CIANJ Commerce Magazine September 2020 Live | Page 38
■ Annual Best Practices Guide
Continued From Page 34
ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING
LAN Associates
By Kenneth H. Karle, AIA,
PE, PP, LEED ® , AP, President
The COVID‐19 pandemic
has highlighted LAN’s biggest
strength: a work culture
defined by dedication and innovation.
Our technological proficiency has
allowed us to quickly adapt to remote work,
while seamlessly providing our clients and
projects with the diligence they have come to
expect. Consistent communication with clients
has been key to this success. As architects
and engineers responsible for designing the
built environment, we have had to reinvent
the way we think about the spaces we design
and, in some cases, tackle COVID‐19 head
on. For firms in our line of work, I would say
the best practice is to embrace the new reality
and search for ways your company can help
clients meet the challenges presented by the
pandemic. LAN has been studying the guidelines
and has begun providing data-driven
solutions for a safer reentry to schools, offices
and buildings forced to shut down for
prolonged periods.
T&M Associates
By Gary Dahms, PE, PP,
President and CEO
In this tumultuous time, in
addition to stringent requirements
for health and safety,
at T&M Associates we have
found clients are in dire need of clear, regular
communication on COVID‐19 policy
and regulatory updates and corresponding
expert analysis. We have implemented a variety
of programs to help clients navigate the
ever-changing coronavirus landscape, including
a series of informational and educational
pieces regarding safety and hygiene policies,
relevant regulatory updates from the State of
New Jersey, and customized “return to work”
plans and services managed and directed by
our in-house Certified Industrial Hygienists
and safety professionals. Universal safety protocols
are useful, but many clients struggle
to adapt them to their unique challenges, so
personalized COVID news analysis and reopening
strategies can make the difference between
a client merely surviving and succeeding
during the coronavirus crisis.
The TBLS Group, LLC
By Frances Schlosstein,
President
As a boutique environmental
advisory, The TBLS Group relies
on a cohort model, where
we employ world class experts,
but on a contract basis. This best practice
enables us to synch our work-flow and cashflow
while cost-effectively providing thought
leadership and customized project management
for clients. During the COVID crisis,
we remain financially stable, while expanding
our business cohort and adding two interns
to help launch a new website. TBLS reinvented
itself by focusing on an emerging environmental
crisis—PFAS—which will continue
long after the pandemic. PFAS compounds,
or forever chemicals, impact drinking water
quality in New Jersey and around the country.
TBLS serves as an expert witness on a major
PFAS case. Building on this expertise, we began
supporting an investor in solving infrastructure
and remediation issues that emerge
as part of our core business—valuing and
monetizing environmental liabilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS AND ENGINEERING
Whitestone Associates, Inc.
By Thomas K. Uzzo, LSRP,
President
Rather than reinvent our
business, Whitestone has embarked
on an in-depth staff
re-training, cross-training and
continuing education program during the
COVID‐19 crisis to better utilize nonbillable
employee time in a manner that will leave the
firm poised for continued success as market
conditions improve. By combining remote,
online educational opportunities with interdepartmental
on-the-job cross-training,
Whitestone has created a better-educated and
more diversely proficient team of professionals
capable of working remotely (yet collaboratively)
to better serve our site remediation
and development clients.
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