Garver Launch Preps for Next Round of Interns

As 2016 comes to a close, Garver’s intern development program is searching for its next round of participants. In 2016, the program welcomed 28 summer interns from 14 different universities to learn more about the company and the roles working engineers play on a daily basis.

“When you’re young, just getting started in your career, you’re eager to get to work,” said Garver Chief Operating Officer Brock Hoskins. “Garver Launch gives our interns real-world experience working on current design projects so that if they come to work for us later, they’ll be ready to contribute on day one.”

A volunteer committee of Garver employees drives the Garver Launch program, which focuses on three key areas: intern recruitment, intern experience, and intern retention. Beyond hands-on learning experiences, the interns meet for regular lunches and outings with peers and company leaders.

“Some companies think they’re doing interns a favor by hiring them, but Garver approaches the experience with a mindset that we’re forging a relationship with someone who might be running the company 30 years down the road,” said Recruiter Wren Ward. “We want them to immediately experience what makes Garver great.”

To learn more about Garver’s internship opportunities for 2017, visit www.GarverUSA.com/JoinUs.

Garver's Huntsville Office Hosts Chili Cook-off

Garver’s Huntsville, Alabama office recently hosted a chili and soup cook-off for its clients and employees, complete with Garver-branded party favors and an awards presentation.

“Everybody loves a good bowl of chili,” said Project Manager Matthew Burgess, who brought home the trophy for Best Decorated Station.

Employees from the Birmingham office also participated in the event, which is quickly becoming a favorite annual tradition in Garver’s Alabama offices.

“It’s a good opportunity to get out of the workplace setting and hang out with people you do business with,” Matthew said.

Garver Believes in Community Impact

We recently worked with a meal-packing nonprofit at our annual meeting to pack over 27,000 meals for Northwest Arkansas. The process opened our eyes to the level of hunger that exists within our company footprint.

When we open a Garver office in a community, we become a part of that community. We don't just work there, we live there. Our vested interest in the local community means we want our neighbors to thrive, and to do that, we've got to come together to fight hunger.

This holiday season, we're doing our part by making a financial donation to regional hunger relief organizations within our footprint.

Merry Christmas!

ACEC Recognizes Canine Training Facility Project

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas recently awarded Garver an Engineering Excellence Award in the Structural Systems category for its Training Center for the TSA’s National Explosives Detection Canine Training Program at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

To accomplish the design and construction of the new 25,054 square-foot facility, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fort Worth District formed a partnership between the USACE, TSA Training Team at Lackland Air Force Base, and the Joint Base San Antonio Civil Engineering Team. Garver worked to provide a space designed to support the partnership’s mission: to train and certify highly effective explosives detection canine teams.

The Canine Training Center was designed with sustainability in mind. Through the selection of some of the most energy-efficient, state-of-the-art water fixtures currently manufactured, water use in the facility was reduced by approximately 48% in contrast to comparable facilities. Due to the hot Texas sun, a holistically aware native and drought-tolerant plant palette and an efficient irrigation system were integrated, reducing landscape water use by over 99%.

Visit GarverUSA.com to discover what Garver can do for your structural needs.

Garver Publishes IQ Magazine Volume 8 Issue 3

Read the  online edition  of the newest IQ, which features:

Director's Insight
Recruiting Quality, Not Quantity
In this issue of IQ, you'll find an article about Garver's Construction Services Team. While the article highlights our Runway Status Lighting Project, it's really about how we recruited the right person.

I-40 at I-430 Interchange
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Interchange Modifications
During both the morning and evening peak time periods, significant traffic congestion occurred at the interchange of interstates 40 and 430, causing delayed—and potentially unsafe—travel for motorists. The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) teamed with Garver to develop plans to improve the interchange on a compressed schedule.

BNA Geothermal Cooling System
Nashville, Tennessee
Innovative Solution
Nashville International Airport (BNA) recently converted an abandoned rock quarry adjacent to its runway into the largest geothermal cooling system of its kind in North America, which will save the airport $430,000 per year in energy costs.

