People
Promotions and New Hires
New Staff at H&A
The following have joined Hankins and Anderson Inc.: Jared B. Jamison, P.E., as structural engineer; Mark A. Andrews, P.E., electrical engineer; and Timothy D. Taylor, life safety/fire protection designer, all in the firm’s Glen Allen office.
Bass Joins McMahon
Thomas O. Bass, P.L.S., joined McMahon Associates Inc. as regional survey manager in its land surveyng department. His experience includes all facets of surveying, including boundary surveys, topographic surveys, geodetic surveys, ALTA surveys, photo control, courthouse research, right-of-way surveys, boring and well survey, construction stakeouts and FAA, 1A and 2C certifications. Mr. Bass’s more than 20 years of experience has involved commercial and public sector land development projects including buildings, highways, utilities and pipelines and dams, as well as stream restoration and environmental projects.
Squires to Lead
In March, Parsons appointed Jeffrey F. Squires president, Parsons MENA (Middle East and North Africa). He is responsible for providing overall leadership, driving all business development opportunities, expanding the sales team and promoting Parsons’ core values and strategic objectives in the region. Mr. Squires has been with Parsons in 2005 and was most recently vice president, transportation program development, in which position he was responsible for customers inproject finance and delivery strategies.
KAI Hires Chong
KAI Design & Build hired Jack Chong as an assistant project manager. In this capacity he will work with the construction project staff on contract administration, estimating, quality management and cost control.
Williams Appointed
Ken Williams has joined Black & Veatch as treasurer and senior vice president. He will lead the company’s global treasury operations, including the areas of cash management, reporting, global currencies, project financing, investment, shareholder relations and capital plans. Mr. Williams will also manage the company’s relations with its financial partners, including banks, sureties, insurance carriers and brokers.
Awards and Honors
Ethical Firms Recognized
Earlier this year the Ethisphere Institute released its fourth annual list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies to recognize 100 of those that implement ethical business practices. Parsons was among those honored and CH2M HILL was recognized for the second consecutive year.
Transitions
B&V Expands
In late March, Black & Veatch opened an office in Omaha, Neb., in response to the growth in its water business. Matt Schultze serves as office leader and manages business development and client service activities. The firm has a long-term relationship with the City of Omaha Public Works Department and had recently completed workon the Minne Lusa and Papillion Creek South basin plans as part of the Combined Sewer Overflow Control program in Omaha.
In early April, the firm announced that it was opening a new location in downtown San Francisco. B&V spread the word of the expansion through a new microsite, BV Bay Buzz, which provided background information on the ofice expansion, biographies of professionals, media resources, a blog and contact and location information. The site remained live through April and May.
H&A and CMSS Merge
On April Hankins and Anderson Inc. and CMSS Architects merged to form a unique A/E brand where the commercial sector meets the federal. The newly formed company is H&A Architects & Engineers.
Projects
New Contracts
Melbourne Upgrade
Black & Veatch was named as part of the Eastern Tertiary Alliance that will deliver the Tertiary Upgrade of the Eastern Treatment Plant in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The plant is the largest activated sludge plant in the country. Stage 1 of the project, where B&V was asked to lead a series of technology trials to determine the preferred treatment tehnology to be used, was a success. The alliance also includes Melbourne Water, owner of the plant; Baulderstone/UGI, a joint venture of two local construction firms; and KBR. The Aus$380 million upgrade will not only improve the quality of treated effluent discharged, but will also open the door to more recycling opportunities over time.
Photo courtesy of Melbourne Water
Parsons is USACE's Choice
On February 25, Parsons announced that it had been selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District for the U.S. Army Europe Integrated Training Area Management Contract. The five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract includes one base year with four optional years and provides support services throughout the district’s area of responsibility. The program provides land management training across the entire Army and is part of its commitment to environmental stewardship.
