Author: Cynthia Hopkins

WESTBOROUGH, Massachusetts – The North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) recently selected Charlie Tripp as the recipient of the Trent J. Ralston Young Trenchless Achievement Award.  This annual award was established to recognize a young individual who has demonstrated excellence in the application of trenchless solutions to complex problems and for contributions to the trenchless technology industry.

As a past Field Engineer for a major cured-in-place pipe construction company, Charlie has specialized knowledge in various trenchless utility rehabilitation technologies.  As a design engineer out of Kleinfelder’s Westborough office, he has applied his knowledge of trenchless technology to projects involving collection systems and site-civil design to improve municipal infrastructure.  Charlie has been involved in NASTT for the past three years, recently serving as a Board Member for the Northeast Chapter.  He has also been published in the NASTT Northeast Journal of Technical Practices.

Charlie will be recognized at the annual NASTT No-Dig Conference in late March where he will be accepting his award.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Lee Abramson recently taught a session on Construction Management at the Annual Microtunneling Short Course in Boulder, Colorado. Now entering its 25th year, the Microtunneling Short Course has trained over 3,500 professionals, ranging from contractors and engineers to owner agency representatives. The three-day intensive course covers the latest in emerging technologies, takes an in-depth look at subjects that impact microtunnel projects, and includes the latest technical information to ensure a successful project. The course is presented by a panel of international experts and organized by Timothy Coss, President of Microtunneling Inc.; Dr. Levent Ozdemir, President, Ozdemir & Associates; and Jim Rush, Editor, Benjamin Media, Inc.

Lee was one of the original speakers when this course was first developed and was recognized for his long-term commitment and participation in this unique short course. At this year’s banquet dinner, Lee was presented with the Microtunneling Achievement Award for Excellence in Engineering for “demonstrating the highest level of excellence in expanding the science of microtunneling and by advancing its art.”

Lee is based in Kleinfelder’s Pleasanton, California office and possesses over 38 years of experience with major tunnel and microtunnel projects for water resource, wastewater, energy, transit systems, railroads, highways, and other public infrastructure facilities in California, across the United States, and abroad. He has worked on over 50 soil and rock tunnel projects that were up to 57 feet in diameter and up to several miles long. His direct responsibilities have included all aspects of engineering including planning, analysis, design, construction management, rehabilitation, and inspection. Lee also has authored numerous technical books and articles—including History of Tunneling in the United States—in addition to assisting with preparing manuals, and conducting seminars and courses regarding all aspects of tunneling, ground improvement, and slope stability.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

Partnerships with IT are essential to developing and implementing innovative technology solutions that increase the efficiency of overall operations and project work.  Kleinfelder’s Corporate Services Group (which includes IT services) has been instrumental in applying new technologies, such as gINT^® Professional Plus (gINT^® is a graphically enabled database used for storing and reporting subsurface exploration data commonly used in the Geotechnical and Environmental practices), to streamline software and license management, enhance file management, and increase efficiencies with field data collection.  The team’s successful application of gINT^® was recently recognized by Bentley Software.  In the pursuit of providing guidance on the use of gINT^® Professional Plus, Bentley corporate leaders contacted Kleinfelder to present on Bentley Software’s Special Interest Group (SIG) call.  The SIG is a monthly call, hosted by Bentley Software, that provides a platform for global users to see what the user community has accomplished with various software applications.

Todd McKenney of the Colorado Springs office and member of Kleinfelder’s Corporate Services group, presented on the February 7th, 2018 Special Interest Group (SIG) call.  The presentation, entitled “gINT^® Professional Plus – A Kleinfelder Success Story” illustrated how partnerships between IT and operations, developing global standards, and embracing technologies can improve efficiency, consistency and workload sharing. Benefits of Kleinfelder’s enterprise architecture and how it supports automation and innovative solutions such as FieldNET, Kleinfelder’s field data collection solution, were also discussed during the presentation.

