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GarverUSA.com has a new look, and with that comes a new home for the latest news, highlights, and happenings at Garver.

Be sure to bookmark GarverUSA.com/News for all the latest updates regarding Garver projects, employee accomplishments, and more.

Rogers Executive Airport runway recognized for pavement quality

A Garver-led project that provided Rogers Executive Airport with a rehabilitated runway ahead of an already aggressive timetable has won a national award recognizing the project for its pavement quality.

Garver provided planning, environmental, design, and construction phase services for the project that completely rehabilitated Runway 2-20, highlighted by a construction phase that covered eight days and finished 24 hours ahead of schedule. The project was recently awarded the Ray Brown Airport Pavement Award from the National Asphalt Pavement Association for the highest-rated airport pavement in the nation.

“This project has provided a growing airport with a new runway surface that meets a need for its growing client base,” said Garver Project Manager Adam White. “Because of these changes, the airport can now handle a more diverse mix of aircraft, and thanks to a combined effort between Garver’s Aviation and Construction Services teams, the contractor, and airport staff, operations were affected for only a week.”

Rehabilitation of the airport’s lone runway consisted of full reconstruction of the runway keel section and a mill and overlay of the remaining runway surface. With these improvements, Runway 2-20 can now support aircraft up to 100,000 pounds. Construction included 76,000 square yards of milled surface, 14,000 tons of asphalt, 19,000 linear feet of pavement edge drains, and full rehabilitating of the runway lighting circuit, including new four-box LED PAPI systems.

To make sure the airport’s operations were affected as little as possible, Garver’s Construction Services Team worked with personnel from Emory Sapp & Sons around the clock on 12-hour shifts, with daily meetings to address project progress.

To learn more about what Garver’s Aviation Team can do for you, visit www.GarverUSA.com.

Garver congratulates Bert Parker on 40 years

Bert Parker has always been an integral part of Garver’s continued growth, and today we would like to congratulate Bert on his 40^th anniversary with the company!

Currently serving as chief administrative officer, Parker, who joined Garver in 1978, has also served as director of transportation and spent his earliest years on the Bridge and Aviation teams. Over four decades, Parker has helped Garver take on new services, expand into new markets, and in 2017 became just the fifth engineer from Arkansas to be accepted into the ACEC College of Fellows, a distinguished class of engineers selected by their peers for their contributions to the profession.

He has provided oversight and improvements to the expansion of the federal interstate system along with state and local highway projects and, perhaps his largest contribution, served as project manager for the I-540 and Bobby Hopper Tunnel project, the state’s first highway tunnel.

“We’ve been able to thrive as a company because we’ve always had employees with the utmost dedication to us and the profession,” said Garver President and CEO Dan Williams. “I’ve learned a lot from Bert over the years, and I know a lot of others at Garver have, too. Congratulations on 40 years!”

Helena WWTP improvements earn Grand Award

A Garver-led project that helped a wastewater treatment plant adhere to reduced permit limits has earned the Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama. The Helena Wastewater Treatment Plant Design Improvements project earned the award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama’s Engineering Excellence Awards contest. 

The project consisted of multiple improvements that helped the Helena WWTP meet strict effluent discharge limits for total phosphorus. Because it discharges into Buck Creek, reliable performance and operation of the Helena WWTP is essential to maintain the quality of this body of water frequently used by the citizens of Helena and surrounding communities for swimming, wading, canoeing, and fishing.

“The frequent-use of Buck Creek as a recreational destination requires the effluent coming out of this plant to meet stringent, near-reuse requirements,” said Garver Water Team Leader Brian Shannon. “The improvements being made to this plant will uphold the health and diversity of the natural species that inhabit Alabama’s most ecologically diverse river system.”

To help the plant meet the current and future total phosphorous requirements (0.20 mg/L and 0.043 mg/L), Garver first developed a facilities plan that included a plant-wide evaluation of existing treatment processes to identify shortcomings that hinder plant performance. That plan led to phased improvements designed to meet current and future requirements.

Phase 1 of the project, which was completed in September 2017,  included rehabilitation of the existing secondary clarifiers, new tertiary filtration equipment, new chemical storage and feed facilities, and a new UV disinfection process. Because the existing plant hydraulics were limited, the design team had to develop a unique disinfection and post-aeration strategy consisting of closed-vessel, low-pressure UV disinfection followed by a low-profile, cascade aeration system to provide treatment regardless of downstream water level conditions in Buck Creek.

This is the second Grand Award earned by a Garver-led project in the ACEC-Alabama contest. The Tuscumbia Water Treatment Plant and Supply Improvements project earned the Grand Conceptor Award in 2013. That project was the first in the state to use a blended series membrane process after Garver provided project design, funding assistance, bond issue assistance, construction management, and operation support in replacing a 60-year-old plant. The ACEC-Alabama Grand Conceptor Award for 2018 will be announced at the awards presentation in April.

