AVN CHAtter: Issue 8

Issue Eight Highlights...

Sustainability Corner | Page 2

Project Highlight | Page 3

Evansville-Vanderburgh Airport Authority District

SRE Storage & Maintenance Facility

Client Spotlight | Page 4

Indianapolis Airport Authority

Drew Genneken

Deputy Senior Director, Planning & Development

Employee Interview | Page 6

Jose Blanco

Senior Aviation Planner V | Works at Home

New Faces to CHA Aviation

Service Awards

Ryenne Ross Engineer I Knoxville, TN

Adanna Ryce Section Manager Atlanta, GA

John Bumgardner Aviation Structural Lead Duluth, GA

Ken Coutain Aviation Planner IV Atlanta, GA

Welcome to the Sustainability Corner!

This space serves to provide greater insight into the sustainability practices, programming, and onging efforts of CHA Aviation!

The first quarter of 2023 has been a busy one in this corner of CHA Aviation.

We have kicked off two Sustainable Master Plans at Indy Regional (MQJ) and Evansville Regional (EVV) airports with the goal of helping our clients implement the full breadth of the EONS model.

We have also worked with the Albany International Airport (ALB) to submit a grant application for the development of a comprehensive Sustainability Management Plan for the airport.

2023 is shaping up to be a Sustainable Year!

Strategic Initiatives

Strategy Development

Business Line Director: Mike DeVoy

Below are updates on the progress we have made on our strategic initiatives since our last newsletter:

Market Goal

Expand aviation business into CHA expansion area(s):

• Met with Doral office to determine best opportunities in South FL

• Evaluating potential development at SFB

• Lost opportunity at PVD, but pursuing another

• Won TxDOT on-call; teamed with SAM Companies to win new work

Service Goal

Expand specialized aviation services:

• Hired new structural engineering lead, John Bumgardner

• Negotiating scope and fee for Sustainability Management Plan at ALB

Technology Goal

Increase productivity/quality using technology-based solutions:

• Finalizing contract for “Kitchen to Cabin” phone app for ROC

• Need to establish the Aviation Innovation Team to identify and implement technology-based solutions

• Plan Production Series is off the ground and scheduled through June 2023

Project Manager: Jamin Heldt, PE Columbus, OH

Project Name: SRE Storage & Maintenance Facility

Client Name: Evansville-Vanderburgh Airport Authority District

Location: Evansville, IN (EVV)

CHA Revenue: $60,000 Project Formulation (Programming)

$890,000 Design/Bid Phase

$630,000 Construction Phase

Construction: $13,500,000

Start Date: May 2021

Completion: February 2024 (estimated)

Key Staff: Todd Schultheis, Jamin Heldt, Andy Papalardo, Casey Jones, Kristin Dawe, Thomas Wang, Yi Shen, Chad Reed, Cristian Koenigs, Pam Anderson, Joe Delabruere, Keith Leung, Matthew Bleazard, Santiago Alvarez, Emily Handelman, Bruce Jensen

Brief Description of the work provided:

CHA has been serving as EVAAD’s airport civil engineering consultant since 2006. As part of our on-call agreement, CHA provided project formulation (programming), engineering design, bid phase assistance, federal grant administration, and is now in the construction phase providing construction administration and observation.

Project Background. The existing maintenance facility at EVV is less than 15,000 sft with miscellaneous outbuildings for equipment storage, all in service well beyond their intended useful life. The facility is located outside the Air Operations Area security fence and has no direct access to aircraft movement area pavements. While EVV knew they needed to replace the facility, the scale, scope, and location was unknown.

