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Greater Kansas City Post
SAME Newsletter |
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Winter Newsletter
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December 2014
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Upcoming Events
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GKC SAME Luncheon
8 January 2015
Brio Tuscan Grille on the Plaza
GKCP Industry Day
March 31-April 2, 2015 UMKC
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Dear Greater Kansas City Post Members,
Hello to the members and friends of the Greater Kansas City Post. Those of you that know me can surely imagine that this last Post President's article is not easy for me to write. I'm teary eyed (shocker!) writing this because serving you as Post President in 2014 has been the absolute best SAME year I have had. What an experience. I have learned more about our Post, been given a lot of opportunities to work with great folks and put on great programs, and have had a FANTASTIC time doing it. Even if there was a frustrating or stressful time, you all have managed to make those good experiences, too, by making me laugh and getting us through it.
I could go through and list all of the things our Post has done in 2014, and tell you why they were great, and how proud I am of what we have done. That could officially turn our newsletter into a coffee table book though. I would encourage you to go back through our newsletters and re-read those, when you have time. The newsletters really showcase our events and give them much more of the recognition they deserve than just listing them here. Our Committees have excelled this year in developing new programs and tightening the ones we already had. Our Board and Officers have provided support and planning that is required for the magnitude of events that we put on. I stick by what I said at the beginning of the year in that the Greater Kansas City Post puts on quality events and has a great time doing it. What a truly remarkable group of folks!
Although our calendar year is wrapped up from an events perspective, we are still busy. The Committee Chairs and Post leadership are in full swing planning for 2015. And we are working on our streamer write ups to submit to HQ at the beginning of February to get us the 'formal' recognition from HQ for all of our efforts. So things are not quiet on the SAME front these days. But they never are, and that's just fine with us!
When I was elected to serve you as your Post President I had 5 ideals for the BOD, not necessarily events, but just 5 things I wanted to personally focus on from the Post President's perspective. The first of those was to involve family. Although our January 2014 lunch meeting and installation of officers was frigid cold, it was a blessing to me because school was cancelled that day, allowing my then 7-year old son to join us at the lunch. My mom, son, sister, and boyfriend were all there to share that with me, which was very special. This year we had the first ever SAME BOD BBQ at my house and none of the neighbors called us in, so I'd say that was a success. You can check out the last newsletter for party pics! The second ideal I wanted to focus on was to end meetings on time. I told the BOD that we may not always start on time, but we would end on time. This is a volunteer organization and many of us plan our day going from one meeting to another. So thank you to the BOD for being so efficient that we were able to accomplish this. I asked our members and Post Leadership to be selfish in what they volunteer for. Again we are volunteering our time, so if there was something that someone didn't want to do or didn't think they would have time for, I asked them to be upfront about that. Low and behold, I think our BOD might just like their roles more than I knew, and folks were always lined up to volunteer to help. That was so encouraging. I asked that folks come prepared to meetings, which of course happened, which led to the meetings being efficient (see my previous item about ending on time). The last item was about recognizing our efforts. We do SO much as a Post. We go so far above and beyond meeting the HQ streamer requirements because I believe we are doing things for the right reasons. But, we are still 'graded' by HQ on meeting our streamer requirements, so I asked that our Post make sure that we meet those minimum streamer requirements before getting too far ahead with anything else. It would be disappointing to do as much as we do as a Post and then not get recognized by HQ because we missed one minor point on a streamer.
Given those 5 items and the fact that we are all still talking to each other, I would call 2014 a huge success. I am so proud to have been able to serve you as your Post President, and I thank you all very much for that opportunity. I am excited to turn things over to Al Osborne as he takes on the Post Presidency in 2015. Al, with Melissa Kelley as his Vice President and a very talented BOD and membership, will have a great 2015 and I'm sure will continue to amaze us all. THANK YOU so much for all of your support, and especially to my family and Derrick for supporting me so much outside of work, allowing me to make this possible.
Thank you Greater Kansas City Post, keep doing what you do so well, and have a blast doing it!
Ann Ewy
2014 Post President
Greater Kansas City Post SAME
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Annual Vice President's Dinner
By Ann Ewy
On Tuesday, 16 December, Greater Kansas City Post Vice President Rob Rastorfer (HNTB) hosted the annual Vice President's Dinner. This event has really evolved over the years, and I believe we have finally found our niche. The event is our chance to thank all of our members and Annual Sponsors for everything they do through the year for our Post. The venue for this year's dinner was the gorgeous Long View Mansion in Lee's Summit, Missouri, which provided a very festive atmosphere.
