Archive

19 Mar 2018
0

TFMoran showcases school projects at the NNECERAPPA 2018 Conference at SNHU

March 19, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

The 2018 Annual Northern New England Chapter Eastern Region of APPA (NNECERAPPA) Conference was held on March 15th and 16th at the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) campus in Manchester, NH. The two day conference was co-hosted by Southern New Hampshire University and The Derryfield School.  Early morning registration began at the Athletic Complex, where guests signed up for campus tours and then proceeded to the gymnasium to visit the Business Partner Exhibition.

TFMoran was one of nearly 50 companies participating in the Business Partner Exhibition, featuring a broad range of services and/or products focused on schools. Dylan Cruess, TFMoran’s COO, and Marketing Coordinator, Susan Bartley were on-hand to answer questions and talk about the variety of school projects showcased at the TFMoran booth. Four SNHU projects were showcased: the new Millyard Parking Garage; the Gustafson Welcome Center; Kingston Hall; and the new Quad, along with The Derryfield School project – a proposed new Student Athletic & Wellness Center. TFMoran has provided civil/site/traffic/structural engineering, permitting, landscape architecture and survey services for many of the newer buildings on the SNHU campus, as well as designs for sidewalks, roadways, parking lots, entrance signage and a central quad.

The tours offered to all registered guests included visiting the new Penmen Stadium and facility building; the new College of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics building, the new Library Learning Commons; and the new Kingston Hall, which is currently under construction. Both the new Library and Kingston Hall are TFMoran engineering projects.

Over the two days, the Conference offered concurrent sessions addressing various topics on engineering, architecture, sustainability and a “grab bag” of topics such as facilities data, energy savings and EHS compliance.  These sessions were held in multiple buildings on campus within a short walk from the Athletic Complex and the Dining Hall, where guests enjoyed luncheons and the annual banquet and business meeting. TFMoran was the Networking Reception sponsor, which was held on Thursday night, before the banquet and business meeting.

One of the engineering sessions was presented by TFMoran’s President and Chief Engineer, Robert Duval, PE. He gave an informative presentation on the collaboration of SNHU and The Derryfield School, and their hope to build a safer entrance into their campuses.  The presentation entitled “Campus Traffic Safety – A Community Concern” addressed one short section of road in Manchester and Hooksett, NH serving as the main entrance to two important educational institutions: The Derryfield School and Southern New Hampshire University. Mr. Duval explained how these two separate and distinct institutions, located in two separate and distinct communities, are working together to address their common interest in traffic safety as these institutions and their communities grow and change. Mr. Duval was pleased to be a contributing speaker to this year’s Annual NNECERRAPPA Conference.

The Annual NNECERRAPPA Conference proved once again to be a comprehensive professional development opportunity. Thank you to Southern New Hampshire University and The Derryfield School for hosting such a great event!

 

15 Mar 2018
0

18th Bob Baines Blarney Breakfast

March 15, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

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/

10 Mar 2018
0

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

March 10, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

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.

09 Mar 2018
0

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

March 9, 2018 | 0 Comments | , ,

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!

05 Mar 2018
0

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

March 5, 2018 | 0 Comments |

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.”

27 Feb 2018
0

Maureen Kelly, TFMoran Civil Project Engineer, continues her engineering assistance in Haiti with UML Haiti Development Studies Center

February 27, 2018 | 0 Comments | , ,

In early January, TFMoran Civil Project Engineer Maureen Kelly traveled to the southern Haitian city of Les Cayes. Her traveling companions were five seniors in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), as well as Physics professor and department head Dr. Robert Giles. Dr. Giles founded the Haiti Development Studies Center (HDSC), the educational facility and guest house where the group spent the week. The students are involved in multiple initiatives focusing on education and sustainable development. Maureen acts as a volunteer assistant on these projects.

BASH (Biodigester Aided Solutions in Haiti)

Several students on the trip are working on a biodigester. It collects a mixture of gases, called biogas, from decomposing organic material. The methane in biogas can power cookstoves, refrigerators, and even engines. The remaining material is ideal as a low-cost fertilizer, a vital resource for subsistence farming in nutrient-stripped soils. In Haiti the team learned more about local agricultural practices and available resources, which will inform further research and design. This project has been awarded funding through University design competitions and the team is now pursuing an EPA grant to study the effect of enzyme additions on biodigestion.

Civil & Environmental Engineering Alternative Capstone

As part of their senior capstone course, the students were tasked with exploring options for alternative waste treatment in Haitian households. In Haiti they visited a project site and performed basic soils testing in the area. This experience will inform their spring semester, during which they will focus on treatment options that address challenges specific to Haiti, where the freshwater supply is very vulnerable to contamination. The students will explore alternative methods of waste disposal that don’t put the water table at risk.

