Senior leaders of GBA Member firms have been invited to attend Pop-Up Town Hall meetings over the last couple months in response to the dynamic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss issues that impact geoprofessional firms. Panels of experts have discussed operational issues, health and safety, and leadership through these unprecedented times. GBA hopes to address its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

GBA addresses its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

Our panel:

• Joel Carson host and GBA Executive Director – Link to Profile
• Craig Hill, President/CEO at Earth Systems, Inc. - [Link to Profile]
• June Jewell, CPA - AEC Business Success Expert, Speaker, Author - [Link to Profile]
• Michael Yost, COVID Task Force Lead for Terracon - [Link to Profile]

Topics for discussion include:

• What are member firms doing to prepare employees for an eventual return to the office? [min 3:30]
• What are member firms doing to prepare their facilities to ensure they are safely prepared to reopen? [min 12:25]
• What are member firms hearing from their employees and their desire to go back to the office? [min 21:31]
• How do you come up with a companywide plan to open back up when you have offices across the United States? [29:28]
• What changes do you see in the long term, past Covid-19 that may change what geo professional firms will do in the future? [min 36:55]
• Cont… How might this effect office leases? [42:25]
• How do you continue to stress covid safe behavior with your work force especially when they may see difference behaviors on job sites, around their community, and they themselves may have different views on the topic? [min 46:20]
• The big silver lining in all of this…? [min 50:35]
• How are you handling travel, both business and personal? [min 54:25]
• What are you member firms doing about conference rooms? [min 55:56]

Calls-to-action:

• Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for more information about Covid-19 resources and/or to become a member
• Visit the GBA Website for training resources and reference material for professional development that could be helpful during a slow time.
• Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes
• Contact us at info@geoprofessional.org with any podcast-related questions or comments

This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principle/Geotechnical Engineering Group Manger/PBS Engineering and Environmental
• Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP-2 – Chief Consultant/SME
• Donald K. Blackburn, MBA – Business Manager/Blackburn Consulting
• Shawn Leyva, PE – Associate Senior Engineer/Crawford & Associates

GBA Members from the Emerging Leaders Class have been invited to attend this Pop-Up Town Hall meeting hosted by Executive Director Joel Carson in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on geo-professional firms. In this episode, GBA’s newest leaders discuss COVID Concerns with Joel to cover its impact with co-workers, supervisors, and clients.

GBA addresses its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

Our panel:

• Joel Carson host and GBA Executive Director – Link to Profile
• Abigayle Teller, Project Manager (Terracon) - LinkedIn Profile
• Tiffany Vorhies, Senior Associate & Vice President (SME) - LinkedIn Profile
• Ryan White, Principal & Geotech Group Manager (PBS Engineering & Environmental) - LinkedIn Profile

Topics for discussion include:

• What’s been the biggest challenge for you with the new “work from home” situation? [min 3:54]
• What guidance do you (Tiffany) have for people working from home? [min 7:28]
• Now that you (Abby & Ryan) have been working from home exclusively, will your “work from home” habits change post-COVID? [min 11:15]
• What communication methods are being used to reach your supervisor, co-workers, and those that report to you? [min 14:45]
• How have you adapted to your client’s needs? [min 23:51]
• Are you seeing tension between your client’s senior members and their project managers? [min 30:15]
• Recognizing that most of our audience is mostly geo-professional leaders, what changes do you see happening to the way firms do business post-COVID? [min 33:45]
• What do you miss most about going into the office? [min 39:00]
• The big silver lining in all of this (COVID) is ? [min 43:47]
• Do you have any clients that are slowing down their spending, aka using this pandemic as an opportunity to not pay? [min 47:25]
• What are some challenges of on-boarding new employees? [min 50:56]

Calls-to-action:

• Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for more information about Covid-19 resources and/or to become a member
• Visit the GBA Website for training resources and reference material for professional development that could be helpful during a slow time.
• Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes
• Contact us at info@geoprofessional.org with any podcast-related questions or comments

This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principle/Geotechnical Engineering Group Manger/PBS Engineering and Environmental
• Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP-2 – Chief Consultant/SME
• Donald K. Blackburn, MBA – Business Manager/Blackburn Consulting
• Shawn Leyva, PE – Associate Senior Engineer/Crawford & Associates

Senior leaders of GBA Member firms have been invited to attend Pop-Up Town Hall meetings each of the past three weeks in response to the dynamic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss issues that impact geoprofessional firms. Panels of experts have discussed operational issues, health and safety, and leadership through these unprecedented times. GBA hopes to address its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

Our Panel:

• Joel Carson (host and GBA Executive Director – Link to Profile)
• John Doehring, Author, Speaker, Consultant & Founder of J. Doehring & Company - LinkedIn Profile
• Bob Kelleher, Author, Speaker, & Founder of The Employee Engagement Group - LinkedIn Profile
• Gerry Salontai, CEO at Salontai Consulting Group - LinkedIn Profile