Kleinfelder’s unique deployment of gINT has resulted in several significant benefits:

• Software and License Management
  • Reduced 150+ individual licenses to 20 network licenses shared by all
  • Streamlined support model of 2 Cloud Servers vs 100’s of individual installs.  No more rollouts!
• File Management
  • 5,000 individual gINT^® files combined into 1 global shared database
  • Standardized 500+ local templates into 1 corporate template and library
• Simple Systems Architecture
  • Global users launch gINT^® from Cloud Servers connected to the central database
• Data Analytics and integration with other tools
  • FieldNet – Kleinfelder’s field data collection service
  • GIS – geospatial mapping of gINT^® data
  • Power BI – dashboard for data visualization and analytics

The greatest success is Field to Finish in minutes. Using Kleinfelder’s FieldNET service, project staff can collect data in the field and, within two minutes of submitting data into Kleinfelder’s cloud service, fully formatted gINT^® reports are emailed to project teams with no human interaction. The old manual method took half a day to a full day.  Viewers on the call were excited and wanted to learn more about how to implement the solution.

This presentation was well received by the gINT^® community. Participants ranged from locations such as the United States, Turkey, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and more.  This innovative solution has sparked significant worldwide attention according to Bentley’s gINT^® Program Manager Katie Aguilar.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

LOS ANGELES, California—Kleinfelder announced today that the firm recently executed and began work on phase one of a $5 million, one-year contract with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) as the prime vendor for as-needed specialty staff and materials testing services for various projects at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport in Southern California. This contract is expected to be extended.

Los Angeles International Airport apron on a cloudy day. California, USA

LAWA recently launched a multi-billion dollar LAX modernization program which will involve construction of airside, landside, terminals and utility infrastructure projects. Under the contract with LAWA, Kleinfelder will be supporting LAWA with these projects, performing various compliance related functions including quality assurance and control, construction inspection, safety monitoring, coordination and logistics, materials testing, and surveying support services.

“As the fourth busiest airport in the world, handling over 80 million passengers annually, the LAX modernization program is essential to the continued growth and reliable service of the airport. This is a very important contract that Kleinfelder is excited to support. Our goal is to help drive LAWA’s success in achieving their modernization goals and developing a world-class airport.” (Kash Hadipour, Vice President, National Aviation Lead)

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

AUSTIN, Texas—Victors Barchers, PE, of the Austin, Texas, office made a presentation entitled “Environmental Emerging Technologies” to the 2017 Fall Conference of the Geoprofessional Business Association (GBA) in Phoenix, Arizona. The presentation focused on how technology and innovation can improve efficiencies and profits while also providing value to clients. Victor discussed technologies and concepts that can be applied through each phase of an environmental project lifecycle to incorporate modern approaches to due diligence, site characterization, routine monitoring, and remediation. Steve Wendland, Kleinfelder’s Geo-Engineering Service Line Director, said “Victor’s summaries of the benefits of specific new technologies such as new geophysical methods can provide great benefits on our projects.”

Victor’s presentation can be viewed on the GBA website here (see link to FA17-06). To view the presentation (and also access the hundreds of other GBA free resources and presentations), you’ll need to set up a free account with GBA.

The Geoprofessional Business Association continues to be an important professional organization for Kleinfelder, with a focus on collaboration and sharing to meet the business challenges faced by geoprofessional firms. Steve Wendland and Victor Barchers currently lead Kleinfelder’s participation in GBA, with Victor serving as the chair of the Environmental Business Council and Steve serving as the vice-chair of the Business Practices Committee. Kleinfelder has a strong legacy of involvement and leadership with GBA, including three current or former Kleinfelder employees serving as president.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts—Kleinfelder has been the lead consultant for the City of Cambridge’s climate change adaptation efforts since 2012. The climate change team’s efforts have produced comprehensive models for climate change planning, including information on flooding risk. With Kleinfelder’s help, the City has put flooding maps and data in the public’s hands via development of the FloodViewer App.

