From Geoprofessional Business Association
Silver Spring, MD: Earth, Inc., a geotechnical-engineering firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has completed a Geoprofessional Business Association (GBA) Peer Review, a rigorous, voluntary, quality-enhancement process.
“Participation in GBA Peer Review demonstrates a firm’s commitment to improving quality,” said GBA President Steven D. Thorne, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE. "While we cannot say that Peer-Reviewed firms are better than their competitors, we can say that a firm is better for having completed a Peer Review.”
Through GBA Peer Review, client representatives, employees, and a team of expert peers evaluate policies affecting the quality of a firm’s services and the effectiveness with which the firm implements those policies. The Peer-Review team identifies opportunities for improvement and suggests specific actions the firm can apply to turn opportunities into achievement.
“GBA Peer Review is not for the faint of heart,” said GBA Executive Vice President John P. Bachner. “A firm’s leadership has to be so committed to providing quality to its clients and employees that it’s willing to give unfettered access to outsiders who provide a ‘warts-and-all’ evaluation. Frankly, relatively few firms are willing to do that. It takes a genuine commitment to professional ideals and not just a little bit of courage.”
Established in 1983, Earth, Inc. employs ten people at its office in Pittsburgh, PA. The firm provides geotechnical-engineering and construction-materials engineering and testing (CoMET) services.
According to Earth, Inc. CEO Michael J. “Mike” Sydlik, P.E., “We’ve gained some excellent insights as a result of the Peer Review. We’re extremely pleased by the extent of the positive findings, and, just as we hoped, the Peer-Review Team identified several opportunities for improvement, and gave us some marvelous suggestions for making the firm even better. We’re already looking forward to our next Peer Review.”
For more information about Earth, Inc., visit its website (http://www.earthincorp.com) or contact Mr. Sydlik by telephone (412-327-1749) or e-mail (msydlik@earthincorp.com).
GBA established Peer Review in 1977, with the assistance of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). In October 1999, celebrating its 125th anniversary, McGraw-Hill’s Engineering News-Record magazine lauded GBA Peer Review as one of the 125 most significant construction-industry innovations of the prior 125 years. Peer Review was the only association program cited.
More information about GBA and its Peer Review program is available at www.gba.org, or by contacting the group by e-mail (info@geoprofessional.org) or telephone (301/565-2733).
