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Mission & Core Values
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At Larson Design Group, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. In this new feature, we’ll profile some of the staff members who contribute to our success. This month the spotlight is on Rachel Wolfel, Designer I in our Brockway office.

Where did your career take you before joining LDG?
Prior to LDG, I was in the United States Air Force. I spent the majority of my enlistment deployed overseas as a civil engineer. My first base was on a Portuguese military installation in the Azores Islands, a few hundred miles off the coast of Portugal. Since then, I have had the opportunity to live and train in not only multiple states within the U.S., but also in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia.

What was your first job? What did you learn from it that still influences the way you work today?
My first job in this career field was as a draftsman/surveyor for the military. While progressing up the ranks, I spent time as a GIS technician and a project manager. While overseas I had the opportunity to work alongside inter-service U.S. military members, as well as Canadian, British, French, Australian, Iraqi and Afghan troops. The biggest thing that I took away with me when I left the military was the personal interactions, stories and life lessons learned from the wide variety of people I met from all over the world. Being able to travel and see different cultures really helped to put a new perspective on life.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Since joining LDG’s Brockway office, I’m fortunate to be able to work close to my hometown. Right now I am just enjoying being able to spend time with my family for the first time in years! I am the oldest of 4; since my brothers and sister are still in school, my fiancé and I love being able to go to all of their sporting events to cheer them on. We also have 2 dogs that we like to take hiking and kayaking. I coach the St. Marys High School women’s volleyball team and will be the throwing coach for St. Marys Middle School and High School in the coming year.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
I was about to graduate from military basic training graduation in San Antonio, Texas. I knew my family and friends were somewhere up in the stands during the ceremony, but I wasn’t able to look for them since we had to maintain formation. Two hours later, when it was finally over and our training instructor dismissed us, I pushed my way through a few thousand people, desperately trying to find a familiar face. When I saw my family and friends, I remember thinking to myself that all of the weeks of hard work and pure determination felt like it had finally paid off. My grandmother was crying, but I think that’s a rule for grammies. My little brothers and sister (ages 9, 11 & 13) hugged me and didn’t let go for at least ten minutes. So it may not be the most exciting story to tell, but my proudest moment was standing before my family and friends in my Air Force dress blues as a newly graduated Airman.

What trait do you admire in people and why?
Adaptability. It has been said that the only constant in life is change. Adaptability is absolutely necessary in order to be able to handle change smoothly. I admire the people who are able to take change in stride.

What advice would you give to people who hope to follow a career path similar to yours?
If you see a bomb technician running, follow him.

What do you enjoy about working at Larson?
The civilian sector is a huge change from what I am used to. I am very grateful that Larson Design Group has been so amazing with assisting me in the transition. I am still getting into the swing of things, but I am looking forward to learning the ins and outs of all that we do.

Further Reading:
An LDG Information Technology Internship Experience with Donald McCoy
What Do Bridge Engineers Do and Why Do We Need Them?
A Focus On Others

Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity members measure a
Smoot. © Courtesy MIT Museum,
All Rights Reserved.

With 20 years of experience as a professionally licensed land surveyor, I thought I had encountered all of the units of measurement utilized in my field. However, a recent interaction with Google Earth taught me that no matter the level of one’s expertise, it’s always possible to be presented with new information.

While trying to estimate a surveying project, I was using Google Earth to locate the project site and get an overview of the site conditions. I frequently use tools in Google Earth to measure areas and distances between landmarks to give me an idea of what kind of distance a crew will need to cover on the ground. I had just gotten a new computer and many of the settings I had saved in the program were lost. As I started to use the ruler command, I noticed that the default unit was set to centimeters, so I clicked the drop-down box to select a different measurement unit. The options included meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards, miles, nautical miles, and, curiously, smoots.

“Wait!” I thought. “What on earth is a smoot?” I had never heard of that unit of measurement before.  So I turned to Google with my question. To my surprise and pleasure I found several articles explaining the measurement.

