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Archive for March 2018
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TFMoran’s COO, Dylan Cruess, one of 40 honored at Union Leader Awards Night

The front page of the Union Leader published on Thursday, March 15, 2018 featured a story written by Paul Feely reporting on the Class of 2018: 40 Under Forty Awards night held at the Grappone Center in Concord, NH. TFMoran’s COO, Dylan Cruess was not only one of the forty honored at the event, but he was also quoted in the article. Congratulations to all the under Forty honorees who make our state a better place to live and work!

To view a pdf of the published story, click on this link NH Union Leader Class of 2018 40 under Forty honorees  or read the text below:

Class of 2018: 40 under Forty honorees make NH a better place to live and work

Taking their places in the ranks of honorees considered among the state’s top political and community leaders, members of the 2018 class of the New Hampshire Union Leader 40 Under Forty were honored during a ceremony Wednesday night at the Grappone Conference Center.

The program, now in its 17th year, honors New Hampshire residents who have achieved professional and volunteer accomplishments in the state. Past honorees include former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter and Olympic gold medalist skier Bode Miller.

“I’m honored to be recognized for doing something I enjoy doing, and would be happy to do regardless of my vocation,” said Lauren Collins-Cline, director of communications and public relations at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. “I think the quality of this year’s class is indicative of the under 40 crowd in New Hampshire. We hear a lot about the graying of the state, and an event like this spotlights what the younger generation is accomplishing.”

“Going through the list of honorees, it is an incredibly impressive list,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “The sky is the limit in New Hampshire. You have the ability to do anything here and it’s our responsibility as government officials to make sure the doors are open to you. This state is about opportunity. You are here because you made the best of it.”

The 28 women and 12 men chosen for the 2018 Class of 40 Under Forty have made professional and personal contributions to make New Hampshire a better place to live and work. This year’s group includes four people in their 20s; 16 between 30 and 35; and 20 between 36 and 39 — including nine 39-year olds.

The most popular profession in this year’s class is attorney, the listed occupation for four of the honorees. They represent a very diverse workforce — real estate, health care, arts and entertainment, state politics, retail, accounting, insurance, finance, education and coaching, engineering, advocacy, promoting New Hampshire.

“You’ve done a lot to get here,” said New Hampshire Union Leader Executive Editor Trent Spiner. “Every year we are just amazed at your stories, and the things you have done and achieved. I am even more amazed at what you will go on to do.”

“It’s a great class, and I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Dylan Cruess, principal and chief operating officer of TFMoran Inc. “You see the people who have been recognized before you, and it’s an honor to be a part of that group.”

“I’m honored to be chosen, and to be a good role model for my kids,” said Jessica Bond, program director for Ascentria Care Alliance Therapeutic Family Connections Program. “I’m happy for the opportunity to help put a spotlight on the need for foster care in New Hampshire.”

“It’s a great class,” said Will Craig, community relations and economic development specialist with Eversource. “It’s a nice opportunity to recognize a great group of people for the good work they do around the state.”

Nominations for this year’s honorees were gathered in the fall. Nominees had to be younger than 40 as of Feb. 1, have lived in the state for at least three years, and have made professional and personal contributions to making New Hampshire a better place.

Citizens Bank sponsored the 2018 40 Under Forty Awards.

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18th Bob Baines Blarney Breakfast

The Annual Bob Baines Blarney Breakfast was held on Wednesday March 14, 2018 for the 18th consecutive year at The Manchester Downtown Hotel (formerly the Radisson). This St. Patrick’s Day tradition is not only a good time, but a charity event that benefits several local charities to help make a difference and allow companies to give back. This year’s organizations include: Special Olympics NH, American Red Cross and The Shirley Brulotte Fund for the International Institute of New England – Manchester.

This year’s special guests were Ronan Tynan, an Irish tenor singer from Dublin, Ireland, and Timothy Shriver, the Special Olympics Chairman.

TFMoran is one of the many local companies and organizations sponsoring the event.

For more information please visit: https://www.facebook.com/BlarneyBreakfast/

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Celebrating Women In Construction Week! Meet Brenda Kolbow, TFMoran Survey Project Manager.

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week. TFMoran is proud to have these women in construction, along with other women professionals on our team.

Brenda Kolbow, PLS – TFMoran, Inc. Survey Project Manager

Brenda Kolbow, PLS is a Survey Project Manager working out of TFMoran’s Portsmouth division office.  She is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the states of Maine and North Carolina. Brenda is responsible for the management and coordination of survey projects with internal staff, clients, contractors, and regulatory officials from proposal through the completion of construction. Her field skills include boundary, topographic, ALTA, construction layout and as-built surveys, along with total station data collection and GPS static and kinetic observations.  Brenda’s has an Associate’s degree in Surveying Technology from Western Piedmont Community College in North Carolina.

Why did you go into land surveying?

I happen to like math and I wanted a serious career that provides people with a service that helps them accomplish their goals. You can really see the difference when you participate in a project from beginning to end.

What do you think women should know upon entering the land surveying field?

The number of women in the land surveying field is continuing to grow. The divide is getting less and less, the ultimate goal is to provide an accurate professional product and that is what everyone is working towards.

What are the challenges of your career?

The work/home life balance is difficult because it always seems there is more you could do on both ends.

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Celebrating Women In Construction Week! Meet Maureen Kelly, TFMoran Civil Project Engineer.