Runway Status Lights Inspection
Various Locations
Construction Oversight
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded Saab Sensis Corporation a multi-year contract to inspect runway safety lights at various airports across the country. They've subcontracted with larger firms in the past to provide construction oversight, but when it came to their latest projects—at John F. Kennedy International Airport and San Francisco International Airport—they chose to work with Garver.

Madison County Water Supply
Madison County, Alabama
Modeling to Perfection
Garver designed the first-ever water model for Madison County, Alabama, including 1,100 miles of water lines, more than 10,000 pipes, and it supplies 28,000 customers. When the model revealed that the county would soon lose the rights to a well that supplies the northwest portion of the county, Garver developed an improvements plan to offset the shortfall.

Garver Team Competes in 200-mile Race

Employees from three different Garver offices recently teamed up to compete in Outback in the Ozarks, a 200-mile overnight relay race in Northwest Arkansas. The Garver Team finished the course after over 33 hours of running.

“It was exhausting, but it was a great opportunity to bond with some of my coworkers from different offices,” said Project Manager Jordan Culver. “It’s definitely something I want to do again.”

One of the reasons Zweig Group recently named Garver the top firm to work for in its multi-discipline category, is because of the company’s encouragement of health and wellness. Visit the GarverUSA.com/JoinUs to discover how you can join the Garver Team!

Congratulations to Garver’s Outback in the Ozarks team!

• Barton, Toby
• Culver, Jordan
• Grotjohn, James
• Grotjohn, John
• Hendrix, Derrick
• Jones, Jeff
• Kruger, Kyle
• Mach, Mary Elizabeth
• McAbee, Bill
• Nick, Laura
• Rangel, Kenneth
• Roberson, Beverly

Sallee Named to OSU's CIVE Advisory Board

Garver Project Manager Jenny Sallee recently joined the Oklahoma State University School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CIVE) Advisory Board. 

The university relies on the board to bridge the gap between engineering education and engineering practice. Jenny and the rest of the board will work to provide guidance that will enhance CIVE’s curriculum, as well as other parts of the program.

“It’s a chance to make a difference in the future of engineering, and to ensure the next crop of engineers are prepared for the industry that eagerly awaits them,” Jenny said. “I’m honored to be offered the opportunity and look forward to giving back to a program that gave me so much.”

Jenny, an OSU Engineering alum, formerly worked to regularly provide the student's perspective to the very advisory board she will now sit on for the next four years.

"To come full circle has given me the unique opportunity to help shape engineering education and the profession from both ends," she said.

Garver Honors America's Veterans

Garver honors and gives thanks to all the men and women who have served our country, as well as those who continue to serve our country through the nation’s military services. Today, we recognize those veterans who previously served our country to provide a safer nation and who now serve Garver in our mission to provide that same nation with sound infrastructure.

Thank you, veterans.

Wade Carpenter, Senior Project Surveyor, Survey
Guy Choate, Corporate Editor, Marketing
Colin Cordell, Intern, Information Technology
Darold Davis, Senior Project Manager, Transportation
Michael Hall, Technician, Water
Perry Havenar, Senior Planner, Aviation
Steve Haynes, Senior Project Manager, Transportation
Matt Koss, Project Manager, Aviation
Jerry Martin, Project Engineer, Water
Bryan Melton, Project Manager, Facilities Design
Melissa Mixon, Technician, Transportation
Jim Morris, Senior Construction Engineer, Construction
Robert Mullen, Construction Observer, Construction
Randall Richards, Project Engineer, Aviation
Lucio Rivas, Construction Observer, Construction
Jennifer Russell, Senior Project Manager, Transportation
Wallace Smith, Director of Federal Services, Federal
Kevin Sullivan, Senior Designer, Facilities Design
Jim Ward, Senior Construction Observer, Construction
Jeremy Weiland, Project Manager, Aviation
Dan Williams, President and CEO
Wendell Williams, Senior Construction Observer, Construction

IES Establishes Fayetteville Section, Names Gilbreath President

With the formation of its Fayetteville Chapter, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) established its second Arkansas section. Garver Aviation Electrical Leader Bart Gilbreath has been appointed to serve as the section’s first president.

