Monday, June 18, 2012

New Professional Engineers

Two Garver employees passed their exams and received their professional engineering licenses.

Andy Pruitt, PE is an engineer in Garver's Water Group. Andy works in our Fayetteville, Arkansas office and has been with Garver for 4.5 years.

Aaron Smith, PE is an engineer in Garver's Transportation Group. Aaron works in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office and has been with Garver for 1.5 years. 

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Serving an Ace

She's only been playing tennis for a year, but now that her team finished the season 7-0 and won the state tournament last weekend, she's on her way to a regional competition in July.

Claire McKinney (third from right) is an engineer in our traffic group and plays on a 2.5 Adult Women's United States Tennis Association team. Her team just competed in the USTA Arkansas League State Championships in North Little Rock—and after winning their round robin pairings against three teams, they advanced through the semifinals to defeat Jonesboro in the finals.

Claire picked up tennis after watching her sister play competitively as an adult and deciding that it looked like a great hobby.

"After high school and college, there aren't really many options for competitive sports," Claire said. "It's been so much fun to be part of a team again and working toward a common goal."

At the end of July, Claire heads to Mobile, Alabama to compete against eight other states for the USTA Southern Sectionals. If her team wins the tournament, they'll move on to the national tournament in Rancho Mirage, California.

We'll be cheering for you, Claire!


Job Opportunity!
Claire is a University of Arkansas graduate and has been on the Garver traffic team for 1.5 years. If you are an experienced traffic engineer or know someone looking for a rewarding opportunity, we are expanding our transportation team in Oklahoma. 

Monday, June 11, 2012

Professional Traffic Operations Engineer

Nathan Becknell, PE, PTOE has been nationally certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer. Nathan is a project manager in our Transportation Group and has worked with Garver for seven years.

The certification is sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. This designation identifies Nathan as an engineer with specialized knowledge and skill in the operation of traffic systems.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Premier Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail

Garver employees stood with central Arkansas community leaders last week to support a dedicated effort that publicly establishes and extends the Arkansas River Trail System. The ceremony took place at the Big Dam Bridge, one of two pedestrian bridges designed by Garver to develop the trail. Garver also designed the Two Rivers Bridge.

"This is a momentous occasion where three counties, six cities, two state agencies and a federal agency all sign a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly continue to build, develop, maintain, operate, and promote the Arkansas River Trail," said Jim McKenzie, executive director of Metroplan.

Public officials expressed their plan to develop a trail system that encompasses 88 miles and connects various cities, counties, parks, and museums. More than 44,000 residents and 54,000 jobs will be located within a half-mile of the trail, including Garver's headquarters in North Little Rock; the trail was an important factor in locating our central Arkansas offices to a site with direct access for employees.

By signing the memorandum, the collective parties agreed to join together to coordinate the expansion, maintenance, operation, and marketing of the trail system. This includes defining the trail route, adopting a system of trail signage and markings, and agreeing to maintenance standards.

Memorandum signers included representatives from Little Rock, North Little Rock, Maumelle, Conway, Mayflower, Bigelow, Pulaski County, Faulkner County, Perry County, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Tobacco-Free Lifestyle Celebration


Congratulations to T.J. Bruck on being tobacco-free for more than six months!

Garver celebrated this milestone with T.J. by taking an afternoon break and enjoying shaved ice provided by  Kona Ice. With tropical music playing Don't Worry, Be Happy in the background, a crowd of employees quickly gathered in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office parking lot to congratulate T.J. on his accomplishment.

Garver President Brock Johnson presented T.J. (above left) with a financial bonus for his tobacco-free lifestyle, and T.J. has also received a reduction in his health insurance premium. T.J. is a construction observer with more than 30 years of experience.

Way to go, T.J.!

Monday, June 4, 2012

What Are You Doing This Summer?

Fifteen college interns are working this summer in our aviation, water, transportation, surveying, and construction services departments. These students, who are pursuing engineering-related degrees, are gaining job experience by working alongside our employees. This year, we're excited to partner with students from:

  • The University of Alabama in Huntsville
  • John Brown University
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton
  • University of Arkansas at Monticello
  • Tennessee Tech University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Harding University
  • Texas A&M University
Pictured above, University of Arkansas students Juliana Griffin, Cary Beth Lipscomb, and Bryce Carlton started internships last week.

Bryce Carlton is working with Garver's water group in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office. He is a student at the University of Arkansas specializing in mechanical engineering. Bryce said Garver's wide variety of disciplines was a deciding factor in applying for a Garver internship. "This will introduce me to the different aspects of a job in engineering and will allow me to make a better decision on what I would like to do when I graduate," Bryce said.

Cary Beth Lipscomb is a student at The University of Arkansas majoring in civil engineering. She's interested in structural analysis and design as it applies to bridge and transportation work, and is interning with the transportation group in North Little Rock. She is excited that her Garver internship will help her apply academic concepts on the job. "Working on a project, from start to finish, and being able to see progress in all areas at each phase is very exciting," Cary Beth said. "The cohesiveness between all engineering disciplines within Garver on a single project is unique. I look forward to the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals as well as work alongside them."

Laura Anderson attended John Brown University to pursue her mechanical engineering degree. She began working as an intern last fall in our Fayetteville, Arkansas office and has now been hired full time to work with the aviation group in our Huntsville, Alabama office.

Blake Shadid is a civil engineering student at Oklahoma State University. He is working with our transportation group in our Tulsa, Oklahoma office.

Ryan Sisemore, an aviation team leader in our Franklin, Tennessee office, is mentoring a student from Tennessee Tech University in his aviation group. "Our summer internship is designed to expose civil engineering undergraduates to the real world of consulting," Sisemore said. "From planning to design to construction services, the internship helps develop skill sets and provides a tangible relationship between academics and the problem solving required as engineers. And in today’s market, it is critical to show relevant experience on your resume to land that dream job."

Want to intern next summer?
If you're interested in a future internship with Garver, submit your information by applying to our Intern Applicant Pool through our career opportunities website. To be considered, students should have completed their sophomore year from an ABET-accredited engineering program.

Attention new graduates!
If you recently graduated from a college or university and are looking for a full-time position, you can apply to our Project Engineer Applicant Pool to be considered for openings as they arise. Visit our career opportunities website for more information.

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