Topics for discussion include:

• What are communication best practices. [min 3:45]
• Are strategic plans still applicable or should member firms go back to the drawing board? [min 11:16]
• What should leaders be doing differently now, both to cope with the current situation and to plan to thrive past the pandemic? [min 22:15]
• What will employee engagement be post covid-19? [min 38:23]
• What do you believe will be the most significant work place changes past covid-19? [min 46:04]
• Opportunities/services member firms can be providing to clients? [min 57:12]
• The big silver lining in all of this is what? [min 1:01:35]

Calls-to-action:

• Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for more information about Covid-19 resources and/or to become a member
• Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes
• Contact us at info@geoprofessional.org with any podcast-related questions or comments

This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principle/Geotechnical Engineering Group Manger/PBS Engineering and Environmental
• Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP-2 – Chief Consultant/SME
• Donald K. Blackburn, MBA – Business Manager/Blackburn Consulting
• Shawn Leyva, PE – Associate Senior Engineer/Crawford & Associates

Senior leaders of GBA Member firms have been invited to attend Pop-Up Town Hall meetings each of the past three weeks in response to the dynamic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss issues that impact geoprofessional firms. Panels of experts have discussed operational issues, health and safety, and leadership through these unprecedented times. GBA hopes to address its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

Our Panel:

• Joel Carson (host and GBA Executive Director – Link to Profile)
• Richard “Rick” Ecord, Senior Vice President of Health, Safety and Learning (GZA) - LinkedIn Profile
• Paula Loht, Corporate Director of Safety (Gannett Fleming) - LinkedIn Profile
• James “Jim” Wright, Director of Safety and Health (Terracon) - LinkedIn Profile

Topics for discussion include

• What are member firms “Plans in place to respond to crisis and risk management for unplanned events”. [min 3:45]
• What have been some of the biggest challenges caused by this pandemic. [min 9:30]
• Are firms requiring face masks in the office? [min 18:52]
• What communication methods are being used to reach employees? [min 21:35]
• What changes to soil laboratories are being made during this time? [min 30:35]
• What are the biggest challenges your clients are having right now? [min 35:06]
• What opportunities have firms identified to provide clients new services (or services already being provided) in response to this pandemic? [min 41:10]
• Communication with subcontractors and what requirements are being put on them (i.e. face masks, gloves, etc.)? [min 46:35]
• What companies are doing to help in their local communities. [min 51:48]
• Recommendations for employees who work with health care workers. [min 55:10]
• Social distancing with drill crews (driller and helper). [min 56:45]

Calls-to-action:

• Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for more information about Covid-19 resources and/or to become a member
• Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes
• Contact us at info@geoprofessional.org with any podcast-related questions or comments

This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principle/Geotechnical Engineering Group Manger/PBS Engineering and Environmental
• Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP-2 – Chief Consultant/SME
• Donald K. Blackburn, MBA – Business Manager/Blackburn Consulting
• Shawn Leyva, PE – Associate Senior Engineer/Crawford & Associates

Senior leaders of GBA Member firms have been invited to attend Pop-Up Town Hall meetings each of the past three weeks in response to the dynamic events related to the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss issues that impact geoprofessional firms. Panels of experts have discussed operational issues, health and safety, and leadership through these unprecedented times. GBA hopes to address its members questions and concerns by sharing experiences and challenges in the hopes to learn and help each other during this trying time.

Our Panel:

• Joel Carson (host and GBA Executive Director – Link to Profile)
• Mark Kramer (CEO of SME – Link to Profile)
• Martin Laroche (VP of Operations at SNC Lavalin Inc. – Link to Profile)
• Guy Marcozzi (President of Duffield Associates, Inc – Link to Profile)
  

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Future Outlook: backlog, revenue, and profit. [min 3:40]
• What tools are being used to analyze and track business volume and billability during this time? [min 10:49]
• What business opportunities are there during this Covid-19 crisis? [min 20:25]
• How the CARES Act Provision, mostly the SBA payroll protection, can provide aid to GBA member firms. [min 27:25]
• Families First Leave Act discussion [min 32:35]
• Cutting cost: What are you doing to decide between reduced hours vs. pay cuts? [min 38:20]
• Can employee refuse a pay/salary cut? [min 40:58]
• PTO donation and extended leave. [min 46:04]
• Have any of you had employees contract Covid-19 and what are you doing about it? [min 48:46]

Calls-to-action:

• Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for more information about Covid-19 resources and/or to become a member
• Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes
• Contact us at info@geoprofessional.org with any podcast-related questions or comments

This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principle/Geotechnical Engineering Group Manger/PBS Engineering and Environmental
• Tiffany Vorhies, NACE CIP-2 – Chief Consultant/SME
• Donald K. Blackburn, MBA – Business Manager/Blackburn Consulting
• Shawn Leyva, PE – Associate Senior Engineer/Crawford & Associates