Our goal for this annual dinner is to provide a chance for our members to have a casual evening of socializing and to present our Post awards. Post Service Awards were presented to Christina Przygoda (Yaeger Architecture), Chris Prinslow (USACE), Merrill Watt and Vince Zink (RIC). These folks had a great year and really stepped up when the Post needed help. Post Achievement Awards were presented to Hillary Weber (Insight Environmental) and Kim Pemberton (Trekk Design Group). Hillary and Kim filled roles this year that required a large time commitment and were key to our Post operations. We are very fortunate to have these ladies involved with the Post. Our Missouri River Region Regional Vice President, Michelle French (Stanley Consultants) made the trip from the St. Louis Post to present Regional Vice President's medals. Michelle presented these medals to Jason Sweet (Stantec) and Matt Turner (Yaeger Architecture). The RVP medal is awarded to individuals who have continued to give their time and talent to the Post over multiple years, and who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to SAME. To say that Jason and Matt both deserved this recognition is an understatement. Our Post is much stronger because of the support they provide us.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Vice President's Dinner, and especially to our Annual Sponsors for their continued support.
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TRAINING WITH INDUSTRY:
WINNING IN A COMPLEX WORLD WITH CLEAR SOLUTIONS
by Kevin Casey
The Army's current operating environment is complex, with threats and opportunities emanating from the "Pacific Pivot," continued turmoil in the Mideast, and recent confrontations across Eastern Europe. The complexities across the globe, coupled with the realities of austere Army funding, mean that it's paramount for both soldiers and officers to get out of their comfort zones on multiple levels. On one such level, and in preparation for the future, they must expand their understanding of future professional environments in which they may soon find themselves. While attending the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, MAJ Patrick Billmann and MAJ Benjamin Hassell were able to experience such an opportunity by participating in the "Training with Industry" (TWI) program, which is a new program set up as a joint effort between the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Greater Kansas City Post and the CGSC. The TWI program is designed as an internship with industry to broaden and enhance CGSC engineer officer students' knowledge of civilian engineering firms while improving the civilian engineering firm's knowledge of the military.
Tetra Tech, Inc., a global engineering firm with an office in Kansas City, Missouri, recently hosted MAJs Billmann and Hassell for a TWI internship. Tetra Tech's tagline, "Complex World Clear Solutions," is a reflection of their operating principals. In a complex world with competing demands for limited resources, Tetra Tech's goal is to offer clear solutions that serve their clients' long-term needs. The partnership with Tetra Tech was a perfect fit for the officers, because Tetra Tech's operating principals integrated nicely into the officers' recent education in the new Army Operating Concept of how to "Win in a Complex World." The officer's next assignments are to serve as Project Engineers within the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The knowledge obtained from the one-on-one interaction with a multi-billion dollar engineering firm allowed them to gain insight and perspective in what they might expect working in a new, unknown environment of contracts and project specifications; far different from their experience operating as Sappers in support of Brigade Combat Teams.
Key to any strategic tagline is whether or not the employees of the organization will use it in the execution of their daily work. Mr. Michael Odrowski, an Engineering Manager with Tetra Tech, took MAJ Billmann and Hassell on site visits of their work within the Kansas City area, showcasing the innovation of Tetra Tech. He highlighted how the strategic vision was operationalized and implemented at the project level. Mr. Odrowski spoke of how Tetra Tech won a large wastewater-related project, which was a specifications based contract. His team crafted a solution, though not required in the contract, and developed a design-build, cost savings proposal that the owner accepted. Mr. Odrowski's forward looking prospective for the project allowed him to see the root cause of the problem and draft a team solution to solve it, thus alleviating additional unneeded work and saving the owner unneeded expense.
MAJ Billmann and Hassell were prepared to gain a better understanding of the differences between the Army and a civilian engineering environment and in the process were surprised to learn about the many similarities between Tetra Tech and the Army. Although Tetra Tech is a global firm, the offices operate relatively decentralized. Tetra Tech provides general guidelines and each office has freedom to decide how best to grow Tetra Tech and reach the corporate goals. Each office choses the initiatives and projects they pursue. This approach mirrors the Army's Mission Command; with a more decentralized approach to problem solving that relies on mutual trust. Similarities were not just confined to the internal practices of Tetra Tech, but also to external relationships within the civilian engineering community as a whole.
