About the show

Welcome to the GBA Podcast, where we present information and expertise from geoprofessionals around the globe to provide you with wisdom and insight to help in your pursuit of knowledge.
 
GBA was founded over 50 years ago to serve geotechnical, environmental, and other geoprofessionals by giving them proven tools to achieve business success by confronting risk and optimizing performance.

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Episodes

  • #1 - Leadership Lounge - How to Communicate Like a Hostage Negotiator

    February 27th, 2024  |  1 hr 1 min
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    In the Leadership Lounge, hosts Tiffany Vorhies and Ryan White have conversations with business coaches and share ideas to elevate your team. Have you ever wondered how a skilled coach might be able to help you or your firm? Well, you're in the right place! In each episode we sit down with a business coach who shares their tools, insights, and practical tips. From personal coaches to strategy planning specialists and even a hostage negotiator who coaches on listening.

  • #1 - Management Best Practices - How to Have Tough Conversations

    February 20th, 2024  |  1 hr 5 mins
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    Becoming a manager or supervisor is an important step in many people’s professional careers, and it introduces a set of new responsibilities that they may not have had in their prior role. The Management Best Practices series highlights a handful of those responsibilities, the challenges that can go along with them, and best practices for navigating through them. The episodes in this series will provide valuable advice for new as well as seasoned managers or supervisors.

  • #93 - Case History - $150M Near Miss

    March 28th, 2023  |  18 mins 2 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

  • #109 - Case History - We Were Hacked

    January 10th, 2023  |  18 mins 35 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

  • #3 - Diversity Equity Inclusion - Allies in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    October 19th, 2021  |  56 mins 15 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term often used in the workplace, but its meaning is often not well understood. People often mistakenly think that, with the creation of a diverse workplace, inclusion will automatically follow. Yet, inclusion should exist in tandem; it’s the climate where diversity thrives.

    In this episode of the DEI series, we will be discussing allies in diversity, equity, and inclusions. Allies can be essential to drive systemic improvements to workplace policies, practices, and culture. But what does it mean to be an ally? How can allies impact the recruitment process? What effect does allyship have on the retention of employees? And what can we do to create more allies?

  • #2 - Diversity Equity Inclusion - Understanding Your Workforce

    October 4th, 2021  |  52 mins 9 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term often used in the workplace, but its meaning is often not well understood. People often mistakenly think that, with the creation of a diverse workplace, inclusion will automatically follow. Yet, inclusion should exist in tandem; it’s the climate where diversity thrives.

    In this episode, we will be discussing the how other professions tackle diversity, equity, and inclusions within their organizations and the importance of understanding the needs of your workforce in relation to diversity and inclusion.

  • #105 - Case History - Friends Don't Sue Friends….Most of the Time

    September 21st, 2021  |  32 mins 44 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

  • #86 - Case History - Dream Home or Nightmare instead?

    September 7th, 2021  |  28 mins 42 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. This episode in the series explores Case History #64 where the GBA Member Firm's civil engineer client erred when transferring information from the member's report to a set of plans. Serious problems resulted.

  • #1 - Diversity Equity Inclusion - Pipeline Into the Geoprofessions

    April 6th, 2021  |  52 mins 39 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, dei, diversity, environmental, equity, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer, inclusion

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term often used in the workplace, but its meaning is often not well understood. People often mistakenly think that, with the creation of a diverse workplace, inclusion will automatically follow. Yet, inclusion should exist in tandem; it’s the climate where diversity thrives.

    In this episode, we will be discussing the findings presented in the article titled: The Pipeline to Diversity and Inclusion in the Geoprofessions which was published in the 2020 November/December Edition of GeoStrata magazine. Focusing first on diversity reveals that the geosciences are the least diverse of all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the U.S.

  • #64 - Case History - Good communication is key to a successful project!

    March 23rd, 2021  |  37 mins 35 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. This episode in the series explores Case History #64 where the GBA Member Firm's civil engineer client erred when transferring information from the member's report to a set of plans. Serious problems resulted.

  • #103 - Case History - Nuked in the Bud!

    March 9th, 2021  |  16 mins
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. GBA Case Histories are unique because our members share real-life stories of problems that impacted their businesses. They also include the outcomes of corrective action, and lessons learned.

    This episode in the series explores Case History #103. After three destroyed gauges and numerous other violations, a Member-Firm was facing civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and revocation of their license to own and/or operate nuclear gauges. They paid a $150,000 settlement but more importantly developed a compliance program hailed as “a model for the industry”. Learn from their mistakes and from their commitment to change their culture through immediate action to create, test, launch, and monitor sustainable, institutional controls to address the underling causes of the violations, as well as specific regulatory compliance issues. Every Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) must hear this!

  • #108 - Case History - Out of Scope Assistance Causes Problem

    February 23rd, 2021  |  46 mins 49 secs
    case histories, civil engineering, comet, environmental, gba, gba podcast, geoprofessional, geotechnical, geotechnical engineer

    GBA has published over 100 case histories based on real-life events that have happened to geoprofessional firms. This episode in the series explores Case History #108, where a GBA-Member Firm provided suggested changes to a sewer pipe design in order to keep construction moving forward on a five-story senior-living facility. Four years later, swelling clays caused the sewer line to back-up and the lower-level slab began showing heaving related distress. That good deed with other project related complications resulted in a $25 million claim that required an extensive defense of contract limitations of liability, standards of care, and project documentation.