Gibbs & Olson Attends IACC Conference

Paula Coviello of Gibbs & Olson attended the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) Conference in Wenatchee in October. The conference included all the state and federal funding agencies.

A key change from recent years is that the Public Works Trust Fund has money available again. In fact, the Public Works Board is looking for ideas on what new types of applicants and projects could be a good fit for their funding. Training has also become a priority for the Public Works Board so they are asking all of us to spread the word and let them know what projects or training needs are out there.

This year the IACC has provided links to the sessions from the conference, you can find them at http://www.infrafunding.wa.gov/conference.html

Dan Bergman Obtains Professional Land Surveyors License

shapeimage_1 (9)Dan Bergman, of Gibbs & Olson, recently received his professional land surveyors license from the state of Washington Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Dan has 16 years experience and is part of our survey team that provides land surveying and mapping services ranging from legal descriptions to highly sophisticated GPS & RTK surveying.

Gibbs & Olson Announces Internal Ownership Transfer

Richard Gushman is appointed as new president and CEO

Gibbs & Olson is pleased to announce an internal ownership transfer. Richard Riley and Robert Hitt, longtime owners, are stepping down with the fourth generation of employee-owners taking their place.  Richard Gushman is appointed as the new president and CEO.

With over 60 years of ownership stability employees familiar with their mission and goals succeed retiring shareholders.  The firm has advanced three employee-owners to the leadership team; Tom Gower, Mike Marshall and Vicki Wiggins. They’ll join existing owners in moving the company forward.

“These changes represent a benchmark in our strategic planning and ownership transition plans. “ said Richard Gushman, new president. “We look forward to the next phase, I’m optimistic about our future and expanding our services with innovative ideas that broaden our expertise to better serve our clients.”

Gushman, started with the firm over 23 years ago and since 2003 has served as Vice President. In addition to his Vice President duties, he has managed multi-million dollar projects with a demonstrated ability to identify and implement cost-effective solutions for a wide range of complex technical issues. Mr. Gushman has provided consulting services on dozens of infrastructure projects. He has a proven track record of successful project delivery from initial conceptual design through final construction and project closeout.

Regional General Permit Issued to Port of Chehalis

Working with Ecological Land Services, Carol Ruiz of Gibbs & Olson provided detailed site analysis, cost estimates and stormwater calculations for the Port of Chehalis Pleasant Valley Site Mitigation. Congratulations team, as a result of our collaborative effort, the Army Corp of Engineers issued the first of its kind Regional General Permit (RGP) to the Port of Chehalis. The RGP allows the Port to use the Pleasant Valley site for advanced mitigation. Having the RGP in place, the Port can reduce the time it would normally take to produce a wetland mitigation plan and obtain environmental permits—providing land that is more attractive for clients to develop. Read more about this milestone project.

Tenino Holds Open House for Wastewater Treatment Plant

shapeimage_1[1]An open house was held Sunday at the newly-construction City of Tenino Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Mayor was on hand along with Council Members and community leaders to celebrate the completion of the wastewater treatment plant. The event provided an opportunity for residents to see the project first hand.

The new treatment plant is a membrane bioreactor (MBR) with the ability of treating 0.375 million gallons per day (mgd). The plant produces Class A reclaimed water that is gravity discharged into a groundwater recharge basin. Gibbs & Olson provided the planning, design and construction phase services for the $17 million project that included wastewater treatment, reuse and collection system components.

The MBR plant protects Tenino’s potable water, removes the need to condemn houses and avoids regulatory mandates. The plant also promotes economic development by giving businesses an affordable solution for wastewater treatment.

Gibbs & Olson Awarded Longview Pump Station Project

Gibbs & Olson has been awarded the $5 million pump station project. The City of Longview has been working hard to upgrade its sewer system and this project is an important step forward in making improvements. In addition to replacing two major pump stations the project also involves installation of 8,600 feet of 22 inch force main and design improvement to four smaller pump stations.

Rich Gushman Presents At WOW Conference

shapeimage_1 (13)At WETC’s 33rd Annual Washington Operator Workshop (WOW) Conference, Rich Gushman, PE was on hand to present his expertise on “Optimizing Secondary Clarifier High Flow Performance with Polymer Addition” and discuss his experience with the Three Rivers Regional Wastewater Treatment Clarifiers Project. He earned his bachelors degree from Washington State University and is Vice President at Gibbs & Olson. Rich has 22 years of experience. He is a technical expert in microbiological, chemical and engineering aspects of wastewater treatment and wastewater residual solids treatment.

ACEC Awards Gibbs & Olson Gold

shapeimage_1 (14)The American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington honored 41 projects representing a wide range of engineering achievements when the organization presented its 41st annual awards in January.

Gibbs & Olson received a Best in State Gold Award for Exceeding Owner/Client Needs for the City of Chehalis Regional Water Reclamation Facility. After six years of multiple sophisticated studies and analyses, the project team found that basing the discharge criteria on river flow levels rather than on calendar months provided maximum protection to the river and significantly lowered costs for the city.

Gibbs & Olson Receives AWB Better Workplace Award

shapeimage_1 (15)OLYMPIA—The Association of Washington Business presented 25 members with its annual Better Workplace Awards on Feb. 6 at its 2008 Legislative Day held at St. Martin’s University in Lacey. The award honors AWB member companies that demonstrate innovation in the areas of workplace safety, job training and advancement, and benefit and compensation programs.

AWB’s Better Workplace Awards recognize member businesses, both large and small, that go the extra mile in providing a family-friendly work environment, promote safety and enable their employees to excel. “These awards are given to dispel the myth that most businesses don’t care about their employees,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “With so many companies providing extra services for their employees, it is almost too difficult to award only 25 of them.”

An independent panel of judges reviews nominees and decides who receives the award based on numerous factors.