Monday, July 30, 2012

Lightning Strike

Did you see that?!

While taking night pictures at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, Brent Murray captured a lightning strike over Little Rock, Arkansas.

Just before sunset, Brent was taking pictures of the Runway 22R lighting system. A storm began rolling through in the distance, and Brent snapped this photograph just as a lightning bolt touched down.

Before the photo shoot, Brent and his team coordinated with air traffic control and airport operations and then took pictures of the runway lights, which provide lead-in guidance for pilots in low-visibility conditions.

For nearly 60 years, Garver has provided Clinton National Airport with engineering and construction-phase services. Garver's recent services include multiple runway extensions , taxiway centerline lighting for an updated SMGCS (surface movement guidance and control system), and electrical support services for runway lighting and signage improvements.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Outstanding Service

Traffic Team Leader Nicci Tiner has been named Rotarian of the Year for outstanding and dedicated service to the Rotary Club of West Little Rock, Arkansas.

Over the past four years, Nicci has served as the program chairman and is responsible for organizing speakers for the weekly meetings. She has been a member of the club for 20 years.

The club serves business and professional leaders by providing opportunities to volunteer in the local community, encouraging integrity in all jobs, and inviting vocational leaders to share information and build relationships with club members.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

New Director Focuses on Employee Health

Patricia Edwards, center, uses her lunch break to take a bike ride with coworkers.

Garver's latest investment in employee health and wellness is Wellness Director Patricia Edwards. An avid bike rider, whole foods advocate, and registered nurse, Patricia has a long career as an employee health advocate; she has spent time as an occupational health and safety specialist, an emergency response/EMT instructor, and a manager of employee health services.

Patricia joined Garver with an agenda—she wants to see people improve their health, manage their stress, and become active participants in their own health journey. "With daily incremental applications of positive nutrition, physical activity, and stress reduction techniques, you can grow younger and positively affect your quality of life," Patricia explains.

Hiring a wellness director at an engineering consulting firm is unique to the industry, but it is just one of the many steps Garver has taken to develop a health-conscious employee culture.

"We're working hard to provide a high-impact wellness program, and Patricia is a great fit with that vision," said HR Director Tatiana Herrington. “I've seen firsthand how providing health and wellness tools has helped shape an atmosphere in which our employees are excited to take responsibility for their wellness and encourage each other to live well-balanced lives."

Though she may take part in group bike rides and lead group walks, Patricia's main focus is supporting individuals who need an advocate in their corner and an accountability partner; she explains, "I want to find out your interests and your individual challenges to health improvement. I believe that, by working together, we can find our individual wellness niche and live younger and healthier lives."

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Grassroots Solution to Erosion

Garver, along with other local businesses, provided monetary assistance to plant more than 32,000 sea oats along the shoreline at Norriego Point in Destin, Florida. Norriego Point, the entry point to the Destin Harbor and entrance to the gulf, has faced erosion and destabilization issues since Hurricane Opal hit the area in 1995. Garver’s Destin, Florida office has also supported stabilization efforts by providing surveying and construction staking.

Sea oats live in salty environments and have a long root system that firmly holds loose soil, making them a natural choice for Norriego Point’s stabilization project.

See The Destin Log for more information on the volunteer planting efforts.

Garver’s services at Norriego Point recently included pre-dredged and post-dredged hydrographic surveys of the main channel. A heavy storm had moved a large amount of sand and nearly closed off the entrance to Destin Harbor. Garver determined the harbor’s topography and provided the city with sand removal quantities, which enabled a contractor to remove the material and open the channel.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Thank You Military Veterans - Part 2

As part of this week's Independence Day celebrations, please join us in thanking all of Garver's professionals who've served in the military. More than 20 Garver employees have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and National Guard. Earlier this week we profiled three service members, and today we highlight another five military veterans—your valor, sacrifice, and patriotism are appreciated.


Jerry Martin, Water Project Engineer

United States Navy
Machinist Mate, Second Class; Petty Officer, Second Class
3 Years of Service
"My active service with the Navy, though short, was the best decision that I made. It helped me to focus and build my future, and without it, I would not be where I am today. It has made me who I am and given me the values and the course to head for my life."
Jerry Martin's active service included time as a Nuclear Machinist Mate, a job that took his basic understanding of machinery and introduced him to the advanced principles of reactor physics and chemistry. His job involved maintaining mechanical aspects of the propulsion, water production, heating and cooling units, turbine systems, and support systems aboard U.S. Navy submarines

After sustaining an injury, Jerry provided land-based support to aid those deployed and their stateside families. Jerry said that the above picture, taken with his younger brother, "is the picture that makes me most proud of what I did."


Perry Havenar, Senior Aviation Planner

United States Navy
Lieutenant
10 Years of Service
"Serving my country was both an honor and pleasure. I was raised to respect our nation and felt military service was a fitting way to show my respect and gain a level of experience my contemporaries would not achieve. Given the same opportunities, I would certainly choose to serve again."
Perry Havenar was the first member in his family to serve in the military. He attended the U.S. Navy's flight program and earned his wings in 1989. He served as a pilot and plane commander in two P-3 Squadrons (VP-56 and VP-5) in Jacksonville, Florida.

