SAME Recognizes Cindy Gran

The Society of American Military Engineers-Tulsa Post recently recognized Garver Regional Marketing Administrator Cindy Gran for her achievements and numerous years of service to SAME. SAME Texoma Region Vice President Greg Kuhn presented Cindy with a distinguished RVP coin in recognition of Cindy’s outstanding and continual active efforts supporting not only the Tulsa Post but also the Oklahoma City and newly established Wichita Mountains Post in southwest Oklahoma. Cindy sits on the Tulsa Post Board as the 1st Vice President. Previously, she served as Newsletter Editor and Chair of the Communications Committee, and also, Programs Committee Chair.

The Society of American Military Engineers' mission is to promote and facilitate engineering support for national security by developing and enhancing relationships and competencies among uniformed services, public- and private-sector engineers and related professionals, and by developing future engineers through outreach and mentoring. For more information, see www.SAME.org.

Ditch the Keys: Bike to Work Week Activities 2013

Garver is again involved in Bike to Work Week activities and encouraging commuters to ditch their car keys May 13-17. Our employees are involved in a number of ways this year, which includes leading multiple rides to our office in North Little Rock and providing refreshments and snacks for other bikers who are pedaling through the Northshore Business Park.

Below is a list of organized events near Garver offices. Specific meeting times, locations, and routes are available by clicking on the highlighted links. And if you know of any other events in a Garver city, let us know and we'll add it to the list. 

Just in time for Bike to Work Week, Garver's Online Team Store is open and offering three new Garver cycling jersey designs and a bib short option in a full range of sizing and style choices for all levels of riders. The store will remain open until Thursday, May 23 for our spring sale. Log in to the Garver Pactimo store with the "garverstore" password.

Little Rock/North Little Rock, Arkansas

Lawren Wilcox is organizing bike maintenance services for Garver employees. Thursday (May 16) from 11:30-12:30, Lawren and others will provide free basic services such as tire inflation, chain lubrication, shifter and brake adjustment, and bike fit. If you need a tune-up to prepare for Bike to Work Day and the cycling season, want to learn a little about bike maintenance, or need help with your kids' bikes, please join us at the recreational storage in Building Two.

Bike to Work Day (Friday, May 17). Routes have been established in the Little Rock metropolitan area and can be found on the Ditch the Keys website. A couple of Garver employees are leading convoys: Lawren Wilcox is leading a group from West Little Rock to Garver; Diane Barton is taking a group from North Little Rock Park Hill to the Pulaski County Courthouse Rose Garden.

Ride of Silence (Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.). A Ride of Silence is held each year to honor those killed while bicyling. This year the ride will take place from 4800 W. 10th St. (new CALS Children's Library) to 12th Street and the Capitol.

A great source for Central Arkansas bicycling news, commentary, tips, and links is the blog JBar Cycling.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Kick-Off Proclamation and Bike Ride (Friday, May 10, 5:15 p.m.). Mayor Lioneld Jordan will read the Bike to Work Week Proclamation, and then a bicycle ride to Mellow Mushroom Pizza off the Mud Creek Trail will begin.

Bicycle Commuter Challenge (May 12-18). The workplace with the highest percentage of bicycle commuters during Bike to Work Week has the chance to win great prizes. The rider with the longest commute is also given an award. Register your commute to enter.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Bike to Work Week Rides (May 13, 15, and 17). The Indian Nations Council of Governments has organized a couple of morning rides and a happy hour ride that includes musical guests and free bike tune-ups.

Norman, Oklahoma

Bike to Work Central Oklahoma (Friday, May 17). The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments is helping coordinate Bike to Work Day rides for numerous communities, including a route in Norman.

Frisco and Houston, Texas

If you're interested in a group ride, check into Frisco Cycling Club and Shawnee Trail Cycling Club for ride schedules and events.

Although Houston has already had its Bike to Work activities, Bike Houston’s website is a great way to get information on how you can participate in cycling the city in an enjoyable and responsible way.

Ride of Silence (Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.). A memorial ride to remember bicyclists killed or injured in traffic crashes. Events are planned in Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. 

Irving Bicycle Fest (Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m.). Planned events include a group ride, Kids Bicycle Safety Rodeo, vendors that specialize in bicycling information and equipment, on-the-spot bike checks, unique cycling groups and more.

