Schema 06

Issue 06/Spring 2018

A publication of Goodwyn Mills Cawood

Building Communities Reimagining parks through the eyes of millennials Auto supplier celebrates new $46M facility

Students get an inside look at the world of AE Meet GMC’s new C-suite

GMC MANIFESTO We believe in community, collaboration and using the power of creativity and hard work to make a difference - in our hearts, homes, city, nation and world. We believe in hope, progress, beauty, and big ideas. We believe that people like us, need us. We are not just an engineering firm. We are not just architects. We are artists, designers, thinkers, doers, makers, and storytellers dedicated to doing great work, for good. We partner with passionate and like-minded individuals, businesses, organizations, and causes that have aggressive hopes and goals for tomorrow and beyond. Dreaming big is the only way to make big dreams come true, and we know that our solutions can only be as great as the people we serve. Communities are built by people, not companies. And it is that foundational concept that drives how we approach every project, big or small. Because it’s the passion and drive of individuals that feeds the growth and development of what’s next. Together, we will be smart.

We will be relevant. We will be meaningful. We will be kind, supportive, enthusiastic and – at the very least – the very best we can be. We are – and will continue to be – a collaborative organization driven by the power of building better, happier, healthier, thriving communities. And we are committed to working with folks who share our vision for realizing their full potential, because we know that great engineering and architecture helps make communities better, for everyone.

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ON THE COVER GMC's Pelham Ridge Elementary School received the Alabama Concrete Industries Association’s Top Block Award, which recognizes creative masonry design.

CONTENTS Schema is a quarterly publication of GMC designed to keep clients, business partners, employees and others informed on company news and to provide insight on industry trends and issues.

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Subscribe at www.gmcnetwork.com

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DEFINING THE INSTAGRAMMABLE EXPERIENCES AT YOUR PUBLIC PARK

10 KNOWLEDGE TAKES FLIGHT

12

14

PROJECT PROFILE: MÖLLERTECH MANUFACTURING PLANT

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

16

LEADING THE WAY

17

April

7-11

THE UP & COMING: CONFERENCES & EVENTS

18

AROUND THE NETWORK

Spring 2018 3

Defining the

Instagrammable Experiences at your Public Park

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Reimagining park experiences through the eyes of millennials.

Millennials. Whether you realize it or not, your life is affected by them. This generation of young people born between 1980 and 2000 is gaining prominence and significantly impacting the world. They are changing the way we buy and sell goods and services, interact with one another, and how we plan and relate to the built environment. The business world has been aware of them for a while now. Likewise, publicly-owned park systems need to recognize millennials as a force to be reckoned with and tap into the opportunity they bring. To do this, park systems must identify and understand millennials and what they are like.

Studies and surveys show that millennials place a higher value on experiences than on possessions. Thrill-seeking millennials have spawned a new travel industry, known as adventure tourism, where tourists exert themselves, connect with nature, and take on an element of risk. They snap selfies on their smartphones and post the images on social media sites like Instagram so their friends can see where they are and what they’re experiencing.

Public parks already offer the adventures and one-of-a-kind experiences millennials are seeking around the globe. What if parks could understand and curate their overall experiences and motivate millennials driven by FOMO (fear of missing out) and YOLO (you only live once) to partake in local adventures? Could public parks spawn a new generation of park enthusiasts?

Better yet, if public owners invested in their parks with an eye toward generating revenue, catering to millennials could pave the way for public park systems to recoup operating costs and provide funds to fulfill their missions to protect and preserve natural and cultural resources. As budgets get tighter and park systems work to secure and maintain adequate funding, adventure tourism presents a huge opportunity that should be seized.

The time is right to reimagine park experiences through the eyes of millennials.

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Butler describes millennials as driven, but not in the same way as their “yuppie” parents. “Millennials are competitive,” Butler says, “but not about acquiring things. It’s ‘what am I doing compared to what you’re doing?’ They like attention and they share that through social media.”