Two areas that the external relationships Tetra Tech has with other organizations in the civilian engineering community parallel the Army, (and were part of the Leadership curriculum at CGSC), are effective followership and leading in coalitions. Tetra Tech must work with other organizations in various different relationships on projects, such as Joint Ventures, mentor prot�g� relationships with small businesses, and subcontractor relationships. Each has its own challenges and the office must make decisions: when to lead, when to follow, and when to guide or mentor an organization. Often in the military, operations will be in a joint, interagency, or international coalition. Host nation partnerships are similar to the small business mentor prot�g� relationships Tetra Tech has. Tetra Tech must ensure that the small business does a set proportion (most commonly 51%) of the work, very much like ensuring the host nation takes the lead on partnership operations. Joint Ventures are parallel to operating in a coalition. Each firm in a joint venture has its own objectives; similarly each party in a coalition has its own goals. In all situations, shared values must be established with respective partners in order ensure project/mission success.
Another similarity relates to ethical decision-making. The impacts of ethical decision- making is tremendous in conducting joint ventures or small business partnerships as well as competing for projects. Similarly, the Army must maintain public trust to exist and this requires it to act ethically. In addition, Army leadership core competencies require a leader to act ethically. "Getting results" isn't enough by itself. Army Leaders must lead and develop in addition to achieving success. The impacts similarly go beyond just public support and trust but also influence interactions with joint, interagency, and international partnerships.
As good leadership and resources become more of a commodity in both military and engineering fields, the integration and innovation of the leaders involved will determine how success of the future will be defined. The CGSC's TWI program has allowed engineer officers and industry to collaborate on how they might be able to frame and envision solutions for the complex environments the officers and Tetra Tech will soon find themselves operating within.
Contributors:
MAJ PATRICK BILLMANN
MAJ BENJAMIN HASSELL, P.E., PMP 
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TWI 2015
by Kevin Casey
The SAME GKCP, in cooperation with U. S. Army CGSC Engineer Officer Professional Development program is looking for key SAME partners for their 3nd iteration of TWI exchange. We are looking for interested SAME partner firms to link up 2-3 future Army Engineer Regiment leaders to have 24 contact hours with the student officers during the April/May 2015 timeframe. The TWI CGSC elective qualifies for academic credit toward the completion of the student-officers' CGSC course and helps engineer student-officers gain a better understanding of how civilian construction and engineering firms plan, operate, and problem solve while also giving the civilian firm an insights into the military leadership, planning, and project management processes.
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GREATER KC POST DEPLOYED FIELD CHAPTER
by Jason Sweet
 This past spring the Greater Kansas City Post stood up a Deployed Field Chapter (the first ever that we know of). Board member Jason Davis of Affinis deployed in March 2014 to Romania and in a show of support, the Board of Directors stood up a Deployed Field Chapter. This Deployed Field Chapter is not a nationally recognized chapter, rather it was something our Board thought we could do to support Jason. This past year we sent care packages to Jason and his unit in Romania and anxiously awaited his return. We welcome Jason back as he returned to Kansas City in December 2014. Jason's board position has been waiting for him, and we happily welcome him back. I wanted to share one of the updates that Jason provided our Board this past year, this update coming in September 2014:
 "First on behalf of our team and myself I would like to say thank you for the care package you sent. The variety of reading material was very welcomed since we have been running out of quality reading material. Any way to help pass the time and keep up on our trade at the same time is a win-win.
We have been busy the last couple months working to get projects through the system in order to be contracted prior to the end of the fiscal year. I've been working on design and plans of:
o Concrete Intersection located on the TFOS (airfield side of the base)
o A couple building renovations
o Security fence for the Ammo Holding Area
o Several ATFP (anti-terrorism/force protection) projects
o A couple road pavement projects
o Storm drainage is a mess here...don't even know where to start
o Planning for what this place will look like...higher is still trying to figure out what this place will look like in the near and far term. Lots going on in the region. I'm planning on taking a trip with some of the other guys from DPW to the western part of Romania in a couple weeks. Looking forward to getting off this postage stamp sized base.
MG Conboy (416th TEC) Commander paid our DPW section a visit. I had a good discussion with him on the Engineer Branch and the Engineer Facility Detachment role and how to best use us. (attached is the DPW group photo with the General (3rd from the left)).
My Jackrabbits almost beat Mizzou.
I have my absentee ballot requested...I am open to any opinions on the issues.