Nashville, Tennessee

Tour de Nash (Saturday, May 18). Family rides and longer tours are scheduled. Hundreds of cyclists of all skill levels will embark on a leisurely ride along Music City's many wonderful bike-friendly facilities. You're sure to learn a new route that you can use to get to work, go out on the town, or just enjoy a great ride.

Bike to Work Day (Friday, May 17). Walk/Bike Nashville has a website and Facebook page with information on bicycling activities. Walk/Bike Nashville is coordinating group rides to all areas of Nashville/Greater Nashville area. For more information, click here.

Kansas City

Bicycle Month (May). Kansas City has lots of events throughout the entire month of May. Check out the calendar on Bike Month KC’s website. Highlights include the Bicycle Rodeo, Bike Prom, and the Bike-In Movie.

Lexington, Kentucky

Commuter Challenge (May). Register your rides at Bike Lexington for a chance to win prizes as an individual, or as a team, for most trips or most miles logged.

Ride to Work Week Events (May 10-17). See Bike Lexington’s calendar for information about Bike Polo, a women’s ride, Russell Cave Ride, and a bicycle-themed movie in the park.

Destin, Florida

Ride of Silence (Wednesday, May 15). A memorial ride to remember bicyclists killed or injured in traffic crashes will leave from Scully’s on the Bayou on Eglin Parkway in Ft. Walton Beach at 5:45 p.m.

Huntsville, Alabama

Ride of Silence (Wednesday, May 15). Stay tuned to the Spring City Cycling Club’s website for details about the memorial ride to remember bicyclists killed or injured in traffic crashes.

Garver Organizes OPS Challenge at the Texas Water Conference

Garver's Frisco water team helped organize the 25th Annual Operations Challenge competition at the Texas Water Conference in Galveston, Texas last month. The Ops Challenge is a competition among some of the best wastewater collection and treatment personnel in the world. Teams are sponsored by a Water Environment Federation Member Association and over several days they compete in simulated wastewater treatment plant procedures.

Teams from the City of Austin, Dallas Water Utilities, Trinity River Authority of Texas, Littleton/Englewood WWTP (Colorado), the City of Lafayette (Louisiana), and Jacksonville Wastewater Utility (Arkansas) battled it out in two Divisions. The Division I, consisting of the Texas Teams, competed for a chance to represent WEAT at the national competition scheduled for this October at the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference in Chicago.

Garver Marketing Administrator Heather Compton, who helped coordinate the competition, said, "It was great to see how operators overcome emergencies in a wastewater facility. This competition challenges teams to exercise their knowledge and experience and race against the clock in a high-pressure situation much like an emergency at a plant."

The two-day competition kicked off on April 10. On day one, the teams competed in a timed test on five wastewater treatment plant process-related subjects and a laboratory event, where teams simulated lab tests and samples. Other events tested the teams’ skills in safety, collection systems, and maintenance.

Garver Project Manager Lance Klement volunteered as a safety event judge. "This event underscores and highlights the operations sector of our industry. The speed and efficiency with which these teams operate is jaw-dropping to spectators," he said.

The Ops Challenge Competition was coordinated by Garver Vice President Jeff Sober for the fifth year in a row. Jeff was recently appointed chair of the Water Environment Association of Texas' 2014 Texas Water Conference in Dallas.

Huntsville Office Participates in March for Babies

Garver’s Huntsville Team was excited to participate in the local March of Dimes' March for Babies walk on Saturday, April 20. Garver team members and their children walked together to show their continued support for healthy babies.

Throughout the months of March and April, friendly internal competition between Garver’s Huntsville business groups resulted in the Construction Services team raising the most money for the March of Dimes. In keeping with the March of Dimes theme, dimes were also donated and placed on Garver’s "G." These dimes, along with other monies raised, enabled Team Garver to give over $1,000.00 to the March of Dimes.

This year, the March of Dimes celebrates its 75th Anniversary of helping  newborns and their families. The March of Dimes mission is to improve the babies' health by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Through March of Dimes research and lifesaving programs, medical facilities like the Huntsville Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are accessible and have the most up-to-date neonatal equipment.

Garver Employees Volunteer for Science Fair

Employees from Garver's North Little Rock, Arkansas office volunteered their time to judge a science fair at Crystal Hill Elementary School. As a community partner to the school, Garver employees have provided volunteer services for programs like AR Kids Read. When the school needed help with judging, they asked if Garver employees could participate, and six employees jumped at the chance to judge the projects of 3rd-5th grade students. The projects involved everything from homemade ant spray to comparing battery brands to powering lights with lemons.