The Fayetteville Section will work locally to support the IES's mission, which is "to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public."

Among his first duties as leader, Bart plans to establish bylaws and operating procedures for the section and focus on the organization’s growth at the local level. He also thinks it’s important for the chapter to get involved and attend regional and national meetings and leadership development conferences.

“For us to really succeed in the organization’s purpose, we’ve got to get as many professionals involved in things on a bigger scale,” Bart said. “I want to see more local designers, engineers, and firms submitting to illumination design awards, which will not only make them look good, but it will also showcase the owners and great community we’ve got in Northwest Arkansas.”

The section also named Garver Project Engineer Jared Parr the chair of Emerging Professionals, a position that will involve reaching out to high schools, universities, and new professionals to advocate IES involvement and IES section recruiting.

Garver Encourages You to Vote

The joy of living in a democracy is that every citizen has the opportunity to participate in government. One of the ways each of us participates is through going to our polling station on Election Day and casting a ballot for the ideas or candidates we think government should embrace. Garver encourages you to take part in shaping the democracy that governs our lives. You have a voice, and voting is your chance to use it, so educate yourself regarding the current candidates and voting issues. For non-partisan information about candidates and issues in your area, visit VoteSmart.org.

Early voting is already underway in most areas, so you can vote any time between now and November 8. Check your local listings for details.

Garver Volunteers Provide 27,000 Meals for NWA

Over 100 Garver employees recently volunteered at the company’s annual meeting to prepare over 27,000 meals for hungry families in Northwest Arkansas.

The volunteer event was organized by Pack Shack, a local organization committed to fighting hunger, which specializes in creating a fun atmosphere and friendly competition to reach its goal of preparing large amounts of food in a short period of time.

“The Pack Shack party was a fun way to bond with coworkers in the name of a good cause,” said Project Engineer Kevin Geoghegan. “We raced each other to feed people, and nobody loses in a race like that.”

Learn more about Garver’s charitable giving by visiting GarverUSA.com/GarverGives.

Carpenter and Hetzel Win Spirit of Garver Awards

As part of Summit 2016, Garver presented two employees each with a Spirit of Garver Award for their outstanding achievements and contribution to the company over the past year. Spirit of Garver nominees exhibit passion, dedication, and leadership as they aid their teams in pursuing Garver’s goals of being a strong, respected, and profitable company.

The selection committee chose Wade Carpenter and Jon Hetzel to receive the Spirit of Garver Award, which carries with it a cash prize. Ten others were chosen from among many nominees to be recognized as finalists for what is the highest employee honor within the company.

Wade serves as a senior project surveyor with the Garver’s Huntsville, Alabama Survey Team, while Jon serves in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office as communications manager for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department's Connecting Arkansas Program.

Congratulations to our Spirit of Garver winners, our finalists, and our nominees.

Employees Gather in NWA for Garver Summit 2016

Some 250 employees from across the Garver footprint recently gathered in Northwest Arkansas to participate in Garver Summit 2016, the company’s sixth annual meeting. Garver is headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas, but its Fayetteville office has played an integral role in the company since it opened in 1993. Its proximity to the University of Arkansas has allowed Garver to recruit a continuous flow of new talent while also allowing Garver’s Water Design Center to work with the University to research and develop new solutions to problems the world’s growing water crisis has presented.

While in Northwest Arkansas employees attended a dinner at Walmart’s Arkansas Music Pavilion where Garver executives discussed the company’s accomplishments over the past year and how the company hopes to accomplish its goals in the upcoming years.

“I’m asking you to continue to give Garver your best,” President and CEO Dan Williams told employees. “Pull out our vision every once in a while and read it. Ask yourself what you’re doing to further that vision.”