On a personal note. I've been blessed that there is a Catholic Chaplain stationed here. So I have been able to attend daily mass. Before I came here I was concerned that we would not have services at all due to the size of the base.
I'm looking forward to getting back!
Jason"
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SAVE THE DATES!
8 January 2015, SAME Luncheon, 11:30 am-1:00 pm, Brio Tuscan Grille, 502 Nichols Rd., KCMO
Officer Installation and Presentation by Tony Hofmann, "SAME Leadership for the Future," at Brio on the Plaza. For more information, see the GKC Post website.
March 31-April 2, 2015, 6th Annual GKCP Industry Day at UMKC
8th Symposium on Design and Construction Issues at Hazardous Waste Sites, April 15-17, 2015, DoubleTree Hotel, Philadelphia, PA
SAME is pleased to announce the resumption of this popular and important forum for environmental professionals. The SAME Philadelphia Post will be the primary sponsor. Questions? Please email Michelle Kaufman, [email protected]. SAME invites you to submit an abstract for consideration for the symposium. (click on Call for Abstracts for more information.)
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Academy of Fellows Selections
by Matt Metcalf, Greater Kansas City Post Vice Chair Council of Fellows
Since 1972, The Society of American Military Engineers has bestowed the designation of Fellow on SAME members who have rendered dedicated and outstanding service to SAME and to military engineering. In 1995, this group of distinguished individuals was organized into the Academy of Fellows to bring all Fellows together to further SAME's missions and goals. The Greater Kansas City Post is honored to announce two Post members nominated were selected to receive this honor. Ann Ewy and Christopher Prinslow, both of the US Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District, will be inducted into The Academy of Fellows on 12 March 2015 at the Academy of Fellows Investiture Ceremony in Alexandria, VA.
Congratulations to Ann and Chris on this honor!
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Greater Kansas City Post Supports SBC
by Ann Ewy
For the second year in a row, the SAME Small Business Conference returned to Kansas City. The annual conference is a highlight of the SAME year and is gaining more momentum as a greater focus is continually placed on the event. Also for the second year, the Greater Kansas City Post led the volunteer efforts, ensuring that the conference was staffed with the necessary volunteers to provide another great event. A special thanks to Christina Przygoda of Yaeger Architecture for stepping up to the Volunteer Coordinator role. The GKCP appreciated the opportunity to be part of this years SBC!
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Greater KC TISP
2014 the GCKP TISP & Homeland Security committee members were active throughout the year both providing presentations to other groups and attending presentations and webinar from other TISP colleagues.
Committee Chair Robert Crain and member Scott Perkins attended the webinar on Operationalizing Resilience within Coastal Communities: Updates on USACE Comprehensive Study.
GCKP TISP committee member Scott Perkins traveled to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma in June to the SAME Wichita Mountains Post (The Wichita Mountains Posts was recognized as the Small Post of the Year in 2013 & 2014) for their monthly meeting and provided a presentation on Emergency Response titled "Case Study using commercial airborne imagery to perform rapid damage assessments for Emergency Response," Granbury, Texas. May 16, 2013 EF-4 Tornado; 4-band E/O imagery collected using a large format DMC sensor of the impacted area. Imagery was ortho corrected and image tiles created referenced to the US National Grid within 24 hours, damage assessments completed in cloud environment.
GKCP member also presented this case study at the MAGIC Conference, in Kansas City, Missouri on April 2014, (http://www.magicgis.org/magic/symposiums/2014/matrix.cfm) and again in July at the ESRI International Users Conference at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.
In October, GKCP TISP member Perkins also participated in a in a TISP provided special call "West Africa Ebola Outbreak: Private Sector Partners Call" with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to discuss CDC's ongoing efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
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Kansas State University Student Chapter Career Workshop
by Jason Sweet, GISP, PMP
The Kansas State University Student Chapter hosted a job search workshop. More than 20 students attended. Aerotek AE representatives provided some great information on resumes, interviews and networking for the students as they begin searching for a career. Not only did the workshop provide great benefit to the students who attended, but it served as a successful recruiting event for the Student Chapter! The strong student and faculty leaders associated with the Chapter are making plans to build on the momentum established in the Chapter's first full year of existence.