The long and short of it is that a smoot is a unit of measurement that measures exactly 5 feet 7 inches (or 67 inches or 1.7018 meters – sorry, surveyors tend to get carried away with conversions).  The smoot was created in 1958 when Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity members at MIT decided to use a pledge, Oliver R. Smoot, Jr., to calculate the length of the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge. Smoot lay down on the bridge, his fraternity brothers marked his head and feet, then he moved down one length and the process was repeated until the entire length of the bridge had been measured. The fraternity painted markings every ten smoots. The length of the bridge was calculated at 364.4 smoots, plus one ear. Succeeding pledge classes repainted the markings; it is a tradition that continues to this day.

I found this to be very entertaining and educational at the same time. In this age of information and technology we have everything at our fingertips – literally. Just the other day I downloaded an app to my smart phone called “Convert Pad”. Exploring the app, I found a length/distance converter, and old Oliver Smoot surfaced once again. We can often become so entrenched in what we do on a daily basis that we think we have become masters of our profession. This little insight reminded me we never stop learning.

Further Reading:
Measuring Smoot
The Measure of This Man Is in the Smoot
Ceremony Honors Smoot, the Man Who Became a Measurement

Barrick, an alumnus of Bucknell, said he “found the mentoring experience particularly rewarding since this is the twentieth anniversary of my senior design project completion at Bucknell University.” Barrick noted, “I was impressed with their knowledge and I believe that rounding out their coursework with real world application, including the use of current design software, will give the students the edge needed to excel in a competitive job market.” Beattie agreed, adding, “Working with the senior engineering students over the past 6 months has been a fulfilling and enjoyable journey in guiding the students’ growth in research, design and presentation aspects of their final senior design project.”

For more information, visit the Bucknell University Civil & Environmental Engineering Department website.

Steven Beattie, second from left, and Curtis Barrick, right, pose with BU students.

Barrick and Beattie discuss the project with students.

Related links:
Sharing My Path with Future Leaders at My Alma Mater
Engineering Recruitment
Leadership Development in a Technical Field

Larson Design Group (LDG) is currently designing a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in conjunction with the City of Williamsport. The station will be located at the River Valley Transit (RVT) garage on West Third Street in Williamsport and will be open to the public.

Why Natural Gas?

The price of CNG fluctuates between a half and a third of the price of gasoline. Maintenance costs for natural gas-powered vehicles (NGVs) are equal to or less than those of gas or diesel. Combined with government grants, significant savings can be an expected result of CNG-powered fleets. In fact, RVT has already received a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and a $400,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to help fund both the fueling station and the purchase of four CNG buses. RVT expects an annual savings of over $400,000 once the natural gas station is completed.

There are three types of CNG fueling stations. The first is the time-fill dispensing capability. While this station requires the lowest financial investment, it has the longest fueling time. Vehicles that fuel at a time-fill station are typically fueled as they sit idle overnight. The second type of fueling station is the fast-fill station. These pumps disperse gas as quickly as conventional gasoline stations, but they are more expensive. The third type of CNG fueling station is a combo-fill station, which has both types of pumps, and which is a good option for NGV fleets that are able to operate on time-fill but might need occasional quick top-offs.

The Williamsport fueling station will be a fast-fill station that will accept credit and debit cards.

Larson Design Group is a leader in developing CNG usage in Pennsylvania. In April 2011, LDG founded the CNG Focus Group, whose mission is to “foster learning, collaboration and action on CNG fueling & infrastructure as it relates to the Marcellus Shale region”. Members include industry leaders, concerned citizens, legislators, local stakeholders and business owners. The Focus Group meets quarterly and, since its inception in April 2011, has grown from 100 members to over 250.

Related links:
Raise Your Expectations for Marcellus
A CNG Learning Experience in Photos

Marcellus related media items have made for good discussion as I visited with townships and counties in the region over the last several weeks. It wasn’t so much the quantity that was different but the sources.