Project Formulation: CHA coordinated and attended site visits with the client of similar facilities in the region to gain insight on various project elements. CHA performed a programming exercise to select a site, identify the justifiable size of the building, evaluate various layouts, identify key components and requirements of the project, and establish a project budget. CHA utilized FAA Advisory Circular 150/5220-18A - Buildings for Storage and Maintenance of Airport Snow and Ice Control Equipment and Materials as the basis for programming along with input from EVV on anticipated staffing capacity, potential for external/public use of administrative spaces, and existing/future equipment demands. The preferred basis of design was a pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) between 40,000-45,000 sft located along the north edge of the commercial air service apron. The Project Formulation phase allowed the client to place critical definition on the project before committing to the financial obligations of final design and construction. The client was satisfied with the results of the Project Formulation phase and commissioned CHA to continue with final design and bidding the project off-airport obstructions mitigation.

Design/Bid Phase: The basis of design from the Project Formulation phase was progressed through final design. Final design tasks included:

• Site civil improvements for utility services, storm drainage and detention, landside parking lot and airside equipment pavements, AOA security fencing, landscaping, and equipment fueling station

• Building design across multiple CHA disciplines including architectural, electrical, mechanical, fire alarm and security, and fire suppression

• Cost estimating services

CHA engaged subconsultants to perform topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, and structural design. The final building design included the following:

• Administrative office space of 6,600 square feet

• Maintenance shop space of 7,600 square feet with three maintenance bays, overhead bridge crane, and 80,000 lb vehicle lift

• Equipment storage space of 29,000 square feet with monorail crane and enclosed equipment wash bay

• Exterior equipment canopies and fuel station canopy

CHA performed an eligibility analysis of the building and site improvements to justify the eligibility of federal funding for the project. The team prepared an eligibility submittal packet describing the justification methodology with summary tables and exhibits for review by the FAA and INDOT office of aviation. Both agencies concurred with CHA’s first assessment, resulting in a project with over 90% eligibility prorate.

CHA administered a public bidding process for the client, utilizing a web-based bid service.

Construction Phase: CHA continues to serve EVAAD by performing construction phases services. The initial administrative pre-construction phase for shop drawing review is coming to a close, with ground breaking expected for mid-late March 2023 will perform a combination of full-time and part-time construction observation through the construction schedule depending on the specific construction operations taking place. Substantial completion of the project and occupancy of the facility is expected in February 2024.

Project Challenges: The project formulation and design phases took place during the height of escalating construction costs and supply-chain uncertainty, creating a considerable risk of the project not advancing due to budget constraints. While the design team made a considerable effort to engage multiple contractors and PEMB manufacturers prior to bidding, the timing of bidding resulted in minimal interest from the local construction community due to a high backlog of existing construction in the market. Fortunately, the sole bid received for the project was below CHA’s estimate and EVAAD was comfortable proceeding with award; this also allowed for a considerable construction contingency for the client relative to what had been budgeted.

Client Spotlight

Client Name: Indianapolis Airport Authority

Location: Indianapolis, IN (IND)

Deputy Senior Director, Planning & Development: Drew Genneken

Mike DeVoy recently had the pleasure of speaking with Drew Genneken, Deputy Senior Director, Planning & Development, at Indianapolis International Airport.

Q: Please tell us about yourself - personally and professionally to the degree that you are comfortable.

A: After graduating from high school in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, I worked in construction with my father. Realizing construction was not my passion, I joined the Army and became an air traffic controller, but I really wanted to be a pilot. After the Army I enrolled in college at FIT and graduated with a degree in Aviation Management with a minor in Flight, where I stopped my training just shy of my Commercial – Instrument Rating. Unfortunately, becoming a pilot really was not an option at that time, so I had to find another career. After completing an internship at Melbourne International Airport, I was offered my first job in aviation as a consultant. Over the course of the next decade, I worked for a few consulting firms, including PBSJ, Birk Hillman, HNTB, and RW Armstrong, before starting my own consulting business. I enjoyed the flexibility of owning my own business, but missed interacting and collaborating with colleagues. So, even though I was not looking for a new position, when the opportunity to become a member of the IAA family presented itself I couldn’t say no. And that was over 7 and half years ago.

Q: How has being a consultant prepared you for your current role as Deputy Senior Director of Planning and Development for the IAA? What are some of the biggest differences in being a consultant as compared to being a client?

