In the latest installment of the GBA Podcast – the Audio Education Series – hosts Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP2 (SME) and Ryan White, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE (PBS Engineering + Environmental) address some of the most challenging aspects of field representation. From navigating business relationships to forming prudent field reporting habits, this series contains helpful insights for the novice and seasoned pro.
Episodes in the Audio Education series include:
• Briefing and Being Briefed
• Safety
• Perso...
2023 Spring Conference Recordings Available
Relive all your favorite, most inspiring moments from GBA’s 2023 Spring Conference as you prepare to ELEVATE LEADERSHIP: EMPOWER, GUIDE, INSPIRE.
Watch, listen to, and learn from our lineup of speakers on your own schedule as they discuss winning the war for top talent, a new approach to DEI efforts, the power of leadership, and more.
These videos are available for all GBA members on-demand at your convenience.
Watch Conference Recordings: HERE
Download the handouts.
SP23-01 Leading through Breakdowns to Breakthroughs
What does every leader fret about? Recruiting and retaining great people. The war for talent.
Winning this war and attracting top talent requires top-level culture. And a great culture is created by great leaders; those ...
2023 Spring Conference Proceedings
Members: Make sure you are logged in when viewing these videos to get free, easy access to them.
Download the handouts.
NEW PODCAST – $150 Million Near Miss!
Multimedia Delivery Committee
GBA has published over 110 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.
GBA’s Multimedia Delivery Committee is now delivering select Case Histories as Podcasts.
In this episode, a GBA-Member Firm’s CEO and the developer’s CEO had worked together successfully on numerous projects for more than 15 years, establishing a friendship based on mutual respect and trust. This project was the developer’s most ambitious to date, by virtue of its size, local prominence, and complexity. Among other th...
New Podcast – We Were Hacked! Cyber Attack Causes Total Business Disruption
Multimedia Delivery Committee
GBA has published over 110 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.
GBA’s Multimedia Delivery Committee is now delivering select Case Histories as Podcasts.
In this episode, a Member-Firm with firm with multiple offices became the victim of foreign hacking enterprise. When an employee of the firm opened an email from an unsuspected contact, and clicked on a link, the hackers reached the Firm’s management systems. Once they got access to the systems, the infiltrators spent months learning about the operations, infor...
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 forensi...
Toddies with Tom July 9, 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: July 9, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM Eastern
Register: E-mail GBA Here
Topics will include:
Welcome Tom Blackburn, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE; F.ACEC (Blackburn Consulting) GBA President
“Critical Success Factors for a Healthy Business” David Coduto (Terra Insurance Co)
Terra Insurance Company is the highest rated professional liability carrier in the United States according to AM Best’s capital adequacy ratio analysis (BCAR). According to Best, our loss ra...
GBA AWARDS RECIPIENTS
GBA is a volunteer organization. Almost all the resources we produce for our members, our contributions to the geoprofessional community, and our conferences are mostly driven by volunteer leaders.
Each Spring, during our conference we recognize those that have contributed to GBA in a significant way. During the 2021 Spring Conference, awards were given to firms and individuals who exhibited extraordinary support and meritorious performance during our 2020–2021 fiscal year. Those recognized during the Annual Awards Ceremony were:
CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION
Each year we ask our Committees and Councils to provide us with the names of people that have contributed to our Association during the past year. Based on this list, we have more people contributing to GBA at a level high...
We Were Hacked! Cyber Attack Causes Total Business Disruption
Business Practices Committee
A Member-Firm with multiple offices became the victim of foreign hacking enterprise. When an employee of the firm opened an email from an unsuspected contact, and clicked on a link, the hackers reached the Firm’s management systems. Once they got access to the systems, the infiltrators spent months learning about the operations, information storage and data, unbeknownst to anyone. After obtaining and securing all that they needed, they locked the access to the IT systems, including emails and files and demanded seven-figure sum of money to release the records.
What happens next?
