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January 30, 2019
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Vol. 49 No. 20
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GBA Program Committee

Please join us as we kick-off a yearlong celebration of GBA’s 50th Anniversary at the Spring Conference at the Grand Wailea Hotel on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii.
The agenda has been finalized and you won’t want to miss this one.
Please Join Us – April 4-6, 2018
Conference Theme: Celebrating Our Foundation ~ Building Our Future
Conference includes:
• Tribute to Our Founders and Contributors
• Committee Collaboration
• Presentations by Outstanding Subject Matter Experts and Best-Selling Authors
• A Look to the Future of Geoprofessions
• GBA Signature Receptions
• Gifts for All Attendees
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Magnificent Tropical Resort
• GBA’s Annual Award Banquet
We will be talking about this Conference for many years so please join us and be a part of the celebration. Save money by taking advantage of early registration discounts.
Conference Details and Registration Here
GBA Publications Committee

Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! 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. We are halfway there as five more case histories have been re-issued.
CASE HISTORY NO. 51 (download)
A complicated 70-acre riverside project with “Bay mud”, became more challenging when the excavation contractor and project civil engineer ignored the advice of the Member Firm and the client sued the Member Firm for negligence that caused $2.5 million in damages. Although the Member Firm's CEO got personally involved and "saved the day," serious problems arose. The firm had to pay $350,000 to extricate itself, because a judge or jury probably would not have understood the technical intricacies that proved the member was blameless.
CASE HISTORY NO. 52 (download)
The Member Firm was accused of an error it did not make on a very small project, but its survey crew inadvertently said the firm was at fault. The survey crew chief's remark, overheard by others, resulted in the firm having to pay a $125,000 award.
CASE HISTORY NO. 53 (download)
A GBA member performing bridge design ran afoul of changed conditions in a small area, causing failure of post-tensioning anchors. Nonbinding ADR – resolution by experts – was used to resolve the original dispute quickly and satisfactorily.
CASE HISTORY NO. 54 (download)
A Member Firm had to spend almost two million uninsured dollars to extricate itself from a football stadium rebuilding project.
Problems arose when its original recommendations were not followed. The firm was unaware of certain changes that were made, but casual language in a report made that position difficult to defend.
CASE HISTORY NO. 55 (download)
The GBA member, an environmental consultant, performed quickly, at the client's request, to facilitate a sale. As predicted, more contamination was discovered, but the client claimed the consultant had failed to perform the work it said it would, in a timely fashion. The consultant forfeited its $40,000 fee in exchange for a settlement.
GBA Case Histories are FREE to all Members. Access all GBA’s Case Histories HERE
GBA Staff

GBA held its annual Winter Leadership Summit on January 25-27, 2019 and it was a big success. 55 leaders from 35 Member Firms convened in Denver to collaborate on projects to benefit our members and identify ways Committees can improve and better serve our Association. We were joined by leaders from Engineers Without Borders who led a workshop titled, Leading Volunteer Groups to Greatness. At the conclusion of the meeting, the GBA leaders had the opportunity to network during a Tailgate Party.
Please visit GBA’s Facebook Page for photos of the weekend. Winter Leadership Summit Photos
 The most Popular Article from our last issue of GBA NEWSlog:
Seven Staff Members Become Sanborn Head Shareholders
GBA
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Please consider joining a GBA Committee or Business Council. GBA is built on a foundation of collaboration and contribution that benefits all, and GBA committee and council service fosters valuable relationships and leadership skills.
Join A Committee
Earth Systems

Thus, in celebration of this 50th anniversary, Earth Systems will host a series of exciting events throughout the 2019 year at various office locations. Our goal is to share with our clients and staff the milestones and challenges over the last five decades of service, while looking forward to future opportunities.
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BUSINESS WIRE
GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA), a leading multi-disciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water, and construction management services, announced today that it has named Patrick F. Sheehan, P.E., as Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds William E. Hadge, P.E., who has served in the role since 2013.
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Pennoni
After more than 50 years of providing professional design, consulting and surveying services, Pennoni is fully owned by its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) Trust. An ESOP is an employee retirement plan that provides ownership to employees. Although Pennoni has been 100% employee-owned since its founding in 1966 by Celestino ‘Chuck’ Pennoni, the firm first established its ESOP in 1994. Over the years the ESOP has increased its ownership share, and on December 7, 2018 it became Pennoni’s sole shareholder.
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Terracon
Terracon, a nationally known and respected consulting engineering firm, announces several strategic organizational changes designed to guide the company as it continues to grow.
M. Gayle Packer is now chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Terracon Consultants, Inc. This completes a deliberate, multiyear succession process, following her appointment as president in June 2018.
For more on Ms. Packer’s confirmation and four other promotions that further support Terracon’s progressive growth:
READ MORE
Geo-Technology Associates, Inc.

