This message was sent to ##Email## December 31, 2020 Vol. 50 No. 18          Home  |   About Us  |   Membership  |   Resources  |   Events  |   Contact Us Subscribe  |   Archive   Most Popular Articles of 2020 Throughout 2020, GBA NEWSlog was your source of GBA NEWS, MEMBER NEWS, and INDUSTRY NEWS. As the year draws to a close, we have compiled the most popular articles from the last 12-months in this issue of GBA NEWSlog. We are grateful for all our readers and the regular feedback we receive from you. We also appreciate your valuable contributions; together we will be smarter, stronger, and more successful. May you have a healthy, safe, and enjoyable New Year celebration as we all look eagerly toward 2021.  GBA NEWS NEW! GBA BUSINESS BRIEF — Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Financial-Performance-Survey Report GBA Business Practices Committee Even before the recent economic downturn, member firms reported an erosion in profits driven by lower net multipliers and utilization ratios along with higher operating costs. How does your firm stack up? For more than 15 years, GBA has been collecting key financial metrics from member-firms so our members can measure their success, improve business performance, and optimize efficiency. The newest GBA Business Brief is free and only available only to members. It compiles data from GBA Business Practices Committee's 2019-2020 Financial-Performance Survey in a short report, covering key financial-performance issues of surveyed firms. In the spirit of our Association, GBA publications are a collaborative effort of GBA Member-Firms. They are provided to GBA Members to make them stronger, smarter and more successful and they are FREE to all members.  READ MORE GBA Photo Contest Winners Announced! GBA is committed to promoting the value of geoprofessionals and for our 2020 photo contest we asked Members to share: “How do you depict the day in the life of a Geoprofessional?” The photos below capture our members in field activities, meeting with colleagues and clients, and observing safety in some amazing locations. And the winners are: Grand Prize Winner Photographer: Spencer Ambauen, P.E. (Aspect Consulting) Description: Installing 175 pier piles at the iconic Seattle Waterfront Pier 62 Spencer will receive a $100 gift card, winner’s plaque and be recognized during GBA’s 2020 Fall Conference. Thank you to all who submitted photos. See all photo contest winners: HERE Case History #101 - Updated Case History #101, the last of the archived Case Histories to be updated, is now available. 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, it knew it was in trouble. The errors made by the CoMET firm were likely to cause a significant delay that would result in major penalty payments, plus a serious cost overrun, all of which the GBA-member CoMET firm feared it would have to pay for. Applying what it had learned from GBA, however, the firm not only avoided even a moment’s delay, it emerged from the project with an even stronger reputation for excellence. 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. GBA Case Histories are FREE to all Members. More Information about Case History #101: HERE NEW! CASE HISTORY #108 A GBA-Member Firm generously provided suggested changes to a sewer pipe design in order to keep construction moving forward on a five-story senior-living facility. Four years later, swelling clays caused the sewer line to back-up and the lower-level slab began showing heaving related distress. That good deed with other project related complications resulted in a $25 million claim that required an extensive defense of contract limitations of liability, standards of care, and project documentation. 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 continues to produce new ones. GBA Case Histories are FREE to all Members.  READ MORE  EVENTS Future GBA Events: Mark Your Calendars Now Winter Leadership Summit, A Virtual Event, January 28-29, 2021 Spring Conference 2021: April 22-25, 2021 at the Marriott Marquis, San Diego, CA Fall Conference 2021: October 21-23, 2021 at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa For more information: GBA EVENTS CALENDAR  MEMBER NEWS Terracon Announces Key Organizational Changes Terracon Terracon, a nationally known and respected consulting engineering firm, announces several strategic organizational changes designed to guide the company as it continues its pattern of growth.  