Who are the

MILLENNIALS? between the ages of

17-37

92 million in the U.S. value EXPERIENCES over material possessions 100% have between the ages of 18-34 smartphones $1.5 trillion in annual buying power Here come the millennials Most definitions describe millennials as those presently between 17 and 37 years of age. They are the largest generation ever, with 92 million people in the U.S. alone. They are also the most connected generation, with smartphone ownership approaching 100% among those ages 18 to 34. Millennials have been raised with an abundance of technology and material possessions. This has led to a generation that places more value on experiences than things. A 2014 Harris Poll funded by Eventbrite reveals that more than 3 out of 4 millennials (78%) would choose to spend money on a desirable experience over buying something desirable. As summarized by Eventbrite,

[T]his generation not only highly values experiences, but they are increasingly spending time and money on them. . . . For this group, happiness isn’t as focused on possessions or career status. Living a meaningful, happy life is about creating, sharing and capturing memories earned through experiences that span the spectrum of life’s opportunities.

David Butler, owner of WTG Talent Solutions, helps companies understand what makes millennials tick and how to relate to their particularities. He confirms the results of the Harris poll.

“Millennials are way more interested in what they do rather than what they have.”

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More than previous generations, millennials are dedicated to wellness and devote time and money to an active lifestyle that includes eating healthy, exercising, and spending time outdoors.

Perhaps most significant in regards to the future of public parks, millennials are less interested in observing from a distance. Rather, they crave connection and authenticity, and they gravitate toward participatory experiences. They then share them with others and influence decisions. One study found that 92% of millennials share their travel experiences on social media and that one in three people book a vacation after falling in love with a hotel or destination on Instagram.

The time is now As a group, their spending power is enormous. According to recent studies, millennials in the U.S. wield about $1.5 trillion in annual buying power. With the oldest millennials just now reaching full steam as far as earning potential, that number is expected to reach $3.39 trillion by 2018 – the most spending power of any generation ever.

“When you look at the millennials’ disposable income, they are the future,” says Butler.

A significant chunk of their income is spent on experiences such as adventure tourism, which is a $270 billion worldwide industry. This market grew by 65% between 2009 and 2012 and is still growing.

Patrick Neuber, an architect with GMC, says the opportunity is now. “If public parks focused on capturing the imagination of millennials, they could garner a share of their spending power and bring in greater revenues through fees for lodging, campsites, dining and other park experiences.”

“This is not to suggest that public parks start focusing on making a profit,” he explains, “but an increase in revenue could free them to accomplish their bigger missions to protect natural and cultural resources and provide affordable access to those natural resources and build resilient communities around them.”

The Indiana state parks system, for example, is approximately 70% self-funded through access fees, hotel lodging fees, and retail and restaurant sales. This high return on investment provides more opportunity to achieve their broader goals of environmental restoration, management of natural, cultural, and

wildlife resources, and land acquisition, all the while having a smaller impact on the state budget.

How do we get there?

To tap into the millennial market, public park systems must acknowledge their position in the experience business, and then begin crafting and curating these experiences for the new generation. This step needs to be taken before building new lodges or adding amenities.

“If park systems are going to respond to millennials, they must first identify what’s important to the next generation of park users,” says Neuber. “They should ask what this looks like for the parks. They must decide a course for the future and analyze where they currently sit in the marketplace. Then a response has to be planned and realized.”

In many cases, says Neuber, public park systems will need to upgrade or replace their built assets to curate the type of experience that will draw millennials. Public parks need to offer competitive amenities and comparable services that showcase their unique characteristics. This could mean offering a full-service hotel or other hospitality experience that

relates to the individual characteristics of a place.

However, public parks do not necessarily need to out-spend the private market since their offering of adventure and connection to nature is considered extremely valuable to millennials. In some cases, rebranding and reprogramming what is already available will attract millennials searching for exciting, participatory experiences.

The State of Tennessee recently began a process to revitalize its park system to address downward trends in key areas such as overnight stays at park lodges. They started with experiential mapping of all of the parks and reviewing the competitive experiences. This led to the replacement or major renovation of a majority of park inns.

Brock Hill, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Parks and Conservation for the State of Tennessee, remarks, “Every park in our 56-park system has a unique story to tell. Focusing on and identifying a core theme around each story is the foundation of all that follows in developing experiences for our visitors.”

As part of this process, the State of Tennessee hired GMC to help identify and enhance the visitor experience at several state parks through facility studies, lodging studies, planning and programming, and development of design guidelines for the entire state park system.

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As GMC’s project manager for the Tennessee State Parks planning work, Neuber says, “The purpose of the studies was to analyze the market to determine what amenities the market could support that would be desirable to potential visitors, such as millennials.”

“Instead of saying every park needs to be the same, we’re looking at each park and the type of experiences it offers and how we are spreading these experiences across the system.