In addition to attending the dinner and business meetings, Garver employees were welcomed by Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack at the University of Arkansas’s indoor track and field facilities, where they engaged in an intense team-building competition.

For more photos of Garver Summit 2016, check out Garver’s Facebook page here.

Garver Employees Enjoy the Summer

At Garver, we value a healthy work-life balance. We see our employees enjoying work every day, but how do they enjoy life after working hours? Some went on trips, some spent time with family and friends, and quite a few enjoyed a summer of love by getting engaged or married. Now that fall is officially here, let's take a look at a few adventures our employees experienced over the summer.

Payroll Administrator Julie Pruss went to Gulf Shores, Alabama!


Project engineer Marius Kabera jumped out of a plane!


Project Engineer Natalie Krager explored Engineer Mountain in Colorado!


For more of our employees' summer adventures, check out the rest of the photos on our Facebook page.

Russell Presents at INCOSE in Scotland

Garver Senior Project Manager Jennifer Russell recently presented a paper at the International Symposium of the International Council on Systems Engineering in Edinburgh, Scotland entitled “Therapy for Projects.”

She wrote the paper with employees of Rolls Royce after they discovered a shared interest in the psychology of teams. In this paper, the team converted the language used to evaluate and treat individual psychological conditions so that it could be applied to projects.

“We created an evaluation tool for project teams to find potential solutions to their challenges," said Jennifer, who has a degree in engineering psychology. “The solutions are based on years of research into individual psychology applied to projects as a whole.”

“This is the first step in testing the application of individual psychology to a whole project,” she said, “but it’s resonating with project teams. We are looking forward to validating the effectiveness of the recommendations.”  

To learn more, contact Jennifer at JLRussell@GarverUSA.com.

MES Elects Altobelli, Black to Leadership Roles

In a statewide election, the Mississippi Engineering Society recently chose Garver Senior Project Manager Nick Altobelli to serve as president of the organization. Project Manager Wayne Black will serve as secretary-treasurer-elect before serving a term as secretary-treasurer.

“I’ve been in the engineering profession in this state for a long time and I’m excited to have this leadership opportunity to advance the field for the future of Mississippi,” Nick said.

The Mississippi Engineering Society is chartered by the National Society of Professional Engineers and works to protect and promote the profession of engineering as a social and economic influence vital to the affairs of society and the United States. Both Nick and Wayne will serve one-year terms.

Mississippi is just one of many places where Garver employees are serving in leadership roles of professional organizations all across the Garver footprint.

Garver Aids in Founding New MOVITE Chapter

Garver recently aided in the formal establishment of an Arkansas chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) by hosting a meeting that featured ITE International Vice President Shawn Leight.

The new chapter will fall under the umbrella of the Missouri Valley ITE Section and work in Arkansas to promote ITE’s mission of facilitating “the application of technology and scientific principles to research, planning, functional design, implementation, operation, policy development and management for any mode of ground transportation.”

“We already have an active network of Arkansas transportation engineers, planners, consultants, educators, and researchers, but forming our own local chapter here will strengthen that network and allow our industry to better serve the community,” said Garver Traffic Team Leader Nicci Tiner.

Click here to learn more about what Garver's traffic services can do for you.

Zweig Group Names Garver to 2016 Hot Firm List

For the sixth year in a row, Garver is ranked in the Zweig Group Hot Firm List, which recognizes the 100 fastest-growing engineering, architecture, planning, and environmental consulting firms in the United States and Canada.

The Hot Firm List recognizes the nation's top 100 firms that have "outperformed the economy and competitors to become leaders in their chosen fields." Firms are ranked according to their three-year growth rate in gross revenue, with half of the ranking based on percentage growth and 50 percent on dollar growth.

This year Garver lands at #32 on the list, up from #50 last year.

“We’ve been able to sustain this rate of growth because we’re making well-thought-out decisions about that growth and we’re doing it with the right people in place,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Williams. “And it’s just as important to me that we’re growing in a way that makes our employees happy—this year Zweig named us the #1 best multi-disciplined firm to work for in the United States.”