Coteaux & Port Salut 

Coteaux is a coastal community where one of the Haitian students at HDSC, Dayana, grew up. Her family still lives there. During the trip our group visited Coteaux to see her family home, walk around the town, and visit a solar energy plant that powers three communities. The solar installation was still in disrepair following damage from Hurricane Matthew. Due to a lack of funds, even municipalities require extensive periods of time to rebuild after storms. The manager at the site was kind enough to give the group a tour of the facility and pointed out the backup generator that has replaced storm-damaged panels.

A major landmark in Coteaux is “500 Marches de la Médaille Miraculeuse,” or “500 Steps to the Miraculous Medal.” This site consists of an impressive set of 500 steps up to the top of a small mountain overlooking the south-western coastline of Haiti, with a sanctuary and statue at the top. The entire team, including Dr. Giles, our driver, and Dayana’s father all made it to the top. We paused at the peak for rest, reflection, and pictures while butterflies and lizards played around us. Upon our return to the base, legs a bit wobbly and lungs well worked, we turned back to see several goats jumping effortlessly on the stairs near the top.

Port Salut, the last destination of the week, boasts a beautiful beach. Last year when we visited Port Salut, it had only been a few months since Hurricane Matthew. The road was washed out and buildings were badly damaged. Trees were down along the coast and while swimming we would occasionally run into pieces of houses that had been washed into the ocean. This year the damage was still visible, but conditions were much improved and many businesses had reopened. It’s important that travelers learn just as much about all that is beautiful about Haiti as they do about the challenges that face our Caribbean neighbors. We always make time to appreciate the wonders of nature, cultural landmarks, and the growth of communities in the face of adversity.

Moving Forward

The Alternative Capstone team has now begun their Spring semester, and will travel to Haiti again in March. Those students who are working on the biodigester have had a very busy few weeks of research, writing, and revisions; their grant application to the EPA will be submitted in early February. With luck, they will be able to pay for their enzyme research and early installations using grant funds. Through donations from friends, family, and alumni, the Haiti Development Studies Center will continue to support student groups who choose to pursue projects based in Haiti.

For more information about the Haiti Development Studies Center or any of the projects discussed above, please feel free to visit www.uml.edu/Research/HDSC or contact Maureen Kelly at [email protected]

19 Jan 2018
0

Structural Engineer, Eric Picard Receives Professional Engineer License

January 19, 2018 | 0 Comments | ,

Eric Picard, PE, recently passed the Professional Engineer exam and is now a licensed structural engineer in New Hampshire. Eric serves as a Structural Engineer in TFMoran’s Bedford office. He joined the TFMoran Structural Team in 2012 after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of New Hampshire, Durham. Eric’s experience includes the design, analysis and construction administration of municipal, commercial, industrial and residential projects throughout New England. He is a member of the Structural Engineers of New Hampshire.

Congratulations Eric!

15 Jan 2018
0

Andrew Gray Joins the Portsmouth Division Team

January 15, 2018 | 0 Comments

TFMoran announces the recent addition of Engineering Technician, Andrew Gray, EIT to our Portsmouth division team. Mr. Gray graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In addition to septic system design, his over ten years of experience includes civil project management, permitting, construction inspection and oversight, and geotechnical investigations. Prior to TFMoran, Mr. Gray was the SWPPP lead inspector for the $14M Portage Cove Harbor Expansion in Haines Borough, Alaska.

04 Jan 2018
0

TFMoran Welcomes Devon Christen to the Structural Engineering Department

January 4, 2018 | 0 Comments |

Devon Christen, EIT has joined the structural engineering department, serving as a structural engineer in the Bedford office. Mr. Christen obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree with a minor in Architectural Studies from the University of New Hampshire in 2014. His coursework included structural steel and concrete design, engineering hydrology and materials science. Mr. Christen serves as a structural engineer, with prior experience in new construction and renovation for residential and commercial projects utilizing Autodesk REVIT and RISA 3D.

03 Jan 2018
0

Fred Roach Joins the TFMoran Team

January 3, 2018 | 0 Comments |

Fred Roach has joined TFMoran’s Bedford office as an Administrative Assistant. Mr. Roach’s duties include production of plans and reports, file and archive maintenance, deliveries and other administrative functions for all departments. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Franklin Pierce University. Mr. Roach has over thirty-years of experience in law enforcement and administration, as well as many years of experience in professional driving.