In some cases, we are asking whether the current park is offering the right experience and what the market is lacking.”

The studies yielded recommendations for new or upgraded lodging and restaurants “built in a sophisticated, yet relaxed contemporary style that is comfortable and connects guests to the natural surroundings and each other. The projects have to create a unique sense of place.” The focus of the recommendations was to create spaces where people could interact with each other in a unique and natural environment that offers a diversity of experiences within the park.

Although the main focus is not generating a profit, revenue and funding are still significant issues that cannot be ignored, Neuber adds. “It’s still important to identify the revenuegenerating experiences and to ask how can we get money to help us fund our objectives?”

Neuber is also leading the development of design guidelines.

These guidelines will foster a unity of design among the parks without diminishing the individuality of each one. The guidelines will help create a brand and identity for the park system so visitors will know they’ve arrived in a Tennessee park while creating an environment where guests are encouraged to explore each park’s unique characteristics.

Don’t just throw money at the problem While new lodges or amenities could be part of the solution to preparing for the next generation of park users, there are less costly options that can still pay big dividends.

“Start by understanding what you have, what the market says you may be able to support, and finally, what you need,” says Neuber. “Then find out what appeals to millennials and craft an experience with the proper amenities to appeal to them. It doesn’t have to take a lot of money. Rebranding can be a big part of it.”

“For example, say you have a park with two distinct user groups like horseback riders and bicyclists. Normally those are seen as conflicting uses, but what if we looked at them from the perspective of experiences sought by the two groups?”

Neuber explains, “Look at commonalities as well as differences between bikers and horseback riders. There are functional items that both groups need, like community engagement. You can explore ways to build common facilities and features where scheduling can separate the uses while sharing the facilities.”

Neuber calls this “experienced-focused thinking.” He adds, 8 SCHEMA

Lodges, inns, cabins, and campgrounds generate significant revenue in parks without usage fees, and investing in them has the potential to pay dividends. However, these amenities should no longer be considered just a place to stay while visiting a park. Instead they should be viewed as the first step in crafting an experience.

Lodging at parks should offer millennials an authentic and personalized experience. Current trends are moving toward shorter stays, innovative uses of technology, and unique perks such as finding ways to connect people to the region or local community through food and beverage.

Millennials’ dining preferences differ as well. To appeal to this group, parks should move away from buffets to “quick dine” and plated service restaurants, with an emphasis on locallysourced food and beverages. “Creative and local are better than comfortable and expected,” Neuber says.

Getting buy-in New lodges, restaurants and cabins are expensive and require large capital investments. This could be in the form of budget line items, bonds, or even public-private partnerships.

Regardless of the funding arrangement, the buck stops at the ruling body. For state-owned parks, that means the legislature.

It is vitally important that elected officials are on board.

“If you want to change the way your parks are marketed, if you’re wanting to spend money on things like marketcompetitive lodging and restaurants, you’ll need to talk to your legislators about millennials,” says Neuber. “It’s about marketing, branding and contemporary design, but it has to function within the political climate, and making a business case is key.”

Deputy Commissioner Hill confirms the importance of gaining legislative support, as well as clearly communicating the vision. “Having support from your legislature for funding needs is a given,” he says. “However, working to make a park experience better may involve changes that meet resistance

from some park users. Communicating these efforts to your legislators prior to implementation is very important.”

We are now on the cusp of a new wave of development that could be as significant as the New Deal projects, with the opportunity to produce a similar outcome: great

“When you make changes to what a park provides or build new features based on attracting new visitors, you will inevitably meet resistance from someone,” Neuber says, “but communicating the bigger vision—a healthier and more vibrant park system with long-term positive economic support—can help alleviate concerns.”

A "Newer" Deal The last great push for park development in our country was in the 1930s with Roosevelt’s New Deal and the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration – long before the millennial generation came to be. Since then, there have been sporadic building and development programs, but nothing comparable to that era.

natural experiences for residents while preserving our natural resources.

The question is, will public park systems seize this opportunity? Those that do will not only tap into the enormous spending power of millennials, but also engage this coalition of changemakers by offering unique experiences that are, for the most part, out of reach for the private market.

The time is now to capitalize on this influential group of adventure tourists and create a new generation of public park advocates.­The result will be parks that are prepared to protect and preserve our cultural and natural resources for the coming generations.