I am a graduate of Cornell University, much to my mother’s relief and surprise, and was glad to see a brief overview of the opposing research that exists relative to the environmental impact of fracing and other sources of energy. After offering many comments on this topic in online discussions, I get a headache whenever I hear or read “peer reviewed”. So here is a nice item in The Cornell Daily Sun by Bob Hackett entitled Two Cents: To Frack or Not to Frack. It brings some powerful research folks together for Q&A, so you can consider both sides.

Last month the National Review stopped by TerrAqua Resource Management’s facility in Williamsport for a tour and chat. Author Kevin D. Williamson was on an extended tour of Marcellus operations and wanted some insight on water recycling. Kevin’s article entitled The Truth about Facking offers some good points while pushing a couple of hot buttons. I read the National Review, well actually I read my father-in-law’s National Review. I found his treatment of the industry to be fair and I liked how he described my views. Simple and clear. I have gotten some interesting and useful phone calls and emails from across the nation as a result.

Rolling Stone magazine did not stop by TerrAqua Resource Management, but I probably would have helped them out if they had called. I found this article to be a bit hurtful. There are ways to make the point without using the terms “bubble” and “ponzi scheme”. I have an acquaintance in NYS who believes this industry will fall on its face. We have to adjust for sure, but I would rank the probability of failure as low. In any event, this is worth a read. You’ll get a quick lesson in how some people seem to hate, that term may be mild, what is going on with shale gas. It is hard to be open to truth, if you hate so much. I read Rolling Stone and have my own subscription. Now how is that for being open to truth? Rolling Stone and National Review in the same household! Here is a link to Jeff Goodell’s article entitled The Big Fracking Bubble: The Scam Behind the Gas Boom. I never made a dime as a journalist. But I did learn not to tell your story in the headline. Fewer people bother to read.

Related links:
People, Media, Companies – Who you trust and how it happens
The Value of a Billionaire
Conversations in the Region: Boots on the ground
Conversations from the Region: Check the slope of the curve

Don’t buy your 2012 International Code Council (ICC) books just yet. It seems that the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council recommended that the state not adopt the 2012 I-Codes according to Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) January 30, 2012 edition. You may remember all the uproar concerning the automatic passage of the 2009 code with its residential sprinkler mandate caused some big changes in Pennsylvania. House Bill 377 of 2011 was passed, which requires a 2/3’s vote from the Review and Advisory Council in order to update the statewide building code during each code cycle.

Interestingly, the process of the Review and Advisory Council requires public input, which was taken this past fall. 140 comments were received and they are available for your viewing pleasure at the Department of Labor and Industry’s website. It becomes clear that builders, manufacturer’s and even some code officials recommended against adoption. Those for energy conservation recommended for the adoption, including the environmentally minded advocacy group, PennFuture. The biggest sticking point of the 2012 I-Codes; the updated Energy Code. I spoke with Lawrence Spielvogel, PE, an independent consulting engineer for 30 years and a contributor of the ANSI/ASHRAE Standards. As he stated in the ENR article, the cost is high, enforcement is difficult and the code itself is complicated.

So where does this leave us? Will we forever remain stuck in 2009? I suppose that’s better than some states that still maintain the 2003 code on their books. It means the Building Code Official and Contractor will stay in his or her comfort zone a little longer. I suspect this isn’t the end of the discussion and I’m sure Harrisburg folks will make their way into the pros and cons of this new development.

Interestingly, I had already bought the ICC A117.1-2009 accessibility code book which would go into effect with the 2012 I-codes so I could begin to understand the changes. It turns out it was money well spent, because the accessibility portion of the code was exempted from House Bill 377 of 2011. That means the ICC A117.1-2009 will become the law of the land on January 1, 2013. So for the time being you can save your money and take care of your 2009 code books – they may be on your shelf for a while.

