Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Survey for Airport Users at Kerrville Airport

The Kerrville/Kerr County Joint Airport Board is preparing an Airport Master Plan to identify improvements to Kerrville Municipal/Louis Schreiner Field Airport. If you use Kerrville Airport, you can provide helpful information concerning airport usage, current needs, and improvement priorities by filling out a short survey.

Please visit the Airport's webpage and click the Master Plan Survey link at the bottom right. You may also go directly to the survey.

Your comments are greatly appreciated! Call Perry Havenar at 972-377-7480 or email him at PLHavenar@GarverUSA.com. We assure strict confidence in your response!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Bicycle-Friendly Business Award


The League of American Bicyclists has awarded Garver a Silver designation as one of the United States’ top bicycle-friendly businesses.

As part of its Bicycle Friendly Business program, the League recognized Garver for its efforts to promote employee health and fitness through bicycling activities. The League has designated 196 bicycle-friendly businesses in 31 states, and Garver is the highest ranking Arkansas company as well as the first awarded engineering firm in the state.

Garver’s recognition underscores the firm’s commitment to improving employees’ health through fitness. Garver’s headquarters is located less than one mile from the Arkansas River Trail system, which was a factor in relocating the corporate office from Little Rock to the Northshore Business Park in North Little Rock.

Garver has taken many steps to integrate bicycling into its business culture. In May, Garver’s offices in North Little Rock and Fayetteville defended commuter challenge titles during National Bike to Work Week activities. Garver also provides custom jerseys to bicyclists who meet fund-raising goals for local charities; offers cash incentives to employees who meet quarterly workout targets; posts upcoming rides and other bicycling activities on this corporate blog; and schedules weekly rides geared toward new bicyclists.

This Saturday Garver employees will be riding in the Big Dam Bridge 100 Cycling Tour. Garver is also hosting a rest stop in its front parking lot to serve food and drinks to riders.

Garver has written a press release providing additional information.

Monday, September 20, 2010

ASPE Officers

Garver congratulates two of our engineers for their election as officers to the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers (ASPE).

Paul Strickland, PE is serving as the 2010-2011 vice president for the state board. Paul is a water project manager and mechanical engineer in our North Little Rock office.

Fred Harper, EI is the 2010-2011 state director for the central chapter, serving as a communications director between state leaders and chapter leaders. Fred is a transportation project engineer in our North Little Rock office.

Friday, September 17, 2010

ACEC of Arkansas Officer

Garver congratulates Bert Parker, PE for his election as an officer to the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Arkansas Board of Directors. He is serving as the 2010-2011 Treasurer. Bert is Garver's Director of Transportation.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Garver a Finalist in International 'Be Inspired Awards'

Garver has been nominated for an international award for the Nashville International Airport Runway 2L/20R reconstruction project. Garver is a finalist in the 2010 Be Inspired Awards competition hosted by Bentley Systems, Inc., a worldwide company providing comprehensive software solutions to sustain infrastructure.

Garver is one of three finalists—and the only United States company—competing in the Innovation in Campuses, Airports, and Military Installations category. Overall, 56 projects were selected from more than 300 nominations in 45 countries.

Winners will be announced during a leadership and networking event October 19-20 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Garver Aviation Team Leader Ryan Sisemore, PE will make a presentation during the event to share information about the Garver project with industry leaders from around the world. Garver's selection as a finalist was based on our ability to complete the initial design within an extremely narrow window and to subsequently re-design connecting taxiways during the bidding phase for an alternate configuration.

The Nashville International Airport Runway 2L/20R reconstruction project will be featured in Garver's upcoming IQ newsletter.

Monday, September 13, 2010

LEED Silver Certified

The U.S. Green Building Council recently certified Garver's three-story corporate office in North Little Rock, Ark. as LEED Silver. The USGBC provides independent, third-party verification that a qualifying structure meets the highest green building and performance measures.

The 38,852-square-foot corporate office incorporates many "reduce-reuse-recycle" principles, including high-efficiency envelope and internal systems designs that result in an estimated 14 percent energy use reduction, 45 percent water use reduction, and $1 million savings in initial furnishing cost. The design incorporated many products containing recycled content (estimated 27 percent overall recycled content), and aggressive recycling practices during construction were expected to reduce the amount of construction waste sent to landfills by 75 percent. “Environmentally conscious construction can be an overwhelming and lengthy process,” said Garver President Brock Johnson. “As a company, it was important to develop a well-balanced vision before kicking off our LEED project.”

Prior to design, Garver produced a list of performance criteria for the new office and gave careful consideration to sustainability factors. “We weighed the benefits of green improvements against their cost,” Johnson said. “We wanted to achieve the highest quality facility while making fiscally responsible decisions, and our choices helped us reach our goals.”

Garver focused on a number of sustainability features throughout the design process:

  • Orientate the building to maximize natural daylight and minimize cooling and heating loads
  • Use fixtures and equipment that conserve water and energy
  • Incorporate daylighting and energy-efficient lighting systems
  • Ensure that the building design minimizes energy loss
  • Reuse materials and produce less waste
  • Improve indoor air quality

“This office provided us with an educational springboard to better develop and produce future designs that incorporate energy performance, indoor environmental quality and sustainable sites,” said Garver mechanical engineer Joel Funkhouser, PE, a LEED Accredited Professional.

Viridian, the sustainability consultant that worked with Garver throughout the project and coordinated the LEED certification process, also published a press release.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Garver Project Receives Award for $6 Million Surplus

The Mississippi Department of Transportation received an America's Transportation Award in the "Under Budget" category for its S-curve reconstruction project in Laurel, Mississippi—a Garver-designed project. The Under Budget Award recognizes the project's $6 million surplus, money that is now being used to improve additional portions of I-59. The project is now competing for the top transportation project in the nation.

The awards, which honor the year's best state department of transportation projects, is co-sponsored by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and U.S. Chamber. The Under Budget Award "honors a project demonstrating transportation efficiency while promoting economic and fiscal responsibility. The award recognizes a successful project brought in under budget that provided the greatest cost savings to the state while offering maximum performance."

The S-curve project involved realigning a dangerous interstate curve with a 1,980-foot, six-lane, elevated bridge and three elevated ramps. Garver provided roadway and bridge design, comprehensive construction plans and phasing, traffic signalization, overhead and under-structure lighting, and signage. Garver is now providing services to widen and overlay an additional 2-mile stretch of I-59 immediately north of the S-curve.

The S-curve project is now competing as a Top 10 Project for AASHTO's Grand Prize. Voting is online and ends October 18. Vote today for the S-curve project! The winners of the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award will be announced October 31 at AASHTO's annual meeting.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

A "Go-To" Road and Bridge Design Firm

Garver made significant gains in the Roads & Bridges magazine annual "Go-To List" of the 2010 Top Design Firms. The magazine listed Garver as #22 in its list of Top Road and Highway Design Firms and #17 in the list of Top Bridge Design Firms.

According to Roads & Bridges magazine, the Go-To list is compiled through a survey that is answered by government readers who "select the firms they prefer to work with out on the jobsite."

Click here to view the 2010 Road & Bridges Go-To list.

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