INVITATION TO TEAM

 Converse Consultants, a national leader in Geotechnical, Environmental and Materials Testing and Inspection invites Statement of Qualifications from certified DBE ONLY firms for consideration to be part of our team for the following County of Los Angeles Solicitation:

AS-NEEDED MATERIALS TESTING, PAVEMENT MIX DESIGN AND INSPECTION SERVICES ON FEDERAL AND NON FEDERAL FUNDED PROJECTS

 (Proposal Due Date 09-15-14)

Services solicited:

Pavement Mix Design Services

Field Technicians experienced in Roadway Construction Projects

(technicians must be CT certified per the RFP)

Your firm MUST have recent experience working on County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works AED Projects and be a certified DBE

Your response MUST include the following (Word docs only unless noted):

Letter of Interest (pdf)

Proof of certification (pdf)

Relevant experience working for the County of LA Department of Public Works AED

Experience working with Converse Consultants

Resumes of staff proposed for your scope of services (2 page limit)

Copies of lab/staff certifications for your scope of services (pdf)

Please forward your response to:

Beth George, CPSM

Director of Business Development

Converse Consultants

bgeorge@converseconsultants.com

Responses must be received by noon on THURSDAY, 09-11-14

INCOMPLETE OR LATE RESPONSES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

We will provide the RFP and any other available documents on request

Converse is willing to assist interested firms in obtaining bonds, lines of credit or insurance as required

Converse Consultants is an EOE Minority Female Disabled and Veterans are encouraged to apply

Converse Welcomes New Sr. Vice President Siva K. Sivathasan

Converse Consultants is pleased to welcome Siva K. Sivathasan, Ph.D., PE, GE, DGE, QSD, F. ASCE to our family!  Dr. Sivathasan has 20 years of geotechnical, earthquake engineering, and construction experience working for highly respected geotechnical engineering firms in Southern California.  He joins Converse as a Senior Vice President and Principal Engineer and will work in our Monrovia, CA office.

 

He has been providing source inspection for major transportation projects in Southern California and is one of the few who are familiar with this special inspection procedures and protocols outside the Caltrans.

Siva shares his time and expertise with the engineering community at large by:

• Serving as a subject matter expert for the California Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists for Geotechnical Engineering Exam Development

• Teaching several civil engineering undergraduate and graduate classes at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Fullerton

• Teaching Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Surveying sections for the California Professional Engineer Exam

• Serving as Vice Chair of the ACSE Los Angeles Section Geotechnical Group

Siva is married with three kids, the oldest two of whom successfully compete in state and national spelling and math contests.  He is actively involved in his community by volunteering his time to AYSO, his city and local school district.  He enjoys playing volley ball, cricket, and golf.

You can reach Siva at ksivathasan@converseconsultants.com

Converse Consultants is a national leader in the fields of Geotechnical Engineering, Engineering Geology, Environmental and Groundwater Sciences and QA/QC Field and Laboratory Testing and Inspection Services.  For more information please contact Beth George at bgeorge@converseconsultants.com.

Wisdom (?) From The Aged (ish)

Today (July 11, 2014) is my 17 year anniversary with Converse Consultants.  So much has changed in our industry, and so much hasn't.  Here are a few things I've learned in my tenure.  Things about the A/E/C industry, my firm, and myself:

I am old:  At least I feel old.  I am constantly learning and am very open to new and different and next.  But I am, nonetheless, approaching dinosaur status.  When I started with Converse I was in my (late) thirties, with two barely teenage daughters and two preteen sons.  Now I am in my (mid) fifties.  My kids are all in their early 30's.  I have four grandchildren.  I was a soccer mom, now I am a soccer Gma.

And I love it.

Ours is a very small, incestuous industry: I am an anomaly as a BD professional with one firm for so long.  I know of other folks, many of them with Converse, who have stayed put longer, but it seems professional and technical staff move from firm to firm to firm, wherever the projects are.  It makes sense in some ways, it's unsettling in others.

Millennials are interesting folk:  As a boomer I have worked with and supervised Gens X and Y.  I am now working with some very bright young people who aren't challenged and motivated the way I or the generations in between are.  And if I don't mentor them properly, they will leave.  Regardless of pay.

I remember yesterday:  When we weren't networked.  Stand alone PC's with phone cords dangling from to ceiling so I could access the internet. Heck I remember typing (not keyboarding) SF255 forms in triplicate with carbon paper.  Yup.

And I like today:  Everything is digital and instant.  I have a variety of ways in which to connect with my clients and each one has their own preference.  My phone is more powerful than the first PC that I worked on (the first Macintosh desktop).  Converse isn't cutting edge across the board yet, but we are up to speed where we need to be and our leadership listens.

But not everything:  We are too connected.  At least I am.  I have a love/hate relationship with my phone.  It makes it easy for me to stay in touch and I am always available, but it's also a leash and I am always available.

The view of tomorrow is cool:  Watching how quickly the technology changes and how it can be applied to geotechnical engineering and geology is awesome.  And if today is awesome, what will tomorrow look like?  I can't wait.

Healing Asphalt: Porous Pavement with a Longer Lifespan

We all deal with road surfaces in various states of (dis)repair.  Cracking and potholes are annoying at best, damaging to our cars at worst. 

There are 4.09 million miles of road in the United States, with the vast majority of those paved surfaces under local jurisdictions. Municipal budgets have withered to dust across the country but constituents want the roads fixed.  What to do?

Porous pavement has a solid fanbase for many reasons, though it has it's own problems.  But check this out...Pavement Healing...it's awesome.  Of course it's in The Netherlands but hey, if it works there, why not here?

Leadership Done Right

We are all inundated with how-to's on leadership.  I know I am.  And I know I get glazed over and my mind wanders off when someone starts talking about it.  This article, however, gets it right.