This message was sent to ##Email## Vol. 50 No. 27          Home  |   About Us  |   Membership  |   Resources  |   Events  |   Contact Us Subscribe  |   Archive    GBA NEWS Emerging Leaders Update Check out this entertaining and informative video update from GBA’s Emerging Leaders Class! Watch Video: HERE IN CASE YOU MISSED IT A Member-Firm with firm with multiple offices became the victim of foreign hacking enterprise. NEW Case History: We Were Hacked! Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee Update DEI Committee Watch this short video to see an update on GBA’s newly formed Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee from Committee Chair, Veronica DeFreitas, PE (Universal Engineering Sciences). Watch Video: HERE Next Issue: 2021 Spring Conference Highlights The May 5th issue of GBA NEWSlog will highlight the events of the 2021 Spring Conference including: Business Meeting Notes Annual Awards Ceremony Winners Photos from the Social Event Key takeaways from Keynotes and Subject Matter Experts. More Information: HERE  EVENTS Future GBA Events: Mark Your Calendars Now 2021 GBA Spring Conference: April 20-23, 2021 - A Virtual Event 2021 GBA Fall Conference: October 21-23, 2021 - Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort 2022 GBA Spring Conference: April 7-9, 2022 - Marriott Marquis, San Diego, CA For more information: GBA EVENTS CALENDAR  MEMBER NEWS Universal Engineering Sciences Acquires GEOServices, LLC in Tennessee Universal Engineering Sciences National Infrastructure Leader Specializing in Geotechnical Engineering Makes the Ninth Acquisition in Two Years, Strengthening Coast to Coast Expansion and Preparing for Increased Infrastructure Projects “The demand for our services is absolutely booming right now with no signs of slowing down as the economy recovers and the U.S. government prioritizes big infrastructure, which is one of our primary areas of expertise,” said UES President James Walsh. GEOServices has 150 employees serving the Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Pigeon Forge, and Tri-Cities regions of Tennessee. GEOServices’ team members, including the executive management team, senior engineering and technical staff will remain with the company. Recent significant projects include work performed at the McGhee Tyson Airport, the Department of Energy Facilities at Oak Ridge Reservation and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  READ MORE GZA Acquires Leading Water-Quality Solutions Provider Ecosystem Consulting Service (ECS) GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. (GZA), a leading multi-disciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water, and construction management services, has acquired Ecosystem Consulting Service (ECS), a leader in nature-based water-quality management solutions for drinking water supplies and recreational lakes and ponds. ECS President Dr. Robert W. Kortmann will become a Senior Consultant at GZA, and ECS will initially operate from its current Coventry, Connecticut location as a division of GZA.  READ MORE McPHAIL Launches New Website McPHAIL Associates We are pleased to announce the completion of our new website! www.mcphailgeo.com Nathanial at Collaboration 133 did a fantastic job! Visit Website: HERE Pennoni Announces Alan Lloyd will Lead Environmental, Health, and Safety Practice Pennoni Pennoni, a multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm, is pleased to announce that Alan Lloyd, CIH, CSP, ENV SP, has been promoted to Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Practice Leader. Alan is responsible for developing technical expertise within the EHS discipline and strategic growth throughout the footprint of the company. Alan has spearheaded the expansion and rebrand of our environmental practice to better encompass the service offerings we were already providing to our clients. Under the EHS umbrella our experts provide remediation and redevelopment services, industrial hygiene and safety services, and natural resources and permitting.  READ MORE Strategic Project Management, Community Outreach Facilitate Environmental Approvals to Bring State-of-the Art Energy Generation to Connecticut Haley & Aldrich NTE Energy saw an opportunity to complement New England’s clean energy transition by providing a reliable thermal energy supply to balance intermittent sources, such as wind and solar. They planned to build a natural gas-fired combined cycle electric generating facility, with associated electrical infrastructure, in Killingly, Connecticut. The complex undertaking needed to meet interdependent milestones including federal and state permitting and local coordination. The project could not move forward without approval from the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC), a state government body that balances the need for new utility construction with environmental conservation. Securing all necessary approvals depended on careful coordination of numerous issues and interests to provide the most efficient, least impact to the project possible.  READ MORE  INDUSTRY NEWS 50-State Update on Pending Legislation Pertaining to Employer-Mandated Vaccinations HuschBlackwell Per recent federal employment law guidance, private employers can generally require employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as long as they comply with federal employment laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and disability.  READ MORE Big-Box Projects Seek Higher Number of ACI Specialists Concrete Contractor Many of the largest retailers in the U.S. have been specifying and/or will soon be specifying certified individuals on new construction projects, as good quality control can result in significant cost and time savings.  READ MORE That's Deep: Skyscraper Foundations Groundworks Companies The height of skyscrapers catch our eyes, but the true engineering marvels of these buildings is below ground and out of sight.  READ MORE The Weight of Cities are Shape Changers The Guardian The weight of buildings in dense urban areas can lead to subsidence, with effects particularly marked near the coast.  READ MORE Fire and Earth USGS Post-wildfire landslides become more frequent in Southern California.  READ MORE Risk, The Game? No, The Strategy Security Magazine Compliance and risk management need a shared umbrella of information and communication.  READ MORE More Information Please Multivista There are effective ways to deal with numerous requests for additional information during construction projects.  READ MORE 'Seismic Shift' at FERC Could Kill Natural Gas Pipelines E&E News The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to assess a proposed natural gas pipeline's contribution to climate change could have major implications for gas infrastructure, analysts say, including nearly unheard-of project rejections.  READ MORE 1 + 1 = Problem Solved Nature People are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient.  READ MORE Keeping the Peace: Protect Against Workplace Violence ISHN April is workplace violence awareness month. There are best practices for protecting against workplace violence.  READ MORE Fields of Plenty? Brownfield Ag News Solar farms are competing for rural land.  READ MORE Words of Wisdom "Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” - Denis Waitley  BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Kenneth R. "Ken" Johnston, (GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. / Norwood, MA), 781/278-3700 President-Elect: Thomas W. "Tom" Blackburn, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE (Blackburn Consulting / Auburn, CA), 530/887-1494 Secretary/Treasurer: Leo J. Titus, Jr. P.E., (ECS, Ltd. / Chantilly, VA), 703/471-8400 Directors: Chuck A. Gregory, P.E. (Terracon / San Antonio, TX), 210/641-2112 Martin LaRoche, P. Eng, M.Sc. (Kiewit / Montreal, Canada) Guy Marcozzi, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, F. ASCE (Duffield Associates, Inc. / Wilmington, DE) 302/ 239-6634 Christopher Matthew "Matt" Moler, P.E. (S&ME, Inc. / Greensboro, NC), 336/553-1245 Steve Wendland, P.G. Steve Wendland, P.E., R.G., D.GE ( GeoEngineers, Inc. / Prairie Village, KS ) 913/475-5851 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  Barb 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