Related links:
PennFuture: When it comes to Pennsylvania’s energy codes, the fox is in charge of the hen house
From Disdain to Advocacy: How I Came to Accept Residential Fire Sprinklers by Stefanie J.H. English, PE

Existing Piollet Mansion – 2011

Located at the intersection of Route 6 & 187 in Wysox, PA, the building sits at a key juncture that is heavily used by both local and natural gas truck traffic, making it a prime location. Sure it may be easier and less costly to simply tear it down and start from scratch, but that has never been a realistic option. The building’s history combined with the strong local support to restore it only reinforced Randy’s decision – to save as much as possible without hindering the proposed new store. The challenge then became to balance the restoration with the need to expand and modernize the building, then tie it all together without costing a fortune. Quite a challenge indeed.

But before we got too far, I proposed conducting an Architectural feasibility study which would document the existing conditions and determine what truly could or could not be saved. Randy agreed and a team was sent to perform a detailed building survey, documenting every wall, door, window, structural beam, truss, etc. Many of the original features are intact, but have fallen into disrepair and require considerable restoration. However, the building “shell”, which consists of the masonry bearing walls, foundation, roof & floor systems, is in pretty good shape and can be reused with some structural improvements.

BIM model created using Autodesk Revit®.

Afterwards, a BIM model was created using Autodesk Revit® software so that the entire building could be viewed in 3D. This allowed our design team and structural engineers to analyze the building, adding and removing elements to see the impacts it had on the structure. From this 3D model several design options were created for the client to review, allowing them to easily visualize the proposed concepts and gather preliminary costs before any decisions are made.

The overall goal is to open the interior of the store more, improving visibility while allowing more natural daylight to enter the space. One major piece Randy would like to reconstruct is the rooftop cupola. Using old photos of the original, we were able to recreate this classic structure in 3D and see how it can be incorporated into the new design. On the utility side, new Electrical & Mechanical systems will be installed including LED lighting, high-efficient HVAC units, and modern kitchen equipment. Food service, Grocery, Dining, Restrooms and Fuel Islands will be upgraded and expanded as well – all features customers come to expect in a typical Dandy store.

Current Status
The feasibility study is complete and the Building/Site design is ongoing. The plan is to renovate the building in phases, starting with new windows and roof being installed this Fall/Winter to better protect it from weather. The remaining construction will follow this Spring/Summer and will include gas & diesel island expansions as well.

Related links:
A “Dandy” Restoration Part 1: Introduction
WVIA’s Bill Kelly and Dandy Mini Mart’s Randy Williams dicsuss the project.

A “Dandy” Restoration Part 2: Background & History
LDG’s Dave Balzer, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP+, puts this Brand Architecture project into context.

Dandy Mini Marts will try to keep the Piollet house, an historical landmark, standing
by James Loewenstein, The Daily Review

This chart is the author’s personal opinion on who people choose to trust for news and truth, and who has the most ethical, moral, and/or legal responsibility to be accurate.

I’ve been working long enough that young people think I’m wise. Secretly, I think they mean old and just want to be nice about it. But these are gifted people, with a bright future and we have some interesting discussions. Broad but predictable range of topics – religion, environment, healthcare, politics, and the list goes on.

Over the holidays, I had a couple of interesting discussions on news, truth, and trust. These chats matched up with some free time that let me look at the relationship of news, truth, and trust a bit differently.

The primary role of media is news not truth. They mark the date of an event, and that establishes chronology. You hear on television and radio. “At 11:00 this morning…”. A book or published research attempts to offer truth, by reaching for cause and effect after the event happened. You read it. “We found measurable amounts of…”. Trust, I feel, is established by where you are and what you’re surrounded by.