The FloodViewer App is an informational tool for the Cambridge community to assess climate change threats from flooding and to prepare for it by implementing specific strategies. Residents, business owners, civil servants, and facility managers can now open their smartphone browsers and access maps and data on present and future flood risks, down to the parcel level. The web application displays flooding information for present day, 2030, and 2070 planning horizons, including information for both 10-year and 100-year storms. In addition to modeled flooding data, existing FEMA flood zones and 1-foot elevation contours can also be displayed.

“We receive frequent requests from property owners, developers, and residents asking what level of flooding they should be preparing for. Now we can point people to the FloodViewer App, and provide them with the best available information,” said Kathy Watkins, City Engineer and Deputy Commissioner for the Public Works Department. “Not only do they get information on their specific property, but also the context of flood risks in the surrounding area.  Working with Kleinfelder, we have also developed a brochure with critical information about steps people can take to protect their property.”

The FloodViewer App uses the City’s Esri ArcGIS Online platform, providing users a high level of detail and performance across both desktop and mobile devices.

The flood maps take into account the complex interactions between rivers, underground stormwater and combined sewer infrastructure, dam operations, pumping systems, and climate change projections for increased rainfall, as well as Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge.

The release of FloodViewer is expected to advance the City’s existing efforts in sharing data collected from the City’s Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment.

Institutional and industry leaders in Cambridge are using the City’s data to assess their own vulnerabilities and plan stormwater and landscape improvements on their campuses;
Developers are designing new buildings with future flood scenarios in mind; and
Neighboring communities are using the methods and data that Cambridge created to leapfrog forward in the adaptation planning process.

The FloodViewer App is just the beginning. “In the future, one could imagine integrating projected flood data in applications like WAZE to help improve the safety of drivers and increase the efficiency of emergency response operations during and after a flooding disaster,” said Aaron Doucett, Kleinfelder GIS Specialist, who helped develop the FloodViewer app.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

DENVER, Colorado—Kleinfelder welcomed Rob Singer to the firm’s Central Division as the Civil Infrastructure Lead.  In this role, Singer will provide local management to the civil department and focus on internal team growth while participating in larger civil infrastructure efforts across the division by supporting projects that involve site/civil design for utilities, public, industrial, commercial, and capital improvement projects.

Singer has over 26 years of experience in engineering and operations management roles for consulting firms in the Greater Denver area. He has expertise in land development, oil and gas, mining and minerals, water/wastewater, municipalities, and federal projects. He has supported these projects by performing entitlement, rezoning, civil engineering design, production, and construction oversight work, as well as providing expert witness services for projects related to floodplain analysis and environmental compliance. Singer has worked with major clients spanning many regions including Shell Oil, Suncor Energy, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Northwest Redwater, Target Corporation, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Forest Service among others.

“We are excited to have Rob join the team because of his strong operational sales capabilities across business lines, divisions and disciplines,” commented Dirk Applegate, Kleinfelder Central Division Director. “His experience with multi-faceted programs and projects with complicated logistics and execution strategies will be complimentary to the multiple services lines provided by Kleinfelder.”

Singer is a registered professional engineer in Colorado, California, Arizona, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

DENVER, Colorado—Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Sally Miller, CIH, has joined Kleinfelder as the firm’s Health and Safety Director based in our Denver office.   Miller brings to Kleinfelder over 35 years of experience managing loss prevention and safety programs. This includes developing, implementing, and communicating comprehensive safety programs for large engineering consulting firms, including country/region-specific policy and procedures, dynamic training programs, reporting processes, and strategic management metrics.

As an impassioned Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) leader in the A/E/C industry, Miller has had impressive measurable impacts on the safety culture of consulting engineering businesses. Supporting a region of over 2,500 employees that service environmental, transportation, water, geotechnical, and architectural business lines, Miller reduced, in one year, the total recordable incident rate for the region by more than 60% and improved safety performance, as measured by leading indicators, by more than 55%. She also reduced losses associated with project management by 10% as a result of identifying potential HSE risks such as inadequate subcontractor management, engaging higher levels of review earlier, and sharing lessons learned to prevent similar losses.