Find out how you can join the Garver Team by visiting GarverUSA.com/JoinUs.

Garver Softball Team Wins Championship

Garver’s Fayetteville office summer league softball team recently won the 2016 championship. After finishing the regular season fifth of six teams, no one predicted they would rally to win the end-of-season tournament, but that’s exactly what they did by winning three games in a row, to include a victory against the top-seeded team.

“We battled scheduling conflicts all season long, which kept us from being able to play a full roster, but we were able to get everyone together for the tournament,” said Team Captain Zach Moore. “Our play in the field was solid and our bats came alive at the plate. Andy [Pruitt] went an impressive eight for nine in the tournament.”

This year marked the team’s ninth season, and its first championship.

Visit the Garver Athletes album on our Facebook page for more photos of more of our employee athletes.

RCC Earns "Best-Tasting Water" Honors

Russellville, Arkansas’s City Corporation (RCC) recently won the 2016 People’s Choice Award for "Best-Tasting Water" at the annual American Water Works Association (AWWA) in Chicago after conference attendees judged 23 winning samples from all across the country.

RCC previously won awards for best-tasting water in the state, as well as the three-state region (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma), which qualified them to compete in Chicago.

“The infrastructure City Corp is using provides them with an outstanding water source and the means to deliver extremely high-quality drinking water to the people of Russellville and surrounding communities,” said Project Manager Aaron Stallmann.

Garver has served as City Corp’s water treatment plant consulting engineer for more than 30 years and was responsible for designing multiple expansion/optimization projects at the plant, as well as the water supply reservoir that holds nearly 6 billion gallons of water on more than 500 acres.

Congratulations to RCC for its deserved recognition!

2016 Spirit of Garver Finalists Named

Each year Garver chooses two Spirit of Garver Award winners—one from the technical side of the house and one from the administrative side—who will receive company-wide acknowledgment as well as a cash bonus. The award recognizes employees for outstanding achievements and contribution to the company while exhibiting passion, dedication, and leadership as they aid their teams in pursuing Garver’s goals of being a strong, respected, and profitable company.

Employees are initially nominated for the Spirit of Garver Award by someone within the company, and then a selection committee narrows the list down to 10 finalists who are interviewed before the winners are chosen in October.

The following nominees have been named finalists for this year’s award.


Administrative:

Julie Pruss serves as payroll administrator in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office. She’s been with the company for four years.

Marie O’Quinn serves as a marketing coordinator in our Kansas City, Missouri office. She’s been with the company for two years.

Jon Hetzel serves as Arkansas Highway Transportation Department communications manager in our North Little Rock, Arkansas office. He’s been with the company for 10 years.                


Technical:

Scott McReynolds serves as a project manager on our Fayetteville, Arkansas Aviation Team. He’s been with the company for three years.

Zac Simpson serves as a project manager on our Frisco, Texas Aviation Team. He’s been with the company for a total of 10 years.

Robert Mullen serves as a senior construction observer on our Tulsa, Oklahoma Construction Team. He’s been with the company for four years.

Joe Orloff serves as an architect, based in Austin, Texas, on our Facilities Design Team. He’s been with the company for five years.

Wade Carpenter serves as a senior project surveyor on our Huntsville, Alabama Survey Team. He’s been with the company for 28 years.          

Mason Atkinson serves as a project manager on our North Little Rock, Arkansas Transportation Team. He’s been with the company for 12 years.

Rama Dhanikonda serves as a project manager on our Frisco, Texas Transportation Team. He’s been with the company for two years.    

Evan Tromble serves as water technology leader on our Norman, Oklahoma Water Team. He’s been with the company for five years.

Jonathan White serves as a project manager on our Fayetteville, Arkansas Water Team. He’s been with the company for a total of six years.


Congratulations to all of our 2016 Spirit of Garver Award finalists!