Hong Kong Selects B&V
The South Lantau area in Hong Kong is popular for its beaches and has some of the most ecologically valuable waters for the island, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest. In March, the Drainage Services Department selected Black & Veatch to conduct an investigation study for a sewerage works at South Lantau. The proposed project will provide sewerage collection and treatment to villages in South Lantau Island, while ensuring that the special marine environments off the island maintain their natural beauty.
Under Construction
Upgrades to Water Plant
Construction is now under way on upgrades to the Columbia, Mo., Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant serves more than 100,000 area residents and the improvements will handle increasing wastewater treatment demands more efficiently while improving the quality of water discharged into nearby wetlands. Black & Veatch designed the upgrades to improve reliability and reduce energy consumption.
The $62 million project is partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2012. These improvements design include measures for increased energy efficiency, energy recovery and reduced energy consumption for a more economical and sustainable operation. As an additional environmental element, the upgrade to the plant’s solids processing facility will reduce vehicle traffic and resulting emissions by approximately 70 percent. In addition, using methane gas more efficiently will produce power onsite; odor control measures will help make it a better neighbor.
RBDD Groundbreaking
March 23 marked the groundbreaking for the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam (RBDD) on the Sacramento River. This marks a milestone in the 10-year project among CH2M HILL, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (which owns the RBDD and associated Tehama-Colusa Canal) and the Tehana-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA, which operates and maintains the delivery system). TCCA provides water to 150,000 acres of irrigated agriculture on the western side of the Sacramento Valley. The $230 million improvement project is scheduled to be on line in May 2012 with final completion later that year.
Awards and Honors
Diamonds for McMahon
McMahon Associates Inc. was honored with the Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence for their work on the Upper Shawme Lake Dam Rehabilitation project in the Town of Sandwich, Mass. The award, given by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania, recognizes Pennsylvania’s engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and innovation. The project included the complete removal of an old 1800s era mill dam, replacing it with a new earthfill dam, NRCS concrete drop spillway and a new Alaskan Steeppass fish ladder. This extensive replacement was complicated by the fact that it was within an environmental of critical concern and two historic districts and on a difficult foundation.
Industry News
B&V Water Presentations
Global Practice and Technology leaders and professionals from Black & Veatch’s global water business participated in Ozwater ’10, Australia’s largest water conference, which was held March 8-10 in Brisbane, Queensland. One of B&V’s presenters, Peter Binney, vice president and director of sustainable water planning, also participated in the International Water Association’s “Cities of the Future Workshop” and met with the heads of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council and Engineers Australia.
Presenters said that Australia’s capacity to secure high-quality water supplies for cities, towns and remote communities is being seriously challenged. Eamonn Kelly, vice president and managing director of South Asia Pacific for B&V, said Australia needs to spend some Aus$30 billion on urban water infrastructure over the next five to ten years. The challenge, Kelly said, is dealing with short-term political cycles when long-term planning is needed. This situation was compared to the United States, where, according to Mr. Binney, “water infrastructure deferrals over time have crated a need for expensive and quick responses. We are going to a ‘solution of last resort’ when we could have created incremental but additive solutions along the way.”
Dan McCarthy, president and CEO of B&V’s global water business, spoke regarding complex challenges and changes in direction, as well as the water industry’s response, at a CEO state-of-the-industry roundtable discussion at Janney Montgomery Scott’s 2010 Water Industry Summit on March 22-23 in New York. He addressed issues such as adaptation to climate change, public education, economic impacts and new financing approaches. His bottom line was, “It’s a rapidly changing world, and we need to be agile and innovative to be successful in the future.”
Sutherland Appointed to Workforce Board
David Sutherland, CH2M HILL director of strategic workforce planning and reporting, was appointed to the 2010 Executive Advisory Board of the Human Capital Institute. He is serving on the Workforce Planning Board Committee along with other representatives of large corporations. He has considerable experience in global workforce issues, creating company-wide headcount forecasts and driving the assessment of skill levels for critical positions.
Powers Named AGI President
Richard M. Powers, PG, CPG, was selected to be the 2010 president of the American Geological Institute.