In addition to serving in corporate HSE roles, Miller has provided extensive technical consulting for clients. This experience includes directing client-specific safety programs, providing industrial hygiene services and conducting hundreds of HSE audits. Miller has also provided health and safety training to clients, having designed over 30 classroom and web-based training programs tailored to each client organization’s needs.

“Kleinfelder is excited to have such a results-driven safety professional join the firm. We are confident her experience and knowledge will enhance Kleinfelder’s safety ethos to improve safety performance across the firm,” said CEO George Pierson.

Miller is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), a Safety Trained Supervisor (certified by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals), and an MSHA Mine Safety Instructor (approved by the US Department of Labor). She has completed numerous specialized trainings including OSHA Hazwoper 40-hour and annual refresher training; MSHA surface and underground mine safety training; Hazardous Material Transport training [in accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and International Air Transport Association (IATA)]; Loss Prevention System training; Radiation Safety training; Asbestos Building Inspector and Management Planner training; and Investigation and Root Cause Analysis training. Miller holds a Master of Science in Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, from Colorado State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Northern Illinois University.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

SACRAMENTO, California—Kleinfelder announced today that it has been awarded a $5 million, 5-year contract by the Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as the prime vendor for quality assurance sampling and testing services for the $250 million Lake Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project (DSMP) in Kern County, California.

The Lake Isabella DSMP addresses overtopping, seismic, and seepage concerns with the main and auxiliary dams and will reduce the likelihood of dam failure.  Planned construction at the main dam includes excavating a new emergency spillway, modifying the existing service spillway, raising the main dam 16 feet, modifying California State Route 155 at the main dam’s right abutment, and modifying several recreation facilities north of the auxiliary dam.

“We are excited to work with USACE to assure that the Lake Isabella DSMP is constructed as designed,” said Chris Pollack, Kleinfelder’s National Laboratory Director and Project Manager. “The Lake Isabella DSPM will enhance public safety and improve water supply for the surrounding communities.”

Kleinfelder will provide quality assurance sampling and testing services during construction, on-site laboratory testing services, and quality assurance field support at validated laboratories, both on and off-site.

“Kleinfelder is 100% committed to working closely with USACE to assure quality,” said Mark W. Connelly, Kleinfelder Area Manager and former Sacramento District Deputy Commander.  “Each day, we strive to provide solutions that make a real difference.”

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.

FRESNO, California—Kleinfelder is pleased to announce that Stephen Plauson, PE, GE, has rejoined Kleinfelder as a Principal Geotechnical Engineer in the Central Valley Area. Plauson has over 23 years of geotechnical engineering, materials testing, and construction inspection experience.  He has worked with a wide variety of clients, providing services for projects such as highways, dams, schools, essential facilities, water and wastewater treatment facilities, commercial and residential developments, military installations, and prisons. Notable projects include management and oversight for The Square, an estimated $10 million dollar project that constructed Maya Cinemas, various restaurants, and student housing at Campus Pointe near Fresno State University, and the $30 million dollar Surf Ranch project in Lemoore, CA, which built an experimental surf lake.

With several years serving in management and leadership roles, Plauson has supervised and mentored engineers with varying skills from entry level to experienced. He places an emphasis on building strong teams that are client-focused and committed to quality and integrity. His efforts in team building and management have resulted in highly proficient project teams that meet client goals and finish projects under budget and ahead of schedule.

Plauson served as a Kleinfelder geotechnical project manager for over 11 years before joining Technicon where he was the manager of their geotechnical engineering division. In this role, he supervised staff, prepared proposals, work plans and reports, and conducted business development. He also provided support for construction inspection and testing services, worked to improve laboratory processes, and rebuilt the firm’s drilling department.

Plauson is a registered California Professional Civil Engineer and Geotechnical Engineer. He attended California State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Stephen is based out of Kleinfelder’s Fresno, CA office.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.