This message was sent to ##Email## January 15, 2020 Vol. 49 No. 45          Home  |   About Us  |   Membership  |   Resources  |   Events  |   Contact Us Subscribe  |   Archive    GBA NEWS New Year Is A New Opportunity Executive Director As we begin 2020, we have an opportunity to recommit to professional growth. As a GBA member, you have access to a vast library of resources that will help you to be smarter, stronger, and more successful in the new year. Joel Carson’s Suggestions for Professional Growth in 2020. ✔ Join a GBA Committee ✔ Attend a GBA Conference in 2020 ✔ Join GBA's LinkedIn Group ✔ Review the list of Top 10 Resource Downloads ✔ Subscribe an Associate to Recieve GBA NEWSlog ✔ Lead a Lunch & Learn Presentation in Your Office Thank you for all your support in 2019. With your continued backing, 2020 is going to be a banner year! See What Others Are Reading: GBA 2019 Top 10 List GBA GBA provides hundreds of highly effective resources developed to satisfy the unique needs of geoprofessionals, giving members essential tools for achieving success. However, we also know that it can be overwhelming to sort through them all. So to help, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 GBA resources ordered in 2019. This is a great place to start your exploration of GBA’s resources, or to get acquainted with a publication loved by your peers and “new to you”. Access List Here: Top 10 Downloads in 2019 5 More Case Histories Refreshed GBA 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. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. GBA 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 follow the project manager’s recommendations, the friend forgot that the project manager had ever made them and filed suit. GBA CASE HISTORY 77: What happens when a disgruntled homeowner sues a housing developer for mold-induced illnesses? The homeowner and her attorney walk away with a large sum of cash, while two engineering firms and their insurers walk away with that much less. GBA CASE HISTORY 78: The driller that the GBA member retained refused to listen to the member’s instructions because he thought he knew better. After almost drilling through the UST he was relieved of command and the project had to be shut down. But the member and his client were able to communicate, and, because of that, they got everything back on track, achieving project completion on time and under budget. GBA CASE HISTORY 79: Be careful what you wish for, GBA Case History 79 points out, documenting a Member Firm’s first (and almost last) attempt to lead a design/build project: removal and replacement of a major UST system at a public facility. GBA CASE HISTORY 80: The soils were soft in several areas, as the member’s report pointed out, and the client wanted some additional help. “Send an engineer,” came the request, and the member obliged. The member’s engineer visited the site and prepared a report with recommendations. The client said it followed the recommendations, but problems occurred nonetheless. And that’s why the client sued, saying the problems should not have happened. A trial judge agreed with the member, but the developer appealed…and won. GBA Case Histories are FREE to all Members. Read More Here IN CASE YOU MISSED IT GBA Our first 2020 issue of GBA NEWSlog highlighted the top 10 articles from 2019: Top 10 NEWSlog Articles from 2019  EVENTS Future GBA Events: Mark Your Calendars Now Winter Leadership Summit 2020: January 25-26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado Spring Conference 2020: April 23-25, 2020 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Fall Conference 2020: October 22-24, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Hotel, in Minneapolis, MN Spring Conference 2021: April 22-25, 2021 at the Marriott Marquis, San Diego, CA For more information: GBA EVENTS CALENDAR  MEMBER NEWS TTL, Inc. Announces Acquisition of DBS & Associates Engineering TTL, Inc. TTL, Inc. (TTL) has announced that it has acquired engineering firm DBS & Associates Engineering, Inc., with offices in Nashville and Clarksville, Tennessee. DBS & Associates will merge its operation into TTL effective January 1, 2020. Read More ECS Acquires Atlanta Environmental Management, Inc. (AEM) ECS Limited Engineering Consulting Services (ECS) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Atlanta Environmental Management, Inc. (AEM) whose office will now become a part of ECS Southeast, LLP and a member of the ECS Group of Companies. “We are excited to announce that AEM has joined our team. This addition increases our technical depth and senior leadership as well as brings new specialty environmental capabilities to the Southeast. ECS will now have offices in four locations to serve the dynamic Atlanta market,” says Stephen Gosselin, PG, President, ECS Southeast, LLP. Read More Wagman Welcomes Jon Bennett as Geotechnical Construction Design-Build Manager Wagman Wagman recently welcomed Jon Bennett, P.E., D.GE to the geotechnical construction team as design-build manager. Jon is an accomplished designer and engineer specializing in deep foundations, excavation support, ground anchors and micropiles. He brings over 30 years of experience to the team. Prior to joining Wagman, he was the Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager for a geotechnical company where he was responsible for business development, design, estimating and project management. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field, having presented at workshops and seminars, and has several published works. Read More Mary-Jane Piggott Interviewed for Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology Podcast Klohn Crippen Berger Mary-Jane Piggott, Senior Water Resources Engineer and North America Regional Manager of the Mining and Environment Group at Klohn Crippen Berger was interviewed recently by the Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (WWEST) for their podcast series. In the podcast (episode 69), WWEST manager and Best of the WWEST host Danniele talks to Mary-Jane about why she came to Canada from Australia, how the arts can intersect with STEM, and how her job lets her travel to really cool places. Plus, you’ll find out where you can see the evidence of a water resources engineer’s work in everyday life. Mary-Jane offers some really great advice for STEM students and professionals. Listen to the Podcast Geotechnology Announces Promotions Geotechnology