A: Having been a pilot, air traffic controller, airport planner, and aviation consultant allows me to see the airport from many different perspectives. This has served me well in my current role. As a consultant, you’re often trying to find the next job. As a client, you’re typically trying to find ways to get work done, including having the right people to do the work. Relationships in the industry are key to finding the people you trust and want to work with.

Q: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities we are facing as an industry?

A: Manpower and construction logistics are our biggest issues currently. Contractor capacity and material supplies also remain an issue. A good example was the cement rationing that occurred last year. Compounding the issue is the size of our program at the IAA, as well as infrastructure funding in general, has reached all-time highs. One of our major concerns is will we have the resources to get those projects completed or take advantage of the funding being made available. The IAA does not have the ability to implement the program on our own; we rely on our partners in the consulting community to support our efforts. In fact, while our staff size has remained constant the Capital Program has essentially tripled. And we are cognizant of the fact our consulting partners are facing the same staffing issues.

Q: We have had the pleasure of working on many past and on-going projects for IAA and are one of your current oncall consultants. From your perspective, what are the most important things you and your staff need from your airport consultant?

A: At its core, we need our consultants to be an extension of staff. We use the SOQ process to, as objectively as we can, identify the firms qualified to perform the work. When necessary or prudent, we also use interviews to help determine the firm or team best qualified to perform the requisite services. The interviews allow us to observe the interaction between our project manager and the consulting team; to see how they relate to each other. In the end, this is a relationship business. We need to be confident that we can trust our consultants and they will be accountable for their work, and the best way of doing that is by establishing a true relationship – a partnership – between the IAA and consultant.

Q: What are some of the practices you have seen from your consultants that you really appreciated? What are some you wish had not happened?

A: The most important thing is open and honest dialogue on a regular basis, but especially when problems arise. Bad news doesn’t get better with age – we need to know about things that are not going well right away. Allow us be part of the solution. Reporting on things that didn’t go well adds very little value. Establishing a partnership and two-way trust is key.

Q: A big reason we are doing this is to give insight to our staff into the aviation industry, particularly our young professionals. What advice do you have to people coming into our industry?

A: Never stop learning. Never stop accepting new challenges –get outside your comfort zone. Look for opportunities to work with different people and in new environments. You just might find your new passion.

“Relationships in the industry are key to finding the people you trust and want to work with.” - Drew Genneken

Upcoming Conferences

SEC/AAAE Annual (Richmond, VA)

SAME JETC (San Antonio, TX)

Ohio Aviation (Columbus, OH)

May

May

ACI-NA Airport Construction Strategy summit (San Francisco, CA) May 16-17

AAAE Annual (Denver, CO) June 2-5

Scale, Jeremy Martelle

Tyler Bicknell, Mark Heckroth

Paul Puckli, Mike DeVoy, Nathan Lienhart

Professional Development Upcoming Aviation CoPs

Plan Production Series

• Cross Sections - March 31

• Spot Elevations and Jointing - April 13

ACC Webinars:

• Limited to 75 seats for 2023.

• Stay tuned for more details!

• Pavement Markings/Lighting and Signage - April 27

• Navaids - May 11

• Erosion Control - May 25

• Fencing and Security - June 8

• Utility Plans - June 22

WE NEED PRESENTERS! Please reach out to Todd Schultheis (Engineering) or Paul McDonnell (Planning) with your ideas.

Employee Interview Jose Blanco

Jose has been with CHA since 2022 and is an integral part of the Planning Team. Manager Rob LaFayette says, “Jose’s performance as a PM, his leadership of project teams, and his client responsiveness have exceeded our expectations.”

Keep up the great work, Jose!

Q: What is the one thing you cannot resist?

A: Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven!

Q: What is your greatest fear?

A: Not reaching my full potential.

Q: Where is your favorite place to be?

A: Sitting on a boat fishing or on top of a mountain.

Q: Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?