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Young Members-Fellows Mentoring Social
Kyle A nibas, Chair of the Young Members Committee, hosted a YM-Fellows Mentoring Social on October 9th at Charlie Hooper's in Brookside. The event featured a panel discussion that included Fellows representatives Jerry Adams, Larry Myers, Tom Poer and Matt Metcalf. The panel covered a myriad of topics including the positive impact that SAME membership has on careers, the value of networking, public vs private career tracks and some tips on getting ahead. The Young Member turnout was great and included three Majors from the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Ft Leavenworth.
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Emerging Leaders Alliance
by Matt Turner
Matthew Turner of Yaeger Architecture, Inc. was nominated by the Greater Kansas City Post, and selected by the Regional VP, to represent the SAME MO River Region at this year's Emerging Leaders Alliance held on November 9th-11th in Reston , VA. SAME Headquarters sponsored the attendance and lodging costs while the GKC Post backed the travel expenses.
The Emerging Leaders Alliance (ELA) is a partnership among leading engineering, research and science-based organizations that provides high quality leadership training. Their mission is to provide an interdisciplinary annual conference for select professionals, promoting the development of great leaders to guide our professions in addressing the needs of people in the 21st century. A mission that aligns perfectly with SAME's strategic plan.
Matthew, along with the other 11 SAME Young Members who had the opportunity to attend the event, relished the chance to learn and develop his leadership talents, critical thinking and management skills. The 3-day event was highlighted with an interactive dinner and discussion with General "Joe" that carried late into Tuesday evening. Brig. Gen. Joseph "Joe" Schroedel, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.), and SAME Executive Director, spoke candidly about SAME's need to inspire and develop tomorrow's leaders. This point was emphasized by SAME's unique position to provide just such a service to our members utilizing the experiences and training of our active/retired serviceman and woman members.
America has deficit in leadership and it will take leaders to fix the growing problems that exist with this country's infrastructure. In the coming years, SAME plans to address this opportunity head on, with the development of a national leadership development program.
Additional information about the event can be found at the following location: http://sameblog.org/?p=14672
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8th Annual Sporting Clays Challenge
by Ann Ewy
 
 
For those of you that were able to join us on October 8th for the annual Sporting Clays Challenge, you know first hand what a neat event this is. The annual event, held at Powder Creek Shooting Park in Lenexa, Kansas, is always a great time. It has been so successful that we really haven't changed much at all over the years.
Teams of five individuals sign up for the event, which includes a 50 clay target course followed by a BBQ dinner. With the Government budget cuts and sequestration concerns in recent years, the Post reconsidered having the event in 2014. Once the inquiries about the date started coming in though, we knew we needed to continue the event. All of the proceeds from this event go towards our Post's mission of supporting Education and Mentoring.
This event is unique in a lot of ways. It's a jeans and
 boots day, and we have been very fortunate to have great fall weather most years. We always have a nice mix of teams that are made up of co-workers, friends, and clients. And it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an expert shooter, everyone can join in and enjoy the day. The Shafer Klein Warren team did take the prize this year, although the Yeager Architecture team followed by just one point. Thank you to all the teams that joined us this year, and we look forward to seeing you in 2015!
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Small Business Workshop
by Amy McCurdy
The SAME Small Business Committee hosted a morning workshop on November 6th at Henderson Engineers in Lenexa, Kansas, to provide small business owners with an opportunity to network, learn more about small business opportunities, and discuss ways of improving business.
The post organized the event and provided coffee and kolaches before the workshop. Five presentations were given with a focus on small businesses issues.
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Jackie Hacker, Small Business Program Director, HDR - Importance of a mentor/prot�g� relationship
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Al Osborne, Owner, Ascentra Group - SBA's Rule on Size and Status Representations
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Steven Castaner, Supervisory Business Opportunity Specialist, SBA - Small Business Resources
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Christopher Prinslow, Area Engineer, KC Area Office, USACE and Jason Leibbert, Chief Environmental Engineering Branch, USACE - Tips for Small Businesses
The event was well attended by over 35 people. Presentations from the workshop are available at:
https://origin.library.constantcontact.com/doc203/1102486477041/doc/XbBeAL8ESRWtokiK.pdf
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Project Management Professional Support
by LTC Kevin R. Casey
During 2014, the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) had over 38 student-officers take the PMP examination, and six student-officers take their PE Examination. SAME-KC supported this effort with eight $300 scholarships to assist CGSC student officers and faculty in their pursuit of a PMP certification during 2014. As the US Army looks to the future, the Engineer Regiment has increased the emphasis on professional certifications for military officers, and SAME-KC is supporting this initiative.