During his tenure, he was deployed to Keflavik, Iceland and Rota Spain, with shorter assignments all over the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Central America. While in Spain, he flew missions in support of the first Gulf War. Later, he served as an officer recruiter and director of officer recruiting for the Navy Recruiting District in Kansas City.



Chris Mason, Survey Party Chief

United States Air Force
Captain (O-3)
8 Years of Service

Chris Mason served as an intelligence officer, spending most of his time in Texas, Alabama, California, and Iraq. He served as an Analysis Flight Commander with the 614th Space Intelligence Squadron. He led a 29-member all-source analysis flight that provided actionable space intelligence support to the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command.

He also worked as a Detachment Officer In Charge and Logistics Officer for a multi-national force in Iraq tasked with capturing and exploiting documents, computers, and electronic media. He directed the triage, analysis, reporting, and archival of more than 2,000 documents and 1,200 pieces of media.



Robert Sunta, Federal Project Manager

United States Marines and Army National Guard
1st Lieutenant
8 Years of Service
 "I was very proud and honored to serve. Looking back on my service, I find it amazing the opportunities I had and the things I did; it was an adventure. I don’t really remember the tough times, but presently I can’t help but think of the incredible sacrifices that those now serving, and their families, endure. I am truly humbled and thankful for their service."

Bryan Melton, Federal Project Manager

United States Army
E-4 (Specialist)
3.5 Years of Service
"My time in the Army is something that shaped me into the person I am today. There were life lessons I learned that I'm not sure are available anywhere else. Even though there were ups and downs during my service time, the experience as a whole was something I wouldn't trade for anything."
Bryan Melton entered the Army in 1986 and went to basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. After graduation, he was sent to Fort Eustis in Virginia to continue his military education as an aircraft electrician.

During a tour at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, Bryan was able to work on every type of helicopter in the Army's inventory. Due to medical reasons, he was granted an early retirement, which allowed him to continue his education and gain an engineering degree.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Thank You Military Veterans - Part 1

To all of America's military service members and veterans, thank you for your sacrifice and service to our country. As we reflect upon our nation's independence and remember those who continue to fight for our freedoms, we dedicate our blog to the members of Garver's family who have served our country—your valor, sacrifice, and patriotism are appreciated. Please join us in thanking the following employees and all of Garver's professionals who've served in the military. On Thursday we'll highlight another group of military veterans.


Steve Haynes, Transportation Team Leader

Arkansas Air National Guard (U.S. Air Force)
Lieutenant Colonel
22 Years of Service
"It was a personal and family commitment to serve my country and to honor the many men (like my father) and women who have fought in wars to protect our many freedoms."
Steve Haynes's military service stretched from 1984 through 2006 with the 189th Medical Squadron of the Arkansas Air National Guard, including activation into the U.S. Air Force for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He was selected for the position of Bio-Environmental Engineer and received a direct commission with a rank of Second Lieutenant.

In peacetime, his team tested the working conditions for all guardsmen in the 189th to ensure that everyone was working in a safe and healthy environment related to chemicals, heat, noise, and all other potential harmful factors. In wartime, his team was the first responder to attacks that used biological, chemical, or nuclear warfare and determined how casualties would be treated and decontaminated, as well as when conditions were once again safe for troops.



Randall Richards, Aviation Project Engineer

United States Navy
Cryptologic Technical Technician (Rank E5); Engineering Aide (Rank E5)
11 Years of Service
"The U.S. military is the ultimate melting pot where all cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs unite under one banner—to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The sense of camaraderie, pride, and accomplishment I have with my fellow service members is without rival."
Randall Richards spent four years active and four years reserve as a Cryptologic Technical Technician collecting, processing, and analyzing signal intelligence. During that time, he had one Western Pacific deployment aboard the Spruance-class destroyer DD-964 USS Paul F. Foster. He also served three years reserve as an Engineering Aide with one deployment to Iraq in 2009 with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24.


John Thornton, Senior Project Surveyor

United States Army Reserve
Lieutenant Colonel
20 Years of Service
"My service was extremely rewarding, and it was an honor to serve."
Even though his draft number was 300+ and it was unlikely that he would be drafted, John Thornton enrolled in the ROTC when the Vietnam War was at its height. He was commissioned upon graduation, and after completing Office Basic as a Second Lieutenant, he joined the 489th Engineer Battalion and served 11 years in A Company, including three years as Company Commander.

He was on active duty at Fort Chafee during the Cuban Crisis and served three years with the Battalion Headquarter, Camp Pike, as Assistant S-3 and S-1. He was promoted to Major after moving to 122nd Army Reserve Command as an Operation Readiness Officer over Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. He also served on active duty activating units in Desert Shield and Desert Storm from the Operation Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas and 5th Army Headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.

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