A: My wife and I have traveled to many places around the world (Banff, Europe, Thailand, New Zealand, National Parks, etc.) and all are so unique. However, the place I always go back to is Italy. I love the food, culture, landscape, and history.

Q: What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?

A: Prior to aviation my previous jobs were retail - not weird but dealing with customers led to some weird encounters.

Q: What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

A: I would be in the medical field, helping and healing people. Seems very rewarding.

Q: Any favorite line from a movie?

A: From my favorite holiday movie – “You sit on a throne of lies.”

Sr Aviation Planner V| Works at Home

Q: If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

A: I’ve always wanted to learn how to rock climb. The physical and mental challenge fascinates me.

Q: Tell us something that might surprise us about you.

A: People tend to be surprised that I’m a very outdoorsy person (fishing, hiking, snorkeling, ATV’s, etc.).

Q: What are 3 words you’d use to describe CHA?

A: Innovative, full service, and collaborative.

Q: If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

A: Pay off my home so I can be debt free!

Q: When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time?

A: With two young kids, 30 minutes seems like a long break! I usually just relax and take a mental break.

Q: What is something you learned in the last week?

A: Some great project management tips to deliver a project on time and within budget.

Q: How do you balance your career and family?

A: When I’m with my family - wife, Meagan, and children, Gavin and Sienna - I’m fully present. If I need to work late to meet a deliverable, I always pause to have dinner with my family and help put the kids to bed.

Project Awards/Selections

NOVEMBER-FEBRUARY QBS SELECTIONS:

• Ohio State University Airport, OH

Taxiway E Rehabilitation

• Grissom Air Force Base, IN Airport Parking Ramp Improvements

• Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), CT On-Call Avigation Easement Acquisition and Airspace Obstruction Removal

• Knox County Airport, OH Professional Airport Engineering Consultants (reselection)

• Delaware Municipal Airport, OH Airport Engineering & Design Consulting Services (reselection)

NOVEMBER -FEBRUARY PROJECT AWARDS:

• Evansville Regional Airport, IN Master Plan Update/SRE and Mix Facility (CA/CO)

• Port San Antonio, Kelly Field, TX

Taxiway A1 Extension and Road Relocation/ Aircraft Apron and Vertiport

• Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport, NY Fire Alarm System Upgrades/TSA Checkpoint Upgrades/Runway 10 Obstruction Removals (CARPR)

• Indianapolis Regional Airport, IN Sustainable Master Plan

• Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport, KY Runway 3-21 Rehabilitation/Terminal Apron Rehabilitation

• Indianapolis International Airport, IN Runway 5R-23L Reconstruction Staff Augmentation (2023)

International Arrivals Building (IAB) Apron Pavement Rehabilitation

• Grissom Air Force Base, IN Hangar 200 Dual Taxilane Rehabilitation/Hangar 200 and FBO Access Improvements

• DHL Express, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, KY B777 Hangar Schematic Design

The award of the Rehabilitation of Taxiway E at the Ohio State University Airport is a new client for CHA Aviation.

CHA has been working with the Knox County Airport since 2007. Kudos to the client service team on this recent reselection and their continued service to 4I3!

CHA has been working with the Delaware Municipal Airport for over 17 years. Kudos to the client service team on their continued dedication to DLZ!

Taxiway E

Job Opportunities

If you or anyone you know is interested in these positions, please refer to our website listing to apply.

Electrical Engineer IV| Job ID 5665

Location: Colonie, NY

At CHA, our Electrical Engineer IV provides advanced judgment and analysis techniques for the design development, implementation, and technical analysis of various systems to implement new products, or changes to an existing scheme, to suit individual client needs. This key role is responsible for planning, scheduling, and coordinating detailed phases of a project independently with other engineering disciplines and project management staff. The Electrical Engineer IV mentors junior staff members and provides technical review of their work as needed.

Project Manager| Job ID 5764

Location: Colonie, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Cleveland, OH; Rochester, NY

The Project Manager coordinates contracts with the client, subcontractors, purchase orders, daily correspondence, and all other project related documents. The Project Manager is responsible for all project financials, manages subcontractor payments, and communicates updates to the client, management, and project team during monthly project review meetings with operations.