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week. TFMoran is proud to have these women in construction, along with other women professionals on our team.

Maureen Kelly – TFMoran, Inc. Civil Project Engineer

Maureen Kelly is a Civil Project Engineer at TFMoran, Inc. who started with the company in January 2017. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with a Masters degree in Structural Engineering. She was president of the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society Chapter. Maureen stays connected with her alma mater by partaking in student engineering excursions to the Haiti Development Studies Center. She has been to Haiti twice over the past year to help with developing a more sustainable system for waste in the Haitian communities. Her professional experiences include; watershed analysis, drainage assessment, storm water retention, and calculations for residential and commercial structures.

Why did you go into engineering?
The relationship between the built world and the natural world has always interested me. Civilization can coexist with nature if we make it a priority. As the name suggests, civil engineering is one profession where you can study and influence that relationship.

What are the challenges of your job?
Stakeholders on a project often have competing priorities. Through discussion and compromise the project takes a shape that’s suitable for everyone, but sometimes getting to that point is a challenge. 

What do you like about your job?
I love the variety of my work and the diversity of people involved in each project. I’m new to the field, but I know that after 20 years on the job there will still be more to learn. 

What skills does one need to enter the engineering field?
The ability to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on. That one skill gives you freedom to study anything. Objectivity and patience are also very important. Contrary to common belief, it’s not all about math!

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High-Profile features an award-winning TFMoran structural design project in March issue.

TFMoran Structural Engineers are honored to be on the Five College Library Annex Team who received a bronze award in the building construction category by the Design Build Institute of America.  You can read all about it in the March issue of High-Profile, New England Facilities Development News in the Institutions & Schools focus section. Or just click on this pdf link High-Profile – Five College Library March 2018 pg 29 to view the published story, or read below:

DBIA NE Honors Five College Library Annex Team With Bronze Award

Hatfield, MA – At its recent annual meeting and design-build awards event, held in Framingham, the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) New England Region, presented the Five College Library Annex project team with a Bronze Award in the Building Construction category.

The winning collaboration included Five Colleges, Inc. (FCI), CSL Consulting, Cutler Associates, Cutler Design, RDK Engineers, TFMoran, and Berkshire Design.

Prior to construction, Cutler, an East Coast design-build and construction management firm, worked with FCI and CSL on site selection. The design-build team then spent 12 months building the new 35,000sf climate-controlled library storage facility in Hatfield. The design provides for 9,000sf of receiving, materials processing, meeting, and office space, with the remaining 26,000sf storage space, outfitted with 24-foot high shelving units that have a capacity to house 2.5 million volumes.

The new state-of-the-art facility serves students and faculty members from Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst — collectively known as the Five College Consortium.

The success of the project, having maximized the value and efficiencies of taking a design-build approach, is proven by the numbers. “Given the complexities of the site prep work and sophisticated building systems necessary for achieving the strict control of temperature and humidity, we are thrilled that the facility was completed on schedule and well under budget,” said Neal Abraham, executive director of Five Colleges, Inc.

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TFMoran is Celebrating National Women In Construction Week! Meet TFM’s Jen Porter, Civil Engineer.

March 5 – 11 is National Women in Construction Week.  According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) website, “The focus of WIC Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. WIC Week provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry.”

In celebration of WIC, TFMoran is highlighting our own Women In Construction, one TFMoran woman engineer or surveyor each day this week, starting off with civil engineer, Jennifer Porter. Jen Porter is also representing TFMoran in the March issue of High-Profile, in their Women In Construction section. To view Jen’s High-Profile story click on this link Jen Porter – WIC – High-Profile March 2018 or read below:

Jen Porter – Civil Engineer at TFMoran, Inc.

One of TFMoran, Inc.’s women engineers is Jennifer Porter, PE. Jen serves as a project engineer in the civil and traffic engineering departments. She has been with TFMoran for nearly 20 years, after graduating from Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Jen is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Hampshire, with extensive experience in site planning, grading and drainage design, sewer design, and permitting. She typically designs sites for commercial, industrial, residential and institutional projects. Though most of her engineering work takes place in the office, her job sometimes requires putting on a hard hat and safety vest for engineering inspections on the construction site.

Throughout her career, Jen has tackled obstacles with good management, open communications and being a dependable team player. “I was a competitive hurdler on the track team in high school and college, which is somewhat of an individual sport. Everyone works toward a common goal: the better my performance, the better my team does”, explains Jen. “I use the same teamwork approach in the work place. My career choice to remain as a project engineer is because I enjoy the role as a “worker-bee”, using my talent for the good of the team.”

By being one who makes up the 14% of women in the engineering profession, Jen provides a positive influence on her nine-year old daughter, Jocelyn. “I encourage her to go into any field that she wants to. She is outgoing, smart and creative, she can do whatever she sets her mind on.” As an engineer, role-model, wife, and mother of two, Jen always does her best.

TFMoran is honored to have Jen, along with other women professionals on their team.

 

In addition to Jen’s High-Profile story, TFMoran’s marketing assistant Kelsie Gagner asked her the following questions:

Why did you go into engineering?

 “My favorite subject in high school was mathematics, so engineering seemed like a likely career path. I was undecided between civil and mechanical, but opted into the civil program after a few months into my freshman year at Bucknell.”

 

What are the challenges of your job?

 “Every project is different, but you can use what you learn at one site to assist in developing and improving the next.”