People are quick to take a position on important or controversial topics. Then they monitor and choose information sources that support their position. We all do it. But, do we understand which sources we trust? Here is what I am learning. People trust people (online communities and social media) more than they trust media enterprises (ProPublica, NPR, cable news). They trust media enterprises more than they trust corporate media (ABC, New York Times). They trust corporate media more that they trust companies (profit makers). This happens despite that fact that the burden of legal and ethically responsible reporting trends the other way, at least in my opinion. Companies have a corporate, moral, and legal responsibility to report events, activities, and the truth. Corporate media is almost the same, but they report just the event and have the buffer of being able to offer retractions and corrections if they choose. Media enterprises seem to have less at risk. I sense they act the same as the corporate media, but they don’t seem to maintain balance, and I can’t remember many retractions or corrections. People, like you and me, are largely guided by a moral obligation to tell the truth. If we’ve made our minds up, it’s tough to be open to the truth when it differs from the opinions that we have formed. If we are consumed by always being right about a topic, our truth can be compromised.

My position on topics is formed by my beliefs. I form those beliefs from experience, listening to media, reading research, and listening to people. More importantly, I’m open to truth and try to surround myself with people and sources that are as well. I test the difference between truth and opinion no matter the source. So when I hear something is bad, I consider it an opinion. What I need to know is why is it bad, what viable alternative is better, and is the source open to the truth?

We should look at every important topic in our lives this way.

Related links:
The Value of a Billionaire
Conversations in the Region: Boots on the ground
Conversations from the Region: Check the slope of the curve

As many of you may have noticed, January 18th was Internet Blackout Day in an unbelievably successful attempt for many of the web’s heaviest hitters to show their strong disapproval of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). As companies like Google, Wikipedia, and WordPress “blacked out” their content and urged users to endorse their opposition to the bill, SOPA and PIPA’s sponsors started to run for the hills, but the lawmakers haven’t backed down – even as the amount of endorsements against the bills allegedly shut down congress’ switchboards and melted their servers.

Lawmakers are touting SOPA as a way to stop online piracy of copyrighted content. This is nothing new and there are bills such as Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DCMA) which aims to remove unauthorized content. SOPA/PIPA are different because they would make the platform or website accountable for how individuals are using it and make monitoring demands that are unrealistic. It seems to me like the same principle would make firearm manufacturers accountable for crimes committed with their products.

Larson Design Group is an employee owned company that accomplishes many of its own overhead tasks in-house. This includes our web presence which is a team effort by our marketing, graphic design, and IT staff and it includes our website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. These operations could be outsourced to agencies that use their own proprietary software as a “competitive edge” over free products like Google Analytics, but they have a tendency to get you in over your head. While the proprietary products may be more useful for specific niches, many free products online can get you where you want to be. Our website and blog run on WordPress which is highly utilized by small businesses, large corporations and individual entrepreneurs alike who want the ability to SELF-publish frequent content in a format that is highly searchable and trackable due to its connectivity with Google and other search engines. It’s really made the web more responsive to people’s needs and provided some much needed consistency/quality control in web design and has had a huge impact on blogging. We also use Google products to alert us about where we’re featured on the web and other useful web based products free of charge. I won’t ramble on about Wikipedia, Facebook, etc. In a way, these types of services have put the power of the web into the hands of the people. I just hope a few offenders don’t ruin it for everyone.

The consensus seems to be that SOPA & PIPA would put a halt to online innovation and make such pioneers as Google and Wikipedia unfeasible from startup. Many agree that while the legislation may have some good intentions it would “throw out the baby with the bathwater,” by hindering free speech, and make for a less democratic internet. In effect, the bills could help decrease pirated content (a good thing in my opinion), but will also make hefty lawsuits warranted for a video on YouTube that has a pop song playing in the background or for sharing a link on Facebook.

Political support from the bills stems from the entertainment industry and the financial losses they have experienced as the internet has continued to develop.

If you are interested in learning more about this legislation, refer to the links below. I have made an attempt to show content from both sides, but can’t find much in support of it. If you have read any coverage on these events, especially in support of the legislation, please share.

Related links:
Wikipedia:SOPA initiative/Learn more

CBS: SOPA, PIPA: What you need to know

WordPress: Help Stop SOPA/PIPA

CBS: SOPA, PIPA protests spur Congress to rethink bills