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UMKC Student Chapter Meeting
by Chad Webber
COL Tony Hofmann came to speak with UMKC's SAME Student Chapter about his experiences in both the private and public sectors. Bill Yord and Vince Zink were present at the meeting to share some valuable insight on the topic as well. The meeting was an informal discussion about different aspects of working in both sectors. Tony went over the pros and cons of both and how one might go about pursuing a career in one or the other. The students engaged in the conversation with questions of their own about various topics. Tony also spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of large firms and small firms. The information Tony provided was very helpful to students considering where they would like to take their future engineering careers. Pizza was provided by the Greater Kansas City SAME post and was enjoyed by all.
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GKC Post Luncheon
4 November, Californo's, KCMO, Joint Luncheon with ASCE
Topic: "History of Engineers in the Military "
Presenter: Major General Donald L. Jacka (Ret)
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 GKC Post Member Spotlight
Name, Title and Employer
Matt Metcalf, PE, F.SAME
COO Professional Services, Tepa, LLC
What is your position with Greater Kansas City Post?
I am currently serving as the Immediate Past President, Vice-Chair of the Council of Fellows and Board Member of the Merrill Watt Education & Mentoring Endowment.
What is your "day job"?
My primary responsibilities are to lead the Business Development & Marketing Team and to help diversify the firm into other market sectors including Managed IT Services, A/E Services, Geospatial Technologies and Application Development.
How did you become involved with SAME ?
While working as a Project Engineer at HNTB, Terry Flanagan and Tom Poer encouraged me to get involved in the Post. I joined in 2002 and immediately got involved with the Young Members Committee and also participated in a mentoring program with the Executive Director of the Society, Dr. Bob Wolff, at HQ. In 2004 I was selected to serve on the National Board of Direction and after completing my term in 2007, I went on to serve the Greater Kansas City Post as a Board Member and Officer from 2008-2014.
What role has SAME played in your professional life?
Without question SAME has had the most significant impact on my career. The Society's commitment to helping develop young professionals is unmatched. Early in my career involvement in SAME helped me develop an extensive network with other professionals in the industry, provided me with multiple mentors and provided me with leadership opportunities that have had a huge impact on accelerating my career.
What SAME accomplishment are you most proud of?
The personal accomplishments I am the most proud of include being inducted into the Academy of Fellows earlier this year and being selected for the National Young Member of the Year Medal in 2006. However, the accomplishments of the Greater Kansas City Post in the past decade are what I am truly the most proud of! The number of programs and initiatives that the Post is involved in is far too long to list, but what is even more remarkable is that the entire operation is run by volunteers. Our members are the most motivated and dedicated team that I have ever worked with.
What would you like to see the Greater Kansas City Post accomplish in the near future?
I would like to see the GKC Post continue to make our Young Member and Student Members our top focus. They represent the future of our Post and it is essential to get them engaged to help with their professional development and to help sustain the tremendous momentum that the Post currently has. Additionally, we have made enormous strides growing the Merrill Watt Education & Mentoring Endowment, however we have more work to do. We need to make a strong push to further develop the Planned Gift Fund, which resides in our Endowment and exists to house donations, gifts, bequests and other funds directed to be used to support an Endowment program in-perpetuity, per a donor's directions in their gift document. With a fully developed Planned Gift Fund, the Post will have even more resources to provide value to our membership and community.
What benefits do you see for our community through SAME's work?
SAME provides benefits to our community in numerous ways. The Post has participated in multiple STEM related programs at the high school level and hosts Student Chapters at Kansas State and UMKC. The Post also provides multiple leadership opportunities for our Young Members to help with their professional development. Additionally, the Post has made a big push in the last 2 years to assist with military transition and have hosted events at Ft. Riley and Ft. Leavenworth to assist uniformed service members who are transitioning to the civilian workforce.
What would you say to an individual thinking about getting involved with Greater Kansas City Post?
The first thing that I share with people who are not familiar with the Society of American Military Engineers is that you don't have to be American, Military or an Engineer. Quite simply, if you are interested in working in the Federal arena this is the organization you need to join! We pride ourselves on having membership that is comprised of every technical discipline as well as marketing, business development, financial, legal and accounting professionals.
Once you join the Society the key is to get involved. Contact the Post President and volunteer to serve on a committee or to help with one of the Post's initiatives or programs. The more you give to the Society the more you will benefit from being part of this outstanding organization!