To learn more about what Garver’s Water Team can do for you, visit GarverUSA.com/Water.

Garver, North Arkansas College to team up in providing airport upgrades

Garver, the Boone County Regional Airport, and North Arkansas College have had a working relationships for years, having combined on previous projects that have provided airport upgrades along with valuable experience for the college’s students.

Now, all three are teaming up again, in a project that will create an expanded parking lot near a terminal facility to be completed at no cost to the airport located in Harrison, Arkansas. Thanks to a grant from the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics that will cover engineering and construction costs, Garver will design the expanded parking lot and students at North Arkansas College will provide labor, which will take place during the spring 2018 semester.

The students, who have a history of providing the airport with in-kind services, will construct the earthwork and aggregate base course for the parking lot that will relocate the airport’s growing rental car parking spaces to the newly constructed lot. The expansion will create 43 new spaces for the airport.

 “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways for our clients to fund their projects,” said Project Manager Adam White. “This gives us the best of both worlds: The airport will receive a cost-effective upgrade that relieves stress on its terminal parking areas, and the students at the college get valuable experience working in the field.”

It’s not the first time the three entities teamed up for this type of project delivery. In 2012, a grant from the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics funded a Garver-designed project that delivered a 315-foot-long taxiway and apron that provided access to a new hangar area.

To learn more about what Garver’s Aviation Team can do for you, visit www.GarverUSA.com/Aviation.

Jones, Watts have article published in WER journal

Garver Water Services Director Dr. Steve Jones and Water Reuse Practice Leader Dr. Michael Watts co-authored recently an article published in the Water Environment Research journal that highlighted the continued need for the development of alternatives to meet public water demands.

Titled “A Nanofiltration Decision Tool for Potable Reuse: A New Rejection Model for Recalcitrant CECs,” Jones and Watts touched on the need for new strategies for sustaining public water portfolios amidst population growth and drought. The objective of the research outlined in the article was to verify the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in reuse rejection performance, and to conceive a decision tool for selection of either nanofiltration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treatment for potable reuse.

“Public water supplies in the United States have historically originated from relatively pristine sources, but the increased pressure of population growth and lifestyle changes coupled with prolonged drought are stressing these supplies in many communities,” the article states. “New strategies are needed to help meet water demands and develop more sustainable water supplies.”

Read the entire article by logging into the WER website here.

To learn more about how Garver’s Water Team is helping to address a growing water crisis, visit GarverUSA.com/Water.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson visits Garver's Fayetteville office

Since its founding in 1919, Garver’s priority has been to deliver the communities in which it operates the most innovative and efficient infrastructure solutions. The key to fulfilling that mission is the sharing of ideas with elected officials on how to advance infrastructure even further.

Garver appreciates the visit made by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who toured our Fayetteville office recently while learning about our continued improvement of Arkansas through aviation, transportation, water, and other projects. Roughly half of our nearly 500 employees live and work in Arkansas, so our dedication to providing communities with sound work is of utmost importance and is backed by decades of positive results.

“We always enjoy opportunities to trade thoughts and ideas on how to improve the infrastructure in Arkansas, which in turn helps make our home state an even better place to live and work than it already is,” said Garver Chief Operating Officer Brock Hoskins. “That focus won’t ever change at 

Garver, and we know the Governor’s intentions are the same.”

Runway rehabilitation project honored by ACEC-Kansas

An innovative approach to runway rehabilitation never before performed at a Kansas airport that resulted in cost savings and reduced construction time has been honored by the American Council of Engineering companies of Kansas with an Engineering Excellence Award.

The rehabilitation of Runway 13-31 at Strother Field Airport in Cowley County, Kansas was originally scheduled to be completed by traditional methods, with the milling of the existing bituminous surface and constructing a bituminous overlay. But Garver had to come up with an innovative alternative when it was determined the runway, one of two at the airport, had deteriorated to a condition that would not withstand such construction methods. Instead, Garver developed a solution to improve the pavement condition, preserve capacity, sustain access, and maintain the project budget to overhaul a runway that helps serve GE Engine Services, the last jet engine overhaul facility based in North America.

“This project highlights what we like to do best at Garver,” said Kansas Aviation Team Leader Mark Williams. “By finding an innovative solution to a complex problem, our Aviation Team not only developed an alternative to Strother Field’s current issue, but we created another option for similar projects in the future.”

Garver’s solution included reclaiming the existing bituminous surface course to serve as a stabilized base course for a new bituminous surface course, which required collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to gain approval of technical specifications. The FAA-approved strategy reduced project costs, and runway closure-time, while improving the pavement condition and maintaining access to GE Engine Services.

In addition, Garver developed a bituminous pavement specification that incorporated the material requirements of the Kansas Department of Transportation specifications with the construction methods required by the FAA. These specifications can now be used on future airfield bituminous paving projects in Kansas.