Geotechnology, Inc. has promoted Pat Donovan, P.E. to Professional Services President and Jim Howe to Exploration President. Read More  INDUSTRY NEWS 2020 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook Deloitte In 2019, the engineering and construction industry saw overall market growth despite cost pressures, labor shortages, and trends toward fixed-bid projects, which are likely to persist in the future. In 2020, the industry will focus on mitigating these challenges while capitalizing on trends that help improve operations and deliver a competitive advantage. Read More 44 Ways to Kick Start Your New Year SUCCESS What are you going to do now to make sure you have your best year ever? What one thing will mean the difference in actually achieving your goals rather than chalking them up to yet another year’s unfulfilled resolutions? Here are some suggestions for kick-starting your year. Read More Wellness Trends For 2020 Forbes It’s a new year, a new decade and a new chance to become your best self. In previous decades, the mind-body connection wasn’t something seen as commonplace in society. But now, it’s entirely different. In 2020, wellness will be seen as something accessible to everyone. Read More Stop Complaining! A New Year's Resolution for Leaders Eric Kaufmann via LinkedIn While I'm a huge fan of goal setting, I don't care much for New Year's resolutions. But with about a dozen coaching calls into the new year I'm already hearing a disturbing trend. In this case I believe that the problematic trend can be addressed by the simplicity of a new year's resolution. This trend is complaining (what my grandmother called kvetching;-) As an Executive Coach (and as a father, husband, friend, and neighbor) I suggest for you a Leader's New Year's resolution: Seriously, complaining is the opposite of leadership. Try not complaining for a month, let alone a year! The essence of your leadership role is to bear responsibility and accountability. Neither of these have complaining in the description. Read More Five Predictions For Corporate Diversity Work In 2020 Forbes The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space is one that is ever-evolving in corporate America. This is because we keep learning more about the complex systems that necessitate the work, the complex identities and needs of our employees, and measurable feedback around which of our initiatives create meaningful change. This internal learning and iteration, combined with the issues and current events in the world around us, means the one thing we can predict with certainty is change. Read More 4 Business Tactics for Surviving an Election Year All Business 2020 is an election year, and for many businesses the election season can be almost as bad as a recession. Employees are distracted, angry, and sometimes even mean to each other. Company morale can go from high highs to low lows. Productivity, efficiency, quality, and sales can also tank. Company culture is under fire. The right business tactics can come to the rescue. Read More Engineering Change Lab Summit 8 Announced ELC-USA Our friends at Engineering Change Lab - USA (ECL-USA) invite you to participate in their Summit 8 to be held at the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute in Houston, Texas on March 10 and 11, 2020. The themes of Summit 8 will be exploration of the future of engineering through the lens of biomedical engineering and the stewardship role of engineers with respect to climate and extreme weather challenges, both of which are major issues for Houston and the Gulf Coast. For registration information, contact Mike McMeekin, ECL-USA Executive Director (mike.mcmeekin@lamprynearson.com). The ECL-USA report for Summit 7 is available for download. The report covers challenges faced by society and engineers, as expressed in the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering and the American Society of Civil Engineers Future World Vision initiative. The report also features audio interviews with Summit 7 provocateurs Jerry Buckwalter of ASCE and Chris Walcutt of Direct Defense. Read More Five Litigation Communications and Litigation Public Relations Trends for 2020 Copocetic In 2020 and beyond, PR campaigns around high-profile legal disputes are likely to feature aggressive public statements, creative uses of technology, and defendants playing offense. Read More 7 Construction Industry Trends to Watch in 2020 Interesting Engineering What construction technology trends should you keep an eye on in 2020? Notable tech trends in the construction industry include: Modular and prefabricated Construction Projects, Increasing Material Cost, Decreased Labor Force, and Better Safety Equipment. Watch Video Here GOOD NEWS: 20 Things that Have Changed for the Better Since 2010 USA Today Reading most headlines, your faith in humanity may be long gone. While we face many serious issues, there are actually some trends that improved our world over the last decade. Read More JUST FOR FUN: How Concrete Helped the Star Wars Rebels Beat the Empire Alastair Marsh It may all have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but there’s a secret weapon in every Star Wars film that’s found almost everywhere humans live on Earth. It explains how the scrappy Rebel Alliance was able to defeat the mighty Galactic Empire, with all its high-tech weaponry, vast space armada, and the Death Star. Read More Words of Wisdom “Do or do not. There is no try.” -Yoda  BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Arthur “Art” Hoffmann, P.E., D.GE (Gannett Fleming, Inc./ Harrisburg, PA), 717/763-7211 President-Elect: Kenneth R. "Ken" Johnston, (GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. / Norwood, MA), 781/278-3700 Secretary/Treasurer: Thomas W. "Tom" Blackburn, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE (Blackburn Consulting / Auburn, CA), 530/887-1494 Directors: Saiid Behboodi, P.E., G.E., (PBS Engineering + Environmental / Portland, OR), 503/417-7707 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 Martin LaRoche, P. Eng, M.Sc. (SNC-Lavalin / Montreal, Canada) Matthew "Matt" R. Poirier, P.E. (Sanborn Head & Associates, Inc. Concord, NH) NEWSlog Connect with GBA Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Web Version  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. Learn how to add us to your safe-sender list so our e-mails get to your inbox. 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063