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New Members - GKC Post
September - December 2014
Sustaining Memberships
Jedd Narsavage, Louis Berger
Kyle Anibas, Louis Berger
Anthony Neal, Louis Berger
Katie Gall, Yaeger Architecture
Rick Leines, Professional Services Industries, Inc.
Kelly Rotert, Professional Services Industries, Inc.
Derrick Price, TREKK Design Group
Courtney Kindfather, TREKK Design Group
Richard Capitan, Bechtel National, Inc.
Greg Vierkant, AECOM
Dennis Hall, Quantum Spatial, Inc.
Mike Ostrom, Tehama LLC
Katie Summy, Tehama LLC
Kellan Gregory, Affinis Corp.
Ryan Robinson, Strategic Value Solutions, Inc.
Mark Saito, Burns & McDonnell
Chris Quinn, O'Brien & Gere
Terry Pallotto, Tehama LLC
Kyle Schafersman, Strategic Value Solutions, Inc.
Joe Drimmel, HDR
Matthew Riechers, Hanson Professional Service, Inc.
Lucas Gillen, TREKK Design Group
Matt Metcalf, Tehama LLC
Joseph Aylor, Bechtel National, Inc.
Michael Mosu, United Excel Corporation
Matthew Grooms, Tidewater, Inc.
Leo Zerjav, United Excel Corporation
Christy Cooper, Olsson Associates
Mark Joersz, Advanced Drainage Systems
Colton Harris, The Walsh Group
Edward Hubert, Olsson Associates
Brett Spangler, Patti Banks Associates d/b/a Vireo
Toby Martinez, CoverSix Shelters Division of RedGuard
Tom Wey, Environmental Quality Management
Lindsay Robertson, United Excel Corporation
Aaron Ball, Olsson Associates
Brian Hoye, Burns & McDonnell
Weston Tanner, The Walsh Group
Dan Wiechel, United Excel Corporation
Kurt Krasick, Olsson Associates
Individual Memberships
MAJ Robert Kolb, Jr., US Army
MAJ Mike Steele, US Army
MAJ Garrett Barr, US Army
MAJ Myron Dunford, US Army
MAJ Mario Pipkin, US Army
Timothy Zande
MAJ David Darby, US Army
JC Alonzo, Shockey Consulting Services
Andrew Merriman
LtCol Grace Link
David Kocour, Hg Consult Inc.
Nick Jaros
Lonnie Wilson, K.U.T.F. Construction Services
Dr. Charles Cammack, Cammack GeoConsulting, Inc.
MAJ Robert Gunn, USAR
MAJ Penny Bloedel, US Army
Alonzo Harrison, HDB Construction
CPT Benjamin Little
Mike Dulin, USACE
Ann Galbraith, New Horizons Engterprises
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Correction to Annual Sponsor Article - Sevenson
In the 2014 Fall Newsletter, the Annual Sponsor article for Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc. contains incorrect information. It was stated the company has completed projects with a combined value of over $3.8 million. The correct value is $3.8 billion.
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TME Editorial Calendar
The editorial calendar for The Military Engineer (TME) can be found here. Each issue has a main theme and a special report. Deadlines for content also are included.
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Treasurer's Report: For January - November 2014
| Total Income: | $113,604.46 | | Total Expenses: | $60,420.50 | | Net Income: | $53,819.77 |
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Annual Sponsors for 2014
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Annual Sponsors
Affinis Corp
Black & Veatch
Burns & McDonnell
Cabrera Services
Coastal
Ecology and Environment
HDR
HNTB
JE Dunn Construction
The Louis Berger Group Inc.
Poole Fire Protection
SAIC
Sevenson Environmental Services Inc.