Garver employees participated to support scientific learning in schools, and Project Manager Josh Crawford was encouraged by what he saw.

"Because of the age of the children involved, I went into the judging expecting very basic science projects," Josh said. "I left very impressed with the experiments the children performed. From homemade generators to graphing surface areas of ice blocks versus melting times, I was encouraged by the scientific knowledge the 4th grade class displayed."

The 3rd-5th grade projects were equally impressive. "I enjoyed judging and was impressed at how the students understood and applied scientific principles and practices," said Beverly Green, Controller. "Judging the fair was another great volunteer opportunity for Garver to support our community."

Garver Contributes to Engineering Scholarships

Garver joined the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineers to support young engineers and help alleviate financial burdens through engineering scholarships.

Garver sponsored eight $1,000 scholarships for civil engineering students at the University of Arkansas. The Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineers sponsors the scholarship, which is funded through academy member donations. Several Garver employees are academy members and they individually contributed to the scholarship, which Garver financially matched.

Engineering student Abiy Ghirmay with Executive Vice President Brock Hoskins, PE.

UofA Department Head of Civil Engineering Dr. Kevin Hall said scholarship recipients are selected by financial need and academic performance. When awarding the scholarships provided through Garver contributions, Dr. Hall said selected students "reflect the commitment to excellence demonstrated by the company and its engineers.”

The scholarship helps offsets the tuition that students pay out-of-pocket. This helps them focus more on studies and gives them more freedom to pursue career opportunities.

For Stephanie Maxwell, a civil engineering student, the scholarship has been essential. “I really appreciate it because if I hadn't gotten this scholarship, I would've had to continue working, and the job I had wasn't related to civil engineering—it was just dividing my time between school and work. I really want to be able to focus on schoolwork right now, to get the education and the internships, and to be able to focus on future jobs.”

Abiy Ghirmay, a foreign exchange student from Ethiopia, agrees. “I‘m thankful for the scholarship. It helped a lot. It allowed me to focus on my studies and not work a lot of hours.”

Along with sponsoring scholarships, Garver has hosted open houses at various offices and helped engineering students on their senior projects—all ways that Garver is educating and encouraging the next generation of engineers.

Garver Leads Tour at Addison Airport

Engineers from Garver's Frisco office gave students from the University of Texas at Arlington a tour of Addison Airport. Garver's Mitchell McAnally, Matthew LeMay, and Sara Johnson gave a group of engineering students from multiple disciplines a personal look at various airfield improvements.

“I enjoyed going out to the site and learning about some on-site factors our classes don’t discuss,” said Ana Gonzalez, president of the university Society of Women Engineers chapter. Garver staff met the students at the electrical vault and began the tour, which covered recently poured holding bay pavement and the fuel farm.

The students also visited the Cavanaugh Flight Museum hangar where they were able to get up close with WWII memorabilia, like a B-24. This museum is also the site of "Fifi," the last operational B-29, a WWII-era aircraft. During the tour, the students got to see Fifi taxi and take off as it flew to El Paso for an airshow at various locations over the next six weeks.

Garver is currently overseeing various improvements along Taxiway Alpha. These improvements include large reconstruction areas, various locations receiving asphalt overlay, reconfiguring the aircraft holding bay on the north end, replacing the existing taxiway edge lights with new LED edge lights, and adding a new aircraft holding bay on the south end of the airport. 

IQ Volume 5 Issue 1

The newest issue of Garver's IQ will be in mailboxes soon, but you can begin reading our online edition now. This edition features:

Bridge Slide
Accelerated Bridge Construction is being used in Oklahoma to save motorists time and money. Garver was selected to provide engineering and design to replace the State Highway 51 bridge over Cottonwood Creek. By using a transverse sliding/skidding bridge move technique, it's estimated that the time needed to close and detour SH 51 can be conservatively reduced by five months and save approximately $2 million.

Going the Distance
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation worked with multiple firms to design and install 1,050 miles of fiber optic cable, which is over twice the length of the state. Garver provided services for 145 miles.

30% More
Searcy, Arkansas has expanded its water treatment plant to 19.2 million gallons per day. To upgrade the intake, treatment, and distribution systems, the city worked with Garver to guide the plant through regulatory requirements and grand funding stipulations.