Case Histories are real-life stories about GBA member-firm experiences. They provide background, problems, outcomes, and lessons lea...
Call for Abstracts
Conference Program Committee
Are you a dynamic and engaging speaker with valuable content to share with industry leaders that can help improve their businesses and elevate the profession? Are you an experienced professional and an outstanding leader?
If you answered yes to any of the above then, the Geoprofessional Business Association invites you to submit an abstract for consideration for GBA’s Fall Conference scheduled for October 21-23, 2021 at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nevada.
Reuniting at this conference will bring us back to the basics of what GBA does best. We will focus on business & educational resources, specifically risk management and business performance optimization for geoprofessional firms.
Presentations by subject matter experts ma...
GBA Launches New Podcast Series
Emerging Leaders Class 4
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. Learn where others went wrong, how they handled their problems, and how you can learn from their experiences to avoid the same problems in the future.
Case Histories have been written and read for more than 30 years. Now, they are available as podcasts so you can download, listen, and learn from anywhere. Follow along as our narrator shares the highlights, engages with subject matter experts, and delivers the lessons learned to your headset.
Case History #61 – Don’t Li...
GBA CASE HISTORY # 68
Case History No. 68 . The Member Firm was retained by an owner to design a landfill and perform "related services" that included a variety of marketing functions. When the......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 69
Case History No. 69. Although a Member Firm qualified its clean-up cost estimate of $525,000-$675,000, the qualifiers were not put into the form of clear warnings......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 70
Case History No. 70 "The design is more than sufficient to keep the ship permanently moored to the pier," the dry-dock engineer told the restaurateur, more or less......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 71
Case History No. 71 A geotechnical engineer submitted its flawless subsurface exploration report which referenced an ASTM standard on soil classification. When a cost......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 72
Case History No. 72 A Member Firm was negligent, its client said, because the firm had failed to follow the precepts of a draft version of the nascent GBA standard......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 73
Case History No. 73 A contractor's expert claimed that an engineer's faulty plans, not the contractor's workmanship, were the cause of problems experienced in an......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 74
Case History No. 74 The GBA Member Firm, serving as a design/builder, retained a remediation contractor via an agreement that required the contractor to have written......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 75
Case History No. 75 A state OSHA inspector issued a number of citations to a Member Firm whose personnel were performing a caisson inspection. Most of the citations were......
GBA CASE HISTORY # 76
Case History 76. "No good deed goes unpunished" was the lesson learned by this Member Firm, whose project manager did a favor for a friend. When the friend failed to......
GBA Case History 115
A GBA-Member Firm was hired to assess whether a proposed facility was buildable. The original project scope did not include final design or construction observation services. The Member Firm was later contracted to assess the exposed subgrade at the project site, where static groundwater was observed, consistent with the Member Firm’s prior report. The Member Firm was told that they didn’t do enough to call out the issues related to the groundwater and that they were reserving the right to hold the firm responsible for the additional costs incurred.
The Member Firm remained involved in the project and took steps to strengthen the client relationship. The Member Firm’s suggestions along the way resulted in considerable savings and the project was finished within budget – and the Me...
GBA CASE HISTORY NO. 100
Case History No 100. A civil engineer in 1992 contacted the GBA Member Firm asking if it could provide pile-driving criteria for a hotel to be located on a site the firm had studied three......
GBA CASE HISTORY NO. 101
Case History No 101. When a GBA-Member Firm realized it had committed a serious error while conducting construction-materials engineering and testing (CoMET) services for a new hospital building,......
GBA CASE HISTORY NO. 102
This case history chronicles what can go wrong when the design team is a team in name only, resulting in inadequate communication, and when the prime design professional — a civil engineer — applies t...
GBA CASE HISTORY NO. 103
Case History No 103. If you own or operate nuclear densometer gauges, you must read this GBA Case History. After three destroyed gauges and numerous other violations, a Member-Firm was facing .......