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Knowledge Takes Flight Auburn engineering students visit the Lanett Municipal Airport runway re-orientation project

C

ivil engineering students from Auburn University were given a look at the practical application of transportation engineering on a recent visit to the Lanett Municipal Airport in Lanett, Alabama, where construction is underway to expand and reorient the runway.

The excursion was coordinated by members of the GMC Transportation Engineering Department, Auburn Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) student chapter and the City of Lanett. Those present from GMC, all graduates of Auburn University’s civil engineering program, hoped using one of their projects as a case study would give the students real-world context for what they are learning in the classroom.

Prior to visiting the airport, GMC Airport Engineer Ryan Pearce and Airport Planner Matt Thomason presented an overview 10 SCHEMA

of the project, detailing its history and providing insight on the unique considerations and FAA regulations airports and runways are subject to. The approximately $6 million project involves the realignment of the existing runway, which is hindered from expansion on both ends by Interstate 85 and an electrical transmission line. The reorientation will allow the runway to be extended to 4,400 feet to accommodate today’s modern general aviation and business aircraft, with room to expand to 5,400 feet in the future.

Once they arrived at Lanett Municipal Airport, the students were provided with an orientation and safety briefing before traveling to several locations on the construction site. At each location, Pearce and Thomason walked them through the construction application of the design, answering the students’ questions along the way. They also discussed topics such as land acquisition, working with federal and state agencies,

Lanett Municipal Airport Runway Realignment

obtaining funding and other practical takeaways not necessarily covered in a textbook.

“Visiting an active construction site allows students to develop a greater understanding of how civil and transportation engineering theory is put into practice,” Thomason said. “To see firsthand the practical applications of transportation design in the field and how they relate to project management, safety, environmental issues, and logistics is great experience for the students.”

City of Lanett Mayor Kyle McCoy stopped by to welcome the students and encourage them in their career pursuits,

The Lanett Municipal Airport is a publiclyowned and operated airport situated along the Alabama - Georgia border approximately 70 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama, and 75 miles southwest of Atlanta. The presence of the KIA Motors Corporation plant less than 12 miles from Lanett, together with a rapidly expanding corporate base including Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers and five nearby industrial parks, indicate the importance of the airport for economic development and growth in the region.

Since 2010, the city has progressed on the steps necessary to realign the runway for airport expansion which was made possible by a $5 million allocation from U.S. Senator Richard Shelby. The city has completed $1.9 million in projects to conclude the planning and land acquisition phases required for the initial runway. Design of the initial 4,400foot runway realignment was completed in 2016, with construction beginning in 2017.

Previous FAA planning approvals justified the runway to extend to 5,400 feet, however FAA required the initial phase be adjusted to 4,400 feet to operate within the current funding limits. A 5,400-foot runway is necessary to accommodate the range of modern business aircraft. An additional $7.3 million in 90 percent matching FAA funds is needed to complete the project to the justified length.

emphasizing that a good engineer is of “great value to a community.” He also shared with them the impact the project will have in making the city more economical and attractive to industries.

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Project Profile:

MÖllerTech Manufacturing Plant

O

n March 13, MöllerTech USA celebrated the grand opening of its $46.3 million manufacturing facility in the Scott G. Davis Industrial Park in Woodstock, Alabama. The plant is the German auto supplier’s third location in North America and will serve as a flagship production facility for the company.

MöllerTech’s facility will manufacture interior parts for the next generation of SUVs being produced just minutes away at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance, Alabama and will create 222 local jobs. The company picked the location in Woodstock (population: 900) over several sites throughout the Southeast. State and local officials expect the new facility

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to have a significant economic impact on the rural community.

“We knew this industrial park would be special for our community and that we would one day attract world-class companies like MöllerTech and Mercedes-Benz,” Bibb County Commissioner Ricky Hubbard said at the grand opening ceremony. “We feel certain this is only the beginning for this park, as opportunities will multiply for Bibb County.”

GMC provided architectural and interior design services for the design-build project, which was led by Gray Construction. The facility encompasses approximately 155,000 square feet, including the manufacturing plant, technical laboratory, mechanical and machinery services, management offices and conference areas.

Prior to construction, MöllerTech’s North American President and CEO Steve Jordan said the plant would call for a “bright, clean, organized” interior, with white floors, white factory and white walls to represent quality. “We will be using some ideas and innovative methods that have proved successful in our European plants, but we won’t have to retrofit them. We can integrate them into it at the beginning.”