SM Wilson
Stantec
Tepa, LLC
Terracon
Wilson & Company
Yaeger Architecture
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Ann Ewy
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President ('13)
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USACE
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Rob Rastorfer
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Vice President ('13)
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HNTB
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Melissa Kelley
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Secretary ('13-'14)
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Henderson Engineers
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Matt Turner
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Treasurer ('12-'14)
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Yaeger Architecture
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Matt Metcalf
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Immediate Past President ('12)
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Tepa
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Scott Perkins
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Director ('12-'14)
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Quantum Spatial
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Rex Ostrander
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Director ('12-'14)
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USACE
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Steve Iverson
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Director ('12-'14)
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USACE
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Kim Pemberton
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Director ('13-'15)
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Trekk Design
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Bill Yord
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Director ('13-'15)
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RIC Infrastructure
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Kevin Casey
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Director ('13-'15)
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US Army
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Amy McCurdy
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Director ('14-'16)
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McCurdy Engineers
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Jason Davis
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Director ('14-'16)
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Affinis Corp
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Jason Sweet
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Director ('14-'16)
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Stantec
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Audit
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Mark Loes
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Education & Mentoring
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LTC Kevin Casey
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College Outreach
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Neeli Langdon & Jason Sweet
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PE Refresher Course
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Andy Mashek
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Scholarships
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Bill Yord
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K-12 Outreach
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Hillary Weber
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Membership
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Jackie Hacker
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Nominating
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Chris Prinslow
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Programs
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Clif Rope
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Small Business
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Amy McCurdy
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Strategic Planning
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Rob Rastorfer
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Young Members
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Kyle Anibas
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Awards
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Communications
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Jason Sweet
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Council of Fellows
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Jerry Adams
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E&M Endowment
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Jerry Adams
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Fort Riley Field Chapter
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Rex Ostrander
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Whiteman AFB Field Chapter
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Christopher Prinslow
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Historian
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Dave Howe
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Joint Engineering Council (JEC)
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Rich McCollum
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| Advertise in the SAME Newsletter and Web site!
The Greater Kansas City Post offers advertising space for quarterly newsletters and on the home page of the Web site. Your business card size advertisement or company logo can be added for a cost of $250.00 per year. Please send your artwork and check to:
Jason Sweet, GISP, PMP, CFM
Stantec
Once your check is received your ad will begin in the following issue.
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| Place your article in the newsletter!
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Sustaining Members
5H Technologies � AECOM � Affinis Corp. � AMEC � American Legacy/Rand Construction � ARCADIS/Malcolm Pirnie � Argus Consulting Arrowhead Contracting, Inc. � ASSET Group � Barr Engineering Co. � Bay West, Inc. � Bhate Environmental Associates, Inc. � Bibb Engineers � Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp. � BMK Corporation, Inc. � Brown and Caldwell � Burns & McDonnell � Cabrera Services, Inc. � CAPE � CB&I � CDM Smith � CH2MHILL � Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. � Coastal Environmental Group, Inc. � CORE Contruction Services � CTI and Associates, Inc. � Cyntergy AEC � EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. � Eaton Corporation � ECC � ECO Constructors LLC � Ecology & Environment, Inc. � EMR, Inc. � Family Environmental Compliance Services � GBA Architects and Engineers � GLMV Architecture, Inc. � Greenhorne & O'Mara � Greenleaf Construction Co., Inc. � H.W. Lochner, Inc. � Hanson Professional Service Inc. � HDR � Health Facilities Group, LLC � HMN Architects � Horner & Shifrin Inc. � HydroGeoLogic Inc. � JE Dunn Construction � Kaw Valley Engineering � Kennedy/Jenks Consultants � Kleinfelder � Lamp, Rynearson &Associates, Inc. � LEO A DALY � LMG Construction Services LLC � Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. (LATA) � LRS Federal LLC � Mark One Electric Co., Inc. � Mason & Hanger � Massman Construction Co. � McTech Corporation � ME Group, Inc. � Mead & Hunt, Inc. � Micah Group Energy & Environmental � Midland Surveying, Inc. � MW Builders � Paragon Business Solutions, Inc. � Parsons � Patti Banks Associates dba Vireo � Poole Fire Protection, Inc. � Professional Environmental Engineers Inc. � Professional Services Industries, Inc. � Remediation Services, Inc. � Rialto Building Rosemann & Assoc. PC � S.M. Wilson & Co � Science Applications International Corp. � SCS Engineers � Sealaska Constructors � SEH � Seneca Companies, Inc. � Sevenson Environmental Services Inc. � Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc. � SHE � Siemens Industries, Inc. � Smith & Loveless Inc. � Smith Seckman Reid Inc. � Spica Consulting � Stanley Consultants Inc. � Stantec, Inc. � Strategic Value Solutions, Inc. � Tepa, LLC � Terracon Consultants, Inc. � TerranearPMC, LLC � Tetra Tech, Inc. � The Louis Berger Group, Inc. � The S.M. Stoller Corporation � The Walsh Group � Tidewater, Inc. � TMG Services Inc. � Tompkins Architects � TranSystems � TREKK Design Group � URS Corporation � Wilson & Company, Inc. � Woolpert, Inc. � Yaeger Architecture
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