GBA Selected as One of the 'Best Companies to Work For'

Ingram’s magazine has selected GBA as one of the “Best Companies to Work For” in the Kansas City area in 2010. The recognition was announced in the May issue of the publication, which noted that all of the selected companies share a few common traits that elevate them from good to great. According to Ingram’s, “The thread running through this year’s winners – as with past honorees – is that the leadership collectively understands the need to help employees strike a balance in their lives. A great workplace, then, is about more than just work.” 

The article notes that GBA employees enjoy “fun, focus, and fraternity.”

The fun “comes from a corporate culture that engages 180 employees of the company…with special-event potlucks, birthday celebrations, ice-cream socials and sports leagues.”

The focus “comes from a wide range of career-development initiatives meant to improve on client services and staff skill-building.”

And fraternity is “expressed in an array of community-service, volunteer and fund-raising efforts that help set the Lenexa-based company apart.” 

Uniform Interconnection Standard Needed for Kansas

A recent article in The Kansas City Star got our attention. Written by Steve Everly and entitled "Kansas' potential for new energy is getting lost in the wind," it questions Kansas' commitment to wind energy for “community-scale” applications.

Kansas is second only to Texas in its potential for wind energy. But the state has not adopted interconnection standards that would make it easier for individuals, businesses, and communities to install wind turbines. Other states have already adopted these standards and exceed Kansas in installed wind-generating capacity. 

According to the article "Over the years, a hodgepodge of requirements imposed by utilities has made hooking renewable-energy equipment, such as wind turbines, to the electric grid more difficult and expensive. States interested in boosting renewables have been replacing the mishmash with a simpler, easy-to-understand interconnection standard."

Kansas was headed that way, but the Kansas Corporation Commission's staff recommended that, rather than develop a uniform interconnection standard, the details be left up to each individual utility to determine.

Just how all of this will progress is uncertain.  According to the article, KCP&L, the state's second largest utility, objects to uniform standards and believes that system requirements should be decided at the utility level. The Kansas Corporation Commission will hold a hearing about interconnection next month.

Although the amount of energy produced by community-scale applications is small compared with utility-scale wind farms, we support a uniform standard that will encourage the use of all kinds of clean, abundant, and renewable energy sources. Wind energy fits that bill and efforts should be made to encourage its use in Kansas.

GBA’s Energy Studio is a collaboration of architects and engineers dedicated to finding solutions for our clients that conserve energy and utilize renewable energy sources.

Photo courtesy of Norther Power Systems, Inc.

Congratulations to Kiel Johnson, Recognized by KSPE Eastern Chapter as 2010 Outstanding Engineer Intern

Kiel Johnson (above right) has been recognized as the 2010 Outstanding Engineer Intern by the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) – Eastern Chapter. The award, which was presented by Chapter President Adam Stodola (left above), recognizes Kiel’s exceptional service to the organization and the profession. Both Kiel and Adam are highway engineers for GBA. 

"As an Engineer Intern, Kiel has been an extremely valuable and active member of our chapter since joining KSPE in 2007," said Brent Johnson, PE, secretary of the Eastern Chapter.  "Kiel is currently the chapter's chair for the Young Engineers' Committee and has done an outstanding job recruiting young engineers and new members to the chapter."

As a highway engineer for GBA, Kiel provides transportation planning and design for state DOTs and local agencies. He balances his full-time work at GBA with his committment to professional and community service. 

Kiel regularly volunteers his time to both KSPE/NSPE and ASCE's Young Members organizaton.  His activities include work as a MathCounts grader and Future City mentor as well as volunteer activites for Habitat for Humanity, Christmas in October, and Community Emergency Response Teams. In addition, he serves on GBA's Kansas City Corporate Challenge Steering Committee and smokes up some mean pulled pork as one of the founding members of GBA's Genuswine Brisket Authority BBQ team!  Kiel has a BS degree in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University.   

"Kiel consistently demonstrates his commitment to our endeavors and brings a fresh perspective and energy to our chapter..." concludes Brent Johnson. We think he does the same for GBA!  Congratulations to Kiel for this very significant achievement!     

Students from the Shawnee Mission School District Recognized by GBA for Innovation/Engineering Excellence

In his exploration of 3D digital animation, Shawnee Mission West student Linden Stirk (left) took his audience on a journey around the globe. Linden used special effects and filters to best exemplify the climate and landscape of scenes of famous places to create his video animation. The project earned Linden GBA’s award for Outstanding Engineering Performance in Career and Technical Education. Judges noted that his work shows “dedication, creativity, and a thorough understanding of several sophisticated computer programs.”