According to GMC’s design team, the “clean, organized” focus was clear from the start. “Due to the nature of the production process planned for this facility, the plan was organized to be flexible for an efficient operational flow and ease of access for regular maintenance,” Matthew Smith, one of the project’s designers, explained. “Wide clean aisles,

color-coded utilities, open connections between functions and efficient layout of building systems all helped to achieve the owner’s goal.”

“This project was a fun one for our team. We were challenged to produce budget friendly and easily constructible details with typical materials but express the owner’s intent for a modern, premium-designed aesthetic,” he said. “This was done through the use of floor-to-ceiling glazing, canted recesses, highlighted material usage and specifically placed accent colors.”

GMC’s project team consisted of Jeffrey Miller, Matthew Smith, Alexa Turner, Mark Coyle and Katy Lucas.

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[1]

[2]

FUTURE HOME OF

[3]

HUNTSVILLE PEDIATRICS +

[4]

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AND

SLYMAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

EDGARS BAKERY +

Under Construction

Snapshots of a few projects currently underway

[1]

[2]

Troup County Elementary School LaGrange, Georgia

Huntsville Pediatric Associates + Edgar’s Bakery Huntsville, Alabama

Construction is underway on a new elementary school for the Troup County Schools System in LaGrange, Georgia. GMC designed the school, which will house pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students. The new 100,000-square-foot facility will replace Whitesville Road Elementary School and can accommodate an opening day student population of 700, with a core capacity for up to 900. Slated to open for the 2018-19 school year, the elementary school will feature 33 general classrooms, a media center, 500-person multipurpose assembly room, cafeteria and commercial kitchen, high school-sized gymnasium with seating for 200, modern medical clinic and ample support spaces for teaching staff and administration. The design includes 14 specialized teaching rooms to support art and music programs, along with occupational and physical therapy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), academic coaching, gifted education and other needs requiring individualized attention. In addition, the elementary school will feature a special needs suite for up to 32 students with a private entrance and playground.

The building was designed with environmental sustainability goals of improved energy performance and water usage and conservation. GMC is providing architecture, interior design, environmental, electrical, civil, survey and landscape architecture services. Carroll Daniel Construction is the Construction Manager at Risk.

A new bakery and pediatric office will soon take up residence at the corner of Airport Road and Memorial Parkway in Huntsville.

Conceptual work began in June 2017, with a couple different sites being considered for the project. Developers chose to construct the new 35,000-square-foot building on the site of the former Copeland's restaurant, which had sat vacant for a number of years.

Design and permitting began in November, with construction on the site work starting in January 2018. GMC is providing surveying, civil site design, architectural design and site electrical design services for the project. The design team was “all hands on deck” in December and January to complete the design by the end of January. The building will house a new Edgar’s Bakery on the southern end and the new location of Huntsville Pediatric Associates, which has outgrown its current facility, on the northern end. All of the practice’s current doctors will relocate to the larger, more modern two-story building once it is completed this fall. In addition, the City of Huntsville has committed to making improvements along Airport Road to further enhance the new facility.

[3]

[4]

Paris Landing State Park Inn Replacement Buchanan, Tennessee

Homewood High School Addition and Renovation Homewood, Alabama

The Paris Landing State Park Inn Replacement is part of the State of Tennessee’s efforts to revitalize its park system. GMC was hired to help identify and enhance the visitor experience at several state parks through facility studies, lodging studies, planning and programming and development of design guidelines for the entire park system. The Paris Landing project entails demolishing the existing 155,000-square-foot inn, conference center, restaurant and swimming pools and constructing a new inn. The vision for the new facility is that it will become the family room for the park, and to a greater extent, the community. The facility will create a place for friends and family, both local and transient, to recreate and celebrate while still meeting the functional needs of Paris Landing State Park visitors. The primary feature of the park is undoubtedly Kentucky Lake and the activities it supports. Balancing the creation of views and vistas while meeting the functional needs of families, fishermen and friends will be the driving force for the design processes. The building will have a waterfront feel reminiscent of the architectural styles of the coastal northeast and great lakes shoreline communities. This coastal style will be blended with rustic and natural elements typically found in traditional state parks to create a unique experience that is inviting, relaxing, light and open. The new facility will be approximately 81,000 square feet and feature 65 guestrooms, a new restaurant and meeting space. GMC is providing architecture, landscape and interior design services for the project.