To learn more about Garver’s Aviation Team, visit www.GarverUSA.com/Aviation.

GarverGives contribution boosts hospital drive

In what has become an annual holiday tradition, a GarverGives donation from Garver’s Jackson, Mississippi office benefited a toy drive held by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks Conservation Officers in support of a local children’s hospital.

A group of 10 employees in Garver’s Jackson office presented a $3,300 check that went to the Conservation Officers' “Stuff the Truck” toy drive, which was organized to provide support to the child life specialists at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson.

“As a father of two children, and the colleague of other parents, we share a common belief in helping Mississippi’s children any chance we get,” said Project Manager Wayne Black. “If we can help them take their minds off the situations that they are in – even for a short time – that is money well spent.”

It is the second consecutive year in which Garver has contributed to the Conservation Officers' event that benefits Mississippi’s lone children’s hospital. The “Stuff the Truck” drive supports the hospital’s annual toy drive that is put on by its child life specialists, who strive to provide education, support, and joy during each patient’s hospital stay.

To learn more about Garver’s charitable giving, visit www.GarverUSA.com/GarverGives.

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture publishes Neal Garver biography

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, an online resource operated by the Central Arkansas Library System, published recently a biography of Neal Garver, the founder of this company, which touches on his early life on the family farm in Iowa, his time at Iowa State University, his arrival in Arkansas, and some of the company’s earliest achievements.

Garver worked in Toledo, Ohio, and as a professor of structural engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before reporting in June 1918 to Little Rock, Arkansas, to aid the country’s war effort. He and two engineering colleagues arrived to supervise the construction of a picric acid plant southeast of Little Rock, which was to be used to manufacture munitions during World War I. By the time the war ended that November, before the plant could become operational, Garver had already decided to stay in Little Rock to help improve the infrastructure in a state that, at the time, had few engineers.

“Architects were here in sufficient number to design buildings, but few could design complicated structural features,” Garver wrote in his unpublished autobiography.

In 1919, as the firm’s lone employee in the Gazette Building in downtown Little Rock, Garver started what has grown since into a multi-disciplined firm with offices in 10 states and nearly 500 employees.

Read the entire entry here.

GarverGives donation aids Oklahoma homeless shelter

A relationship between Garver’s Norman, Oklahoma, office and a local homeless shelter began three years ago, when employees began helping retrieve donations for the shelter to use for the meals it makes daily.

A total of 11 employees from the Norman office exceeded that help to Food and Shelter, Inc., recently with a donation that will assist in its daily contributions to the homeless community. GarverGives matched employees' efforts with a $1,320 donation presented last month to Food and Shelter, and will go to aid the soup kitchen and shelter program’s quest to provide daily meals and consistent housing.

“We’re proud to work with Food and Shelter, which has been such a vital part of this city for decades,” said Project Manager Amanda Way. “We’re part of this community in every way, and we cherish the opportunities to partner with an organization that provides the city with such a vital service.”

Garver employees donated more than 56 hours of time to Food and Shelter in 2017, picking up donated goods from two area coffee shops and a grocery store, while some also helped serve breakfast. Employees also donated $400 on Giving Tuesday last November.

Food and Shelter, a fully operational soup kitchen and shelter program founded in 1983, serves the homeless community in Norman breakfast and lunch each day, and provides short-term, long-term, and supportive housing for homeless individuals and families.

To learn more about Garver's charitable giving, visit www.GarverUSA.com/GarverGives.

ACEC-Texas honors Garver-led Master Plan project

A Garver-led project that will help assess alternatives and improve operational efficiency for decades has earned one of the industry’s highest honors from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas.

The Trinity River Authority of Texas (TRA) Central Regional Wastewater System (CRWS) Master Plan and Modeling project earned a Gold Medal recently in the studies, research, and consulting engineering services category of ACEC-Texas’ Engineering Excellence Awards. 

In the most detailed evaluation ever completed at the CRWS treatment plant, the Garver team evaluated plant capabilities, capacities, and treatment paradigms; projected future flows and loadings; and anticipated regulatory requirements, completed processes and hydraulic modeling assessments while delivering a new plant process model and a new hydraulic model.

“This was a large undertaking for both the Garver team and TRA,” said Garver Texas Water Team Leader Jeff Sober. “Because the $470 million CIP has a significant impact on customer cities and the facility, it was critical for the process to include the input of all possible stakeholders, and a constant line of communication was crucial throughout the entire process.”

The key to the project’s success was Garver’s development of stop gaps that helped determine if there were any unidentified items to evaluate or unintended consequences.  The final Master Plan was the result of a 22-month effort that developed 39 capital improvement projects. Each project evaluation included life cycle cost analysis, uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulations, and non-economic evaluations, all of which will help provide recommendations on capital planning and operations and maintenance for the facility to manage 405 million gallons per day of flow.

To learn more about what Garver’s Water Team can do for you, visit www.GarverUSA.com/Water.