Federal Programs Team Leader| Job ID 5794

Location: Any CHA Office Location

The Aviation Team Leader works diligently to complete projects within the scope, budget, and schedule while thoroughly understanding all project risks and applicable financial measures. This key role is responsible for managing the overall client relationship including any technical, financial, or logistical issues that may arise. Additionally, the Aviation Team Leader secures and develops work with specific clients in the federal market, including US Air Force, US Army, Federal Aviation Administration, etc., ultimately leading to a “seller/doer” role.

Structural Engineer| Job ID 5828

Location: Duluth, GA; Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Rochester, NY; Colonie, NY

Our Structural Engineer conducts the design development, implementation, and technical analysis of technical various systems to implement new products, or changes to an existing scheme, to suit individual client needs. At CHA, the Structural Engineer works on multiple projects in a timely and cost-effective manner to meet client, contractual and company requirements. The Structural Engineer monitors progress and performance against the project plan and acts immediately to resolve operational problems and minimize delays, as well as recognizes technical discrepancies in analytical results, and makes appropriate corrections. This role identifies, develops, and gathers technical resources necessary to complete assignments

Electrical Engineer IV

Structural Engineer

Project Manager Federal Programs Team Leader

Job Opportunities (cont.)

If you or anyone you know is interested in these positions, please refer to our website listing to apply.

Southeast Aviation Team Leader| Job ID 5924

Location: Winter Springs, FL; Atlanta, GA; Doral, FL

The Southeast Aviation Team Leader, a key role at CHA, leads the technical execution of projects within his/her discipline and provides expert consultation in one or more areas of the respective field of engineering. At CHA, our Southeast Aviation Team Leader plans, schedules, conducts and coordinates detailed phases of a project independently with other engineering disciplines and project management staff. This key role provides guidance, mentorship, and technical review of work completed by junior level staff. The Southeast Aviation Team Leader provides technical development of proposals and external presentations (i.e., clients, public, regulatory agency, etc.)

CHA is continuously working hard to identify top talent, and we believe it takes one to know one. Our Network of CHAmpions program recognizes the critical role you play in our ability to add key talent to our team. Help us reach our goal of being the best in the industry by referring talented professionals to join our team!

Gross Bonus Amounts:

• $2,000 – For a referral that leads to a hire in a Full-Time role which requires 3 years or less of professional experience.

• $4,000 – For a referral that leads to a hire in a Full-Time role which requires 4 or more years of professional experience. For more information, please visit the CHA Network of CHAmpions page here.

Southeast Aviation Team Leader

Excellence Awards

Recipients of CHA’s Excellence Award have contributed in extraordinary ways; demonstrating exceptional commitment and going far above and beyond the normal duties of their job.

Congratulations to the following employees for their recent CHA Excellence Awards!

“Jose’s performance as a PM, his leadership of project teams, and his client responsiveness have exceeded our expectations for the role we wanted him to play. Bill Barley was just singing Jose’s praises for the work he’s been doing with our team and he should certainly be recognized. His communication, leadership style, and attitude towards the culture we’re building within the AVNPLP group is a perfect example of what we hope for when we start building new teams. I am incredibly fortunate that Jose chose CHA!”

“Elliott has been working on multiple projects with multiple Project Managers and Section Managers, including covering night inspection work at DKX when Todd Henry was not available due to other job commitments. He has done an excellent job keeping all the task straight and has worked a substantial amount of overtime to accomplish the tasks on time. Below is a recent quote from Larry Kalousek: Elliott...thank you. You have been a life saver on this project!”