Beneficial Partnerships
Boone County Regional Airport has a new hangar area and connecting taxiway, and the project was completed at no cost to the county or airport. The community came together to find a way to finance the project, which involved applying for a matching state grant and providing the matching funds through a North Arkansas College student labor program.

Garver Opens Kentucky Office

After nearly 20 years of working for airports in western Kentucky, Garver is pleased to announce that we've expanded our services by opening a new office in Lexington, Kentucky.

2333 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40504

This is Garver's 16th office, and our presence in Lexington allows us to better meet the aviation needs of airports in central and eastern Kentucky.

Leading our new office is Aviation Project Manager Wes Mittlesteadt, PE, ENV SP. Wes is an Aviation Team Leader and Envision Sustainability Professional with aviation engineering experience in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Garver has more than 60 years of airport design, planning, and construction administration experience, and more than 60 of our 350 staff members are dedicated to aviation projects. We are excited to better serve Kentucky by offering local availability along with our personal attention and accessibility.

Mike Massey Receives ADB Certification

Mike Massey, Garver Aviation Senior Designer and Master Electrician, has recently been certified as an ADB-Certified Airfield Professional for Airfield Lighting. This certification, given by one of the largest airfield equipment manufacturers in the nation, allows Mike to provide comprehensive services for airfield lighting equipment, including repair and alignment.

Mike's new capability has already proven beneficial. While performing consultant services for a municipal airport client in Arkansas, Mike and Project Engineer Kendall White inspected the airfield's Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPIs).

"Pilots had been complaining that the misaligned PAPIs were bringing pilots in too low on approach. We discovered that the PAPIs had experienced physical damage from an unknown source," said Mike. When he discovered these problems, Mike didn't just point them out—he identified the exact issues and provided an immediate solution. Kendall assisted Mike as he repaired the PAPIs and reset them to the correct alignment.

Mike's service is another example of Garver's commitment to continuing employee education and fulfilling client needs.

MOVITE Journal Publishes Paper By Nathan Becknell

Nathan Becknell, PE, PTOE, a project manager in Garver's transportation group, had his technical paper published in the spring issue of the MOVITE Journal. Nathan wrote the article to help engineers better understand how a spring contributes to peak flow during a storm.

Nathan summarized his paper with the following introduction:

Engineers are commonly tasked with determining the peak flow of a particular tributary or basin during a storm. Widely accepted current practices focus on surface characteristics such as topography, vegetation, and infiltration. What should engineers do when a spring is encountered within the basin of interest?

Little, if any, existing research applies directly to this problem. This paper summarizes existing research and concepts from the field of Karst Hydrogeology (The study of relationships between soluble rocks and processes with flowing ground water), and relates these to hydrology to better address this question.

You can read Nathan's paper in the spring 2013 issue, on pages 6-9. Nathan is serving on the Missouri Valley Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MOVITE) as the Executive Board Director. This institute revolves around engaging engineers in the planning, design, and operation of streets, highways, and other transportation facilities.

Franklin Office Mentors Engineering Students

Garver’s Franklin office is mentoring a group of six civil engineering students from Tennessee Tech University by assisting with their Senior Design Project. In partnership with the county government in Gainesboro, Tennessee, Garver selected for the mentoring project a T-hangar and apron expansion project at the Jackson County Airport, which is just a short drive from campus.

"The students will be able to see the project actually constructed as they finish up their design," said Ryan Sisemore, PE, who leads Garver's aviation team in Franklin. The project features multiple interacting aspects, including structural, environmental, and transportation elements. "We selected this project for its complexity and because it is currently in design by the Franklin aviation team." As such, it was the perfect project for students to gain practical design experience and to see the result of that design.

With six engineers in the Franklin office who are Tennessee Tech graduates, they were more than happy to help with the Senior Design Project and give experience to young engineers who will someday join them in the industry.

Garver's Website Has A New Look

Give your tablet a tap-tap
or your mouse a few clicks,
visit Garver's new website,
see our new layout and pics.

See the people we help
and the work that we do.
There's so much to see
'cause there's so much that's new.

We've got pictures and projects
and rotators and slides
working together to show you
the work Garver provides.

So pause for a sec,
it won't take much time.
Visit GarverUSA.com
and stop reading this rhyme.

Garver Employees Go the Distance

Garver employees and their families braved the cold to run in the 11th Annual Little Rock Marathon this March. The race is a weekend event that includes a marathon, half-marathon, 10k, and 5k Fun Run. Twelve Garver employees, along with family members, participated in the races. For many runners, it was their first time to race.