The Homewood High School addition and renovation project is part of a system-wide plan to accommodate Homewood City Schools’ growing student population. Approximately 100,000 square feet are being added to the existing high school, including three new pavilions for fine arts, athletics and academics. The fine arts pavilion will feature a dance studio, band and choral rooms, theater and related functions.

A total of 16 classrooms will be added, with 14 being added in the two-story classroom addition, plus two additional classrooms through repurposed areas. The new athletic wing will house team rooms, locker rooms, offices and state-of-the-art weight training space. A new front entry will feature a large atrium with a secure vestibule and administrative space. The interior renovations will be comprehensive, bringing in more natural light and widening corridors. The plans also entail adding new science labs, expanding the dining area, adding spaces for collaborative work and remodeling the media center into a more multipurpose learning environment with comfortable seating and up-to-date technology. The project includes plans for two distinct traffic loops for carpools and student parking to enhance safety and eliminate traffic, plus the addition of approximately 60 parallel parking spaces. GMC is providing architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture and interior design services for the project, which is slated for completion in August 2019.

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Leading the Way

January 1, 2018, marked not only the start of a new year at GMC, but also a new leadership, as Jeffrey Brewer took the reigns as CEO. Jeffrey has led the firm’s Birmingham office since its inception in 1998 and was appointed to the Executive Committee in 2003. For the past three years, he has served on the board of directors and as president of GMC’s north region, encompassing north Alabama and Tennessee.

He succeeds Bill Wallace, who announced last year that he would step down after three years as CEO. Bill will continue leading in the firm as executive vice president of business development.

“It’s an honor to be appointed to this position following Bill’s leadership. We have spent the last year working together to ensure a smooth transition,” Jeffrey said. “The men and women we get to work alongside every day are some of the best and brightest in the industry, and the opportunity to serve in this new capacity is truly humbling.”

In addition to a new CEO, the firm named Galen Thackston chief operating officer and Amanda Davis chief financial officer. Galen founded the firm’s environmental division in 1993 and has served on the board of directors and as GMC’s south regional president for the past three years. Amanda has been with firm for more than 20 years, most recently serving as vice president of finance. Kristen Gulino has been promoted to fill the role of vice president.

Lastly, the firm announced two new board members.

Executive Vice President of Architecture Chris Engel from the Birmingham office and Regional Vice President Kevin Laird from the Greenville, S.C., office have been appointed to serve on the 2018 board of directors alongside David Reed (chairman), Cedric Campbell, Steve Cawood, Galen Thackston and Lee Walters.

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Connecting the dots At the beginning of March, the firm embarked on an innovative approach to strategic planning under Jeffrey’s leadership. Through a series of interactive sessions in each major office, employees were invited to give input on what they thought the company should focus on this year.

The activity was designed to garner feedback with respect to four key areas: Our People, Our Growth, Our Culture and Our Business. Boards dedicated to each topic were placed around the room with clusters of words related to that topic and the question, “If you had to focus on one thing to positively impact Our (People/Growth/Culture/Business), what would it be?”

Using three colored dots, each person voted for the word or concept they believed to be more or less important, with green dots representing items deserving the “most focus,” yellow dots signifying “some focus” and red dots indicating “no focus.” In addition, employees placed a blue dot on the board of the overall topic they felt their office should focus on the most.

Once everyone placed their dots, Jeffrey and the various office leaders facilitated discussion to engage and illicit more feedback as to why emphasis was placed on certain ideas.

Although responses differed in every office, several common themes seemed to resonate across the board. “The discussions prompted through this activity proved to be even more insightful than originally hoped,” Jeffrey said. “This feedback will be invaluable in guiding us as we work together to make GMC the best it can possibly be for our people and the people we serve.”

The Up & Coming March

18-21 March

25-28 March

26-28 March

26-29 April

6 April

7-11 April

15-18 April

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Alabama Rural Water Association Training Conference Mobile, Alabama

American Society for Healthcare Engineering Planning, Design & Construction Summit Nashville, Tennessee

Georgia City-County Management Association Spring Conference Jekyll Island, Georgia

National Hurricane Conference Orlando, Florida

GMC Eufaula Office Open House Eufaula, Alabama

Alabama’s Water Environment Association Annual Conference Point Clear, Alabama

Alabama School Plant Management Association Annual Conference Orange Beach, Alabama