In order to proactively prepare for the continued growth and expansion of our company, GTA is pleased to announce the promotion of David Zmijewski, Tom Wirth, Craig Rodano, and Paul Hayden to Executive Vice President of the firm. GTA’s new approach will allow for anticipated expansion, while ensuring that GTA maintains the superior level of service, quality, and dedication to which our clients have become accustomed.
READ MORE
Gannett Fleming
Gannett Fleming’s Uber SKYPORT design concept recently won a 2018 GOOD DESIGN® Award in the transportation category from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
READ MORE
Haley & Aldrich
The goal of any transportation agency is to guard public safety and keep traffic flowing, strengthening America’s transportation infrastructure. One factor that has always been an impending threat is rockfall onto roadways that cut through hilly or mountainous terrain. In severe incidents, roadways can be blocked for days, impacting everyday use as well as vital emergency services and evacuation routes.
GeoEngineers
Our geotechnical engineers and environmental scientists regularly work on K-12 school projects, including developing new sites, replacing existing schools and rehabilitating historic buildings. These projects are critically important to our communities, and they often bring specific challenges for the engineers, contractors and owners involved. How will the conditions below the surface affect a K-12 project?
READ MORE
Weston & Sampson
On January 17, 2019, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department announced a new Master Plan for the Boston Common in collaboration with the Friends of the Public Garden. A major tourist destination, cultural beacon, and neighborhood park, Boston Common is one of the most treasured green spaces in the world. Weston & Sampson design studio was selected to lead the master planning efforts.
READ MORE
President: Woodward L. "Woody" Vogt, P.E., D.GE, F.ACI, F.ASCE, F.ASTM, (Paradigm Consultants, Inc. / Houston, TX), 713/686-6771 |
President-Elect: Arthur G. Hoffmann, P.E., D.GE, (Gannett Fleming, Inc. / Harrisburg, PA), 717/763-7211 |
Secretary/Treasurer: Kenneth R. "Ken" Johnston, (GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. / Norwood, MA), 781/278-3700
Directors:
Saiid Behboodi, P.E., G.E., (PBS Engineering + Environmental / Portland, OR), 503/417-7707
Thomas W. "Tom" Blackburn, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE, (Blackburn Consulting / Auburn, CA), 530/887-1494
Chuck A. Gregory, P.E. (Terracon / San Antonio, TX), 210/641-2112
Christopher Matthew "Matt" Moler, P.E. (S&ME, Inc. / Greensboro, NC), 336/553-1245
Leo J. Titus, Jr. P.E., (ECS, Ltd. / Chantilly, VA), 703/471-8400 |
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CNBC

The collapse at Vale's Corrego do Feijao mine near the city of Brumadinho on Friday, also in Minas Gerais, was not as large as the 2015 Samarco disaster, but it has proven far more deadly.
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Harvard Business Review

As GBA prepares to gather at the Spring Conference in Maui to honor our past and commit to our future, it is a great time to reflect on how healthy businesses balance the knowledge gained from past experience to craft a vision and plan for the future. Leaders with no patience for history are missing a vital truth: A sophisticated understanding of the past is one of the most powerful tools we have for shaping the future. The history of the enterprise can instill a sense of identity and purpose and suggest the goals that will resonate.
READ MORE
Anthropocene Magazine
 Corporate planning for future climate change is stuck in a business-as-usual past. Heat waves that increase server farms’ air conditioning costs. Hurricanes and typhoons that disrupt global supply chains. Climate change is, quite literally, risky business. This awareness is spurring investors to demand that corporations disclose the likely impacts of climate change on their balance sheet and make plans to address them.
READ MORE
We Forum

It is easy to assume that the past is prolog when it comes to the fundamentals of our work environments and operations. However, technological and social forces are transforming how work gets done, who does it, and even what work looks like. These trends bear watching.
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Construction Dive

A three-year study on worker fatigue that indicates that wearable technology could play a role in both better defining the problem of overtired workers and increasing safety on the job
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Super Office

Through the years, what has your firm learned about client service? Are the lessons still applicable in today’s fast paced world? Is client “service” even the right word for the future of this all-important element of your firms success. What defines the customer “experience” is evolving and its important to keep up this particular element of change in the marketplace.
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American Bar

Effective use of expert witnesses can be drawn from 400-year-old wisdom.
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Cloudwards

One thing that hasn’t changed much in the workplace over the last 20 years is our reliance on email as the primary business communication tool. It is no surprise that email remains a prime target for attackers and interceptors. It is important to refresh your knowledge of email security best practices on an annual basis to manage the risks.
READ MORE
The Muse

Regardless of prior work experience and performance, seeing a clear path for career advancement remains a challenge for many employees. Research shows that less than 50% of employees see viable advancement opportunities with their current employers.
READ MORE
Words of Wisdom
"Perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Haley & Aldrich was to be a part of ASFE, not only a part in founding ASFE but becoming active in ASFE over the years because ASFE has had a profound impact on the firm."
-Harl P. Aldrich, Sc. D., P.E.
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GBA Staff:
Joel G. Carson, Executive Director, 301-565-2733 (office) | 402-517-1819 (cell)
Sara Menase, Program Manager, 301-565-2733
Phillip D. Pettway, Controller, 301-565-2733
Barbara A. Nappy, Program Director, 301-565-2733 (office) | 727-457-2272 (cell)
Geoprofessional Business Association 15800 Crabbs Branch Way, Suite 300 | Rockville, MD 20855 | 301-565-2733 | Contact Us
About GBA
The Geoprofessional Business Association (GBA) helps its members and their clients confront risk and optimize business performance by delivering unique professional resources, programs, and services that make them stronger, smarter and more successful.
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