READ MORE Free STEM Activity Book for Children Available GeoEngineers GeoEngineers is pleased to offer a free educational activity book for children. It is one small way we can support parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The STEM at Home Children’s Activity Book is a fun and educational way to keep your children occupied at home. The activities are meant to introduce children ages 2-10 to basic STEM concepts while giving parents a few precious moments of sanity. The booklet includes coloring pages related to earth science and engineering, along with interactive activities like rock painting and a scavenger hunt that will inspire kids to explore their backyards and local environment. To get your own copy of the booklet, download it here. For some extra fun, snap a photo of your child completing an activity or their finished artwork and submit it to a3@geoengineers.com to be highlighted on GeoEngineers’ social media. We hope that you’ll find these resources useful and pass them on!  READ MORE Passing the Torch: Continuing Our Founders' Legacy Sanborn Head A few weeks ago, at the mid-point of 2020, we transitioned the role of Chief Executive Officer to Barret Cole, fifteen years to the day after I accepted the title from Paul Sanborn. The Board of Directors unanimously supported this transition at its December 2019 meeting, and going forward, Barret will now hold the title of President and CEO. From my perspective, this transition is highly significant in two ways. I’d like to share these with you. First, the transition marks an important career achievement for Barret. Barret took over the role of President in 2015 and has shown himself to be an exceptional leader ever since. He is adept at the many nuances and complexities of our business. He brings a thoughtful and balanced perspective and is always well prepared, no matter the issue. He has excellent focus, and the ability to see the most critical things that need his attention. And, perhaps most importantly, he is a promoter of our culture and leads by example in his every-day actions.  READ MORE How Will You Invest Your Lull? Atlas Geotechnical This is a message of optimism and hope, of an opportunity long awaited that is finally set to arrive. But you need to read to the end to get to the positive, encouraging part. The next two paragraphs are not comforting at all. If you are already feeling redlined trying to chart a course for your practice and the staff who look to you for leadership, skip a bit, brother, and pick up when I get to the exciting part about Adam Smith and 18th Century economic theory.  READ MORE Haley & Aldrich Acquired Hart Crowser Haley Aldrich Haley & Aldrich, headquartered in Burlington, Mass., has acquired Hart Crowser, headquartered in Seattle, for undisclosed terms.  READ MORE  INDUSTRY NEWS Best Civil Engineering Colleges in the U.S. College Factual 13,799 graduates in the US earn a Civil Engineering degree yearly, earning it a position of 39th most in-demand degree. Civil Engineering students typically earn $52,670 during their early career and $89,420 in their mid-career salary. This is 22.0% more than the standard college grad. In fact, Civil Engineering ranks 21 out of 121 college majors in regard to projected salary.  READ MORE The One Thing Employees Really Want in a Workspace Fast Company 53% of professionals in a recent survey claim they need this one thing to stay engaged on the job. No, it’s not a beer tap.  READ MORE I Just Couldn't Get Out Of Bed Anymore — Hitting the COVID Wall Eleanor Allen on LinkedIn I couldn’t get out of bed last week. I usually do the 5-minute snooze but my routine had devolved to a 30-minute and eventually to a 1-hour snooze. I finally would get up when something inside told me I was down to the wire. I would then race to take a shower and would be ready “just in time” for my first Zoom call. And my princely husband would bring me his most-excellent coffee shortly thereafter to help remove the cobwebs from my head.  READ MORE Bill Gates Says This 1 Simple Habit Separates Successful Leaders from Everyone Else Inc. The co-founder of Microsoft prescribes a principle that will raise every leader's bar. When you think of great leaders, do you conjure up images of charismatic, high-profile executives in expensive suits who make all the right business moves?  READ MORE Top Movies Engineers Will Love NewEngineer What kind of movies appeal to engineers? That’s a good question. You have to think about what kind of people engineers (generally) are – problem solvers, innovators, logical thinkers, action takers. Then it becomes pretty obvious. We like films about engineering. Maybe some math. Sci-fi elements perhaps? And of course, plenty of good old-fashioned action.  READ MORE  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 Matthew "Matt" R. Poirier, P.E. (Sanborn Head & Associates, Inc. / Concord, NH) 603/ 229-1900 Steve Wendland, P.G. Steve Wendland, P.E., R.G., D.GE (Kleinfelder, 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