Waverly Old 280 Boogie No. 18 in partnership with GMC Waverly, Alabama

April

23-26 April

25-27 April

27-30 June

15-17 June

17-20 July

8-11 August

4-8 August

8-10

National Outdoor Recreation Conference Burlington, Vermont

Association for Learning Environments South Carolina Annual Conference - School Safety and Security Columbia, South Carolina

Association County Commissioners of Georgia Annual Conference Savannah, Georgia

Alabama Association of School Boards Summer Conference Orange Beach, Alabama

South Carolina Association of School Administrators Innovative Ideas Institute Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

KY/TN Water Professionals Conference Nashville, Tennessee

Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Annual Conference Houston, Texas

Tennessee Association of Utility Districts Business Conference Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Spring 2018 17

Around the Network Netflix and Chili GMC Mobile reigned supreme against 72 teams as the overall winner of the American Cancer Society’s 29th Annual Chili Cook-Off held on March 3 at Mardi Gras Park. “Netflix and Chili,” led by community planner turned chef Brandon Bias, along with Melissa Mehaffey, Katie Fowler and Alec Parliament, sliced, diced and chopped the competition, winning first place in the meat & beans category and best overall. More than 10,000 people attended the annual competition, which raised more than $150,000 for ACS. All proceeds from the event will be used for local educational programs to teach the importance of early detection and prevention; patient services such as transportation; and lifesaving research.

Bea Forniss Wins George Goodwyn Community Service Award GMC Community Specialist Bea Forniss was presented with the 2018 George Goodwyn Community Service Award, given annually to an employee who exemplifies outstanding leadership and a commitment to community service. Nominations were submitted by GMC team members throughout the year to recognize employees who go above and beyond to serve their communities with quality, integrity, creativity and care.

Other nominees included Michelle Conway, Stephanie Finley, Ashley Morris, Gary Owen and Cole Williams. The winner of the Goodwyn Community Service Award was selected by the board of directors and CEO and announced at GMC’s annual shareholder meeting. Bea received four nominations, all depicting her selfless attitude and passion for serving those around her. “Serving our communities starts with the desire to serve others and not be self-serving. We often assume that GMC only solves AE problems; however, we are frequently faced with solving people and community issues. Bea jumps head first into complex community issues and displays integrity and respect for those involved,” said one nominator. “Bea has not only impacted GMC in her tenure, but also the numerous communities in which we have worked. She recognizes her value in building communities is much greater than she or GMC.” As the winner of the award, Bea received $2,500, which she elected to distribute to local charities.

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Going Greenville GMC joined TreesGreenville for a recent tree planting event at Powdersville Elementary, Middle and High Schools in Powdersville, South Carolina. Volunteers from around the community spent the morning planting nearly 30 trees across the three adjacent campuses. Members of the GMC Greenville team, along with their families and friends, planted two trees at the high school. TreesGreenville is a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting, promoting and protecting trees in Greenville County. Its mission is carried out through two planting programs, NeighborWoods and the Legacy Tree Project, both of which increased shaded areas throughout the county and maximize the benefits trees provide.

Win Win

Show and Tell Architecture students from Kennesaw State University (KSU) recently had an opportunity to get an inside look at their future profession, as well as share some of their work. Nine third-year students spent the day with the Atlanta architecture group for a “show and tell” of a studio project they’ve been working on, in addition to seeing some of what the GMC team has been up to as of late. This type of collaboration provides an opportunity to support the educational growth of future professional architects through sharing of knowledge, skills and experiences that students may not have access to in the classroom, and in turn, is an opportunity for professionals to continue learning from these students who have so much to offer.

The Alabama Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the winners of the 2018 Excellence in Design Awards at its annual awards gala on March 1 at The Florentine in Birmingham.

GMC took home two awards for Pelham Ridge Elementary School and The Finley Center. Pelham Ridge Elementary School received the Alabama Concrete Industries Association’s Top Block Award, which recognizes creative masonry design among projects constructed using concrete block/concrete masonry units or that utilize concrete masonry as a veneer. The 119,500-square-foot elementary school is the first new construction school designed for the newly-formed Pelham City School Board. To reflect the desired character and materiality of the schools in the district, the two-story building was designed using brick, stone and fiber cement panels with wood elements. The Finley Center received recognized honorable mention in the professional awards category. Developed for the City of Hoover, the 155,000-squarefoot multipurpose indoor event center is constructed on a site adjacent to the existing Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and is the first phase of the Hoover Sports & Events Complex master plan.

Spring 2018 19

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