“The mentorship Larry is providing to the team is really impactful to the growth of our young staff. Larry has been doing this for a very long time, and he made a career change to come to our team as a PM to help us grow our practice. The change from his previous life to CHA was a big one and I am extremely grateful for him. I would like to recognize the full impact he has on our team, and the appreciation I have for him as a mentor and a leader.“

TAYLOR KOUTROPOULOS nominated by Nathan Lienhart

“Taylor has stepped up to support the IND Runway 5L-23R & Taxiway B Rehabilitation project team, leading the efforts to oversee the development of the Envision certification for the project. While CHA retained a local subconsultant to complete this effort, they’ve experienced a significant amount of staff turnover, making Taylor’s role integral to the success of the Envision certification. We’re in the home stretch, but most certainly needed to recognize the outstanding work and effort put in by Taylor to support the work we do for the Indianapolis Airport Authority! Thanks so much Taylor - job well done! Couldn’t get this completed without your support!”

CHA’s Recognition by Design is a program designed to create a culture of recognition through providing both formal and informal avenues to celebrate contributions, hard work and successes; while also encouraging continued dialogue about the importance of recognition throughout the company. The program includes opportunities for recognition between peers; leaders and managers to individual contributors or teams, and Project Managers to project teams.

Please visit the Recognition at CHA page here to learn more about the awards and offerings for your employees.

LARRY KALOUSEK nominated by Rob LaFayette

ELLIOTT CLEMENTS nominated by Scott Crimmins

JOSE BLANCO nominated by Rob LaFayette

Excellence Awards (cont.)

CALVIN KUANG nominated by Rob LaFayette

“Calvin is quickly becoming the most sought after mid-level planner that we have on staff. I’m extremely proud of his growth over the past 2 years. As evidence most recently by a client sending Calvin kudos “Thank you again for the excellent and professional presentation last night. CHA always represents VTrans well at our public meetings.” This is high praise from a key client for a contentious public meeting presentation where members of the community kept the CHA Master Plan team over 2 hours past the presentation’s conclusion, grilling them with questions about the Airport. In addition to his high level of performance on VTrans, Calvin has been taking on new opportunities, taking on the leadership of staff on projects, and actively and purposely developing new skills to take his next step as a PM for our team.”

RILEY RICHTER nominated by Rob LaFayette

“Riley has really gone outside his day to day responsibilities in assisting the AVNPLP team. Riley has no previous ALP experience, and in the last month has been absolutely killing it on the OWB ALP. In addition to essentially meeting our deadlines for us with no prior experience, Riley has noticed efficiencies and quality standards that were not being met with existing deliverables. He took it upon himself to help mentor new Planning staff on how to integrate these efficiencies, proper/standard layer and exhibit standards, network file structure, and CAD management. Riley is taking the quality of our deliverables to a new level. Riley is very deserving of an excellence award!”

Good News

Larisa

My son, Tristan, being sworn into the U.S. Marine Corps. He chose Infantry as his MOS, and he ships out May 28, 2023.

Lauren Bailey | (Indianapolis, IN)

Jim & Stephanie Barber - along with big brother, Luke, and big sister, Gracewelcomed Clara Sue (6 lbs 6 oz) on February 23!

Jim Barber | (Cleveland, OH)

We welcomed our 8th grandchild, Kyle Wyatt Puckli (8 lbs 9 oz), on January 31!

Paul Puckli | (Chantilly, VA)

I’m a Grandpa! Kiera Catherine O’Brien (6 lbs 15 oz) was born on February 2!

Mike DeVoy | (Indianapolis, IN)

Larisa and Diego both passed the FE exam in February!

Susinskas | (Cleveland, OH)

Diego Salazar | (Indianapolis, IN)

AVIATION VISION STATEMENT

We will responsibly improve the lives of our clients and co-workers by:

• Operating a sustainable business line that provides our aviation clients exceptional service and industry thought leadership.

• Being the most admired business line at CHA through outstanding performance, career advancement, and staff retention.

Definitions:

• Providing career opportunities through sustainable growth (5-10% NSR growth/year)

• Retaining our valued aviation employees (top industry quartile)

• Delivering quality service and solutions (95% client retention; add min. 2 potential CLAD clients/year)

• Performing as a highly effective and efficient business line (MU > 2.20)