Joel Skinner

Project Engineer Joel Skinner fulfilled a long-time goal by running the half-marathon. "It was the toughest physical challenge for me. But it was one of the coolest and rewarding experiences," he said. "My running goal was 2 hours, and I made it in 1 hour, 54 minutes." 

"I certainly have more respect for those 26.2 stickers on people's cars after knowing what they went through," said Assistant Controller James Grotjohn, who ran in his first marathon.

According to reports, more than 8,300 marathoners and half-marathoners signed up for the event, as well as 1,600 10k runners.

Bree Rush, Nancy Fulmer, James Grotjohn, Tatiana Herrington, David Page, and Laura Nick

"I was impressed with the amount of people who came out in support—despite the cold weather—and was thankful to have them cheering us to the finish," said Project Engineer David Page, who trained for 3 months for the half-marathon.

"The thing I like the best about running events like this is getting right in the middle of the event itself, the thousands of runners, the bands along the route, the volunteers who help and encourage you, and the spectators who ring the cowbells and carry signs,” said Project Manager Bob Sunta, also mentioning that his favorite sign said, “Keep Running! The Zombies Are Right Behind You!"

It was a family affair for others as well: Project Manager Madison McEntire’s daughter MacKenzie, Water Team Leader Paul Strickland’s daughter Katie, and Project Manager Todd Mueller’s wife Kay participated in the races.

The theme of this year's Marathon was "Lucky in Little Rock," which perfectly expressed what the racers felt.

"I feel extremely 'lucky' and blessed to be able to run with my co-workers, my family, my friends, and truly inspiring and courageous people," said Administrative Assistant Bree Rush, who ran the 10k with a friend.

Below is a list of Garver employees who participated in the weekend's races. Congratulations to everyone who ran.

Full Marathon: James Grotjohn, Bob Sunta
Half Marathon: Nancy Fulmer, Mike Griffin, Tatiana Herrington, Laura Nick, David Page, Joel Skinner
10k: Greg Archer, David Gambill, Claire McKinney, Bree Rush

Two Projects Win ACEC of Arkansas Awards

Photo by Steve Brawner 

Garver's Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) Electrical Study won the top award in Category A: Studies, Research, and Consulting Engineering Services.

XNA has experienced significant growth in the past decade and has modified and expanded its electrical systems to keep pace. Airport officials sought Garver’s professional services to ensure that its electrical systems are code compliant. The airport requested Garver’s expertise to ensure a safe workplace by performing an arc flash analysis, an electrical code compliance study, and an overcurrent protection coordination study.

Accepting the award were Garver Director of Aviation Mike Griffin and Aviation Team Leader Keith Tencleve, XNA Facilities Manager Steve Keith, and Garver Project Manager Bart Gilbreath and Senior Designer Mike Massey.

Photo by Steve Brawner

Garver's Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport Underground Utility Relocations project won the top award in Category B: Building/Technology Systems.

The airport is redeveloping its main terminal building. Garver provided Phase 1 services to make sure existing underground utilities were fully described, determined, and relocated prior to construction. Multiple utilities had to be relocated to new concrete-encased duct banks. Also, these various systems had to be almost completely installed and ready for system cutovers—most of these systems cannot be down except for a few hours maximum. The project was a fast-track design, and it was constructed under the budget estimate.

Accepting the award were Garver Project Manager Adam Roberson and Senior Project Manager Eric Farmer, Clinton National Airport Director - Properties, Planning, and Development Tom Clarke, and Garver Director of Aviation Mike Griffin.

Robert Johnson Brings 30 Years of Energy Experience

Robert Johnson, PE has joined Garver’s Energy Group, and he brings with him 30 years of experience in design, engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance of G&T cooperative transmission facilities. Robert is a Senior Project Manager and is centrally located in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office.

Robert's projects have ranged from power plant assets to substation distribution breakers. He has extensive electrical, mechanical, and structural experience in areas of relaying, metering, SCADA, telecommunications, substations, transmission lines, and distribution delivery points. He has also improved and developed designs, standards, material specifications, and construction specifications for power delivery systems.

Garver Energy Services
Garver provides generation, transmission, and distribution services designed to client standards. When systems need updating or expanding, Garver develops designs that meet today’s standards while satisfying each client’s unique requirements. Garver’s custom designs and energy knowledge encourage a system’s smooth transition into new energy infrastructure.