Parker Henley (right), a 7th grade student at Westridge Middle School, received GBA’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Performance in Science. Parker’s investigation, A Study of Connection Types for a Simple Wooden Truss, studied how different types of truss connections affect the strength of the truss and its resistance to deflecting load under pressure. Parker’s project contained precise diagrams from which he built models to test the strength of the truss. He combined science, mathematics, and engineering to complete this focused study. It is no surprise that Parker is interested in the field of engineering as a career.

GBA’s Suzanne Berkey, Sandra Bachamp, Roman Bachamp, and Dan Abitz had the pleasure of judging these and other innovative entries in this year’s Shawnee Mission School District Research & Development Forum, which was held on April 28 at the Indian Creek Technology Center.

The Forum provides a wonderful opportunity for middle school and high school students from the District to showcase their very best science and technical projects. And as they have in the past, many of the students delivered amazing projects!  

GBA is pleased to recognize these outstanding students! Congratulations to them and to all who participated. The future is in your good hands!

We're #...334! ENR Announces Top 500 Design Firms

Yes we're #334 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms for 2009, up from #413 last year!  The list, published annually in April, ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based design firms—both publically and privately held—based on design-specific revenue. 

According to ENR, the Top 500, taken as a group, had overall design revenue of $80.02 billion in 2009, down 11.7% from 2008’s figure of $90.85 billion. Domestically, Top 500 revenue fell 13.1%—from $68.14 billion in 2008 to $59.22 billion in 2009—while revenue from projects outside the U.S. dropped by 7.3%, from $22.44 billion to $20.80 billion last year.

Click here to read more.

Don Horine to Retire April 30 after 39 Years with GBA; Brad Burton to Take the Helm of the Civil/Site Development Group

Best wishes to Don Horine (above, left), GBA VP and Principal in charge of our Civil/Site Development Group, who will retire on April 30 after 39 illustrious years with the firm!  Senior Associate Brad Burton (right) will assume Don's position as head of the group.

Over the years Don has had a hand in shaping the landscape of communities throughout the KC Metro Area and beyond with projects that include:

• Renner Ridge Corporate Center, a 75-acre business park and mixed-use development in Lenexa, Kansas;
• Executive Park, a 1,200-acre business and industrial park in the Northeast Industrial District of Kansas City, Missouri;
• Southlake Technology Park, a 310-acre planned business park in Lenexa, Kansas;
• Lenexa City Center’s East Village and North Village, new urban mixed-use developments that encompass a total of 77 acres in Lenexa, Kansas;
• The Falls, a 200-acre retail and recreational development in Independence, Missouri;
• The Wilderness, a 460-acre upscale residential community in Overland Park; and
• Sprint World Headquarters Campus, a 200-acre corporate campus in Overland Park, Kansas.

And many, many more!  Don is leaving the Civil/Site Development Group in good hands with Brad at the helm. A 25-year veteran of GBA’s Civil/Site Development Group, he will ensure continuity and continuing excellence as we move forward.

Congratulations to both Don and Brad as they launch into new and exciting endeavors!

The New Era of Suburban Development: Don Horine Shares His Thoughts in CJ Midwest Magazine

GBA’s Don Horine knows his stuff, and that “stuff” was the subject of an article that appeared in the February/March issue of CJ Midwest magazine. As a VP and Principal who heads up our Civil/Site Development Group, Don has worked closely with developers in the Kansas City area and throughout the Midwest. He definitely knows a thing or two about engineering planning and design work for developments of all types.

So when CJ Midwest asked Don to write about changes in suburban development, he jumped at the chance. The essence of the article is that we’re seeing a rapidly changing environment in which the era of sprawl, which began after WWII and lasted, basically, through the end of the 20th century, is being replaced.

The new era embraces “smart growth and encourages sustainability and energy efficiency in all types of development, from the design of conventional, single-use properties to the development of new, mixed-use communities.” What’s more, Don says “many cities and counties are adopting form-based codes as well as mixed-use zoning ordinances and design guidelines intended to control the character of developments rather than to establish land use types.” What’s involved? How have things changed? And how have they stayed the same?  You can read the full article here.