Electrical Job Openings
If you're an electrical engineer, Garver has openings for an electrical group project manager on our water team in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as well as intern positions. Check out our list of current openings.

Garver's Newest Vice Presidents

Garver’s Board of Directors and Management Committee has appointed new vice presidents within the company. Congratulations to the following employees for these well-deserved promotions and appointments.

Michael Graves, Water Team Leader
Frank McIllwain, Texas Aviation Director
Earl Mott, Director of Construction Services
Jerry McCarley, Development Team Leader
John Ruddell, Bridge Design Manager
Brent Schniers, Transportation Team Leader
Ryan Sisemore, Aviation Team Leader
Jeff Sober, Water Team Leader
John Watkins, Director of Federal Services
Scott Zotti, Water Design Center Leader

Michael Graves	Frank McIllwain
Earl Mott	Jerry McCarley
John Ruddell	Brent Schniers
Ryan Sisemore	Jeff Sober
John Watkins	Scott Zotti

Jeff Sober Helps Plan National Biosolids Conference

Texas Water Team Leader Jeff Sober, PE has been selected as a steering committee member to plan the 2014 Water Environment Federation (WEF) Residuals and Biosolids Conference in Austin. The annual conference explores the development, implementation, operation, and maintenance of residuals and biosolids management.

The five-person committee is responsible for selecting the keynote speaker, driving conference program topics, developing workshop agendas and facility tours, and planning events.

Jeff is a leading engineer in biosolids-related projects, and his experience includes co-digestion of high-strength wastes, co-generation, sidestream treatment, anaerobic digestion, solids handling, solids management and disposal, phosphate scaling, and solids train energy efficiency improvements.

"My technical experience working with solids facility improvements in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, California, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana will help drive the development of relevant, current, and exciting topics for the workshops and technical sessions," Jeff said.

Jeff regularly uses his industry knowledge to benefit the water and wastewater sector. In addition to multiple conference presentations and papers, he has served on the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT) Biosolids Committee and participated on the planning team for the 2011 WEAT Biosolids Conference.

Jeff has also been selected as a review editor for WEF's new Sustainable Resource Recovery text book. His involvement is specific to text sections discussing high-strength waste co-digestion and sidestream phosphorus recovery.

Claire McKinney is Young Engineer of the Year

The Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers Central Chapter has named Claire McKinney, EI as its Young Engineer of the Year. Claire is a civil engineer in Garver's Traffic Design Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The annual award recognizes a young ASPE member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and community.

"Claire is a joy to work with. She is very dedicated to her work and doesn't sit back and wait to be told what to do," said Traffic Team Leader Nicci Tiner. "I am very proud that she received the Young Engineer of the Year award."

Claire began her career at Garver as a summer intern and has matured into a project engineer in the Traffic Design Center. Within just a few years, Claire has provided services on large engineering projects in Arkansas and surrounding states, including the Conway Western Arterial Loop and the new Broadway Bridge over the Arkansas River.

Claire performs traffic counts and intersection analyses, designs traffic signals, computes traffic and roadway quantities, develops signing plans and maintenance of traffic plans, and works on Intelligent Transportation System designs.

She is also a leader outside the office. Her interests include juvenile arthritis and arthritis research fundraising, the Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree program—Claire organized the gift-giving event this past Christmas at Garver.

Garver is proud of Claire's achievements, leadership qualities, and professional service.

Garver Wins Alabama ACEC Grand Conceptor Award

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama has honored Garver with the state's top design award.

Garver's Tuscumbia Water Treatment Plant project won the top engineering honor, the Grand Conceptor Award. The new water-softening treatment plant is the state's first water utility to use a blended series membrane process. The state-of-the-art filtration technology is the centerpiece of a new 4 million gallons-per-day (MGD) water treatment plant. The system is purifying and softening the city's water, which is high in alkalinity, aka "hard water." The blended series membrane process, consisting of ultrafiltration followed by nanofiltration, meets all filtration requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and reduces the raw water's hardness (220 milligrams per liter) down to the target of 100 mg/L.

"This community invested in the best available technology for its customer base, and this new plant is the only one of its kind in Alabama," said Garver Project Manager Kevin Mullins, PE, PLS. "This process is a unique and cost-effective solution to correcting a hard-water condition in the source water."

Teaming with the city, Garver provided project design, funding assistance, bond issue assistance, construction management and operational support.