A&A In the News:
Archived Press Releases -- 2000
Local Engineering Firm
Receives Prestigious Web Award
Anderson & Associates Honored with Lightspan’s StudyWeb® Recognition
BLACKSBURG, VA (Dec. 18, 2000) - Anderson & Associates,
Inc., a tri-state professional engineering and design services firm, was recently honored
with the Lightspan StudyWeb® Award for the firm’s WebGIS.net (http://www.webgis.net) Internet site.
The Anderson & Associates WebGIS.net site was selected as
a featured site in Lightspan’s StudyWeb (http://www.studyweb.com)
as one of the best educational resources online by Lightspan researchers. StudyWeb is one
of the Internet’s premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers.
Since 1996, Lightspan’s reviewers have searched the Internet to select the finest
sites to be included in StudyWeb’s listing of educational links. Each site in
StudyWeb includes a detailed review describing its editorial and visual merits. StudyWeb
reviews have been featured on Webcrawler Select, The Lycos Top 5% and Education World.
The Anderson & Associates WebGIS.net site received the
StudyWeb honor for its innovative interactive mapping features. On the WebGIS.net site,
residents in many counties in Virginia and North Carolina can now easily access land and
parcel information on the web through a Geographic Information System. Developed by
Anderson & Associates, WebGIS.net lets consumers access parcel maps with user friendly
tools to locate specific addresses, owners and even land or building values.
WebGIS systems also serve as unique resources for more than
just housing or neighborhood information. For consumers seeking outdoor recreation, the
system provides specialized information about area parks, rivers and trails. For parents
seeking information about local schools, the system provides specific information about
school district boundaries with direct links to school district web sites. And for
consumers commuting to work, or even driving to the local grocery store, the system
provides maps of new and existing roads.
"The public has always had the right to access land and
parcel information, however it was a laborious and time-consuming process," said Ken
Anderson, President of Anderson & Associates, Inc. "With WebGIS systems, we are
now offering area residents a way to access public information in a timely and convenient
manner. In essence, we are making public information public."
All information offered through WebGIS programs can be easily
printed from the web. The WebGIS.net site can be viewed from the Lightspan's StudyWeb site
at http://www.studyweb.com and clicking on People
& Places: U.S. Geography: Virginia: Interactive Maps, or at http://www.WebGIS.net.
Cities or counties that are interested in learning more about
getting WebGIS.net in their area should contact Waverly Evans, Assistant Project Manager,
at 800-763-5596 or by e-mail at evans@andassoc.com.
Lightspan, Inc. provides curriculum-based, educational
software and Internet products and services used in schools and at home. Lightspan’s
technology, delivery system, and content help increase a student's interest in learning,
parent’s involvement in their children’s education, and a productive interaction
among teachers, parents, and students. Lightspan’s products include Lightspan Achieve
Now, an interactive curriculum program for K-8 students; study aids for college students
offered through Academic Systems, Lightspan’s higher education group; and an
integrated family of Internet products and services offered through Lightspan’s
subscription Internet service The Lightspan Network and through Lightspan.com (http://www.lightspan.com).
Anderson & Associates, Inc. is a tri-state professional
design services firm headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia with five branch offices in
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The company’s web site is located at http://www.andassoc.com.
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Zoom Into Your World:
Explore the New River Valley with Exciting Geo-Information Technology on National
GIS Day, Nov. 15, 2000
BLACKSBURG, VA (Nov. 2, 2000) – New River Valley
residents will have the unique opportunity to explore their communities - and the world -
during "Zoom Into Your World" to be held November 15, 2000 at the Blacksburg
Library, located at the corner of Draper Road and Miller Street in Blacksburg.
During "Zoom Into Your World", held in conjunction
with National GIS Day, residents will experience first-hand the benefits of Geographic
Information System technology offered through both the Town of Blacksburg (www.blacksburg.va.us)
and Montgomery County (www.montva.com) web
sites. The Town of Blacksburg and Montgomery County are co-hosting the event with Anderson
& Associates, Inc. and the Blacksburg Library of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library
System.
Developed with the help of Anderson & Associates, Inc.,
the WebGISTM system (www.webgis.net) lets consumers
access parcel maps with user friendly tools to locate specific addresses, owners and even
land or building values - all with the click of a mouse. The Town of Blacksburg and
Montgomery County are among the first municipalities in Virginia to offer the WebGIS
system online to all area residents, making public information easily accessible to all
citizens online for the first time ever.
At the "Zoom Into Your World" event, local GIS
professionals will offer hourly demonstrations explaining GIS and its innovative
applications from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Refreshments will be available throughout the day,
and area residents will have an opportunity to explore the WebGIS program first-hand on
library computer terminals. Residents can locate properties, discover their home values,
and even evaluate how their home compares to others in the neighborhood. Attendees can
also map out new routes to work, explore school zoning boundaries, or discover new places
to fish, hunt and hike.
Additionally, K-12 educators will have the opportunity to
attend workshops on how to use GIS to teach Geography in the classroom. These educational
workshops will be held from 4-5 p.m. and from 5-6 p.m. Teachers in attendance will receive
free software and educational tools.
The Town of Blacksburg is home to the nationally recognized
Blacksburg Electronic Village, and Virginia Tech, one the nation’s preeminent
research institutions. Visit us today at http://www.blacksburg.va.us
to learn more about the "Exciting Town of Blacksburg."
Montgomery County government provides essential services to
its residents, in the areas of public health and safety, human and community services,
economic development, planning and management of land use and growth, waste collection and
recycling, utilities, education, libraries, and parks and recreation. The County has 600
staff among nearly 30 departments and agencies, with a total budget for FY 2000-2001 of
$95 million. On the Web, visit us at www.montva.com.
Anderson & Associates, Inc. is a tri-state professional
design services firm headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia with five branch offices in
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The company’s web site is located at www.andassoc.com.
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Anderson &
Associates Shares Rising Technology Trends with U.S. Secretary of HUD Andrew Cuomo
BLACKSBURG, VA (Sept. 6, 2000) – U.S. Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo visited Anderson & Associates, a
Blacksburg-based professional design services firm, today to learn about how the
Blacksburg Electronic Village and the Internet have impacted a medium-sized engineering
firm. Anderson & Associates was selected for this visit by the Town of Blacksburg as a
model of successful technology expansion.
Ken Anderson, president of Anderson & Associates, opened
the meeting with an introduction of the company, citing examples of how the firm has used
technology to further expand service offerings including Information Technology,
Geographic Information Systems and Web Site Development.
Camille Chapman, webmaster for Anderson & Associates,
presented an overview of the recently re-launched Town of Blacksburg web site (www.blacksburg.gov), which was developed by the
firm with future functionality e-commerce options, including the ability to pay utility
bills online.
Additionally, Waverly Evans, WebGIS Marketing Manager for
Anderson & Associates, demonstrated the innovative Geographic Information System for
the Town of Blacksburg. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology, Blacksburg residents can
now easily access land and parcel information on the web through a Geographic Information
System called WebGIS.netTM. Developed with the help of Anderson & Associates, Inc.,
these systems let Blacksburg consumers access parcel maps with user-friendly tools to
locate specific addresses, owners and even land or building values.
In response to the Anderson & Associates WebGIS and Web
Site Development presentations, Secretary Cuomo stated, "I am convinced that this is
the future; and you all are the frontrunners. Congratulations!"
Employees from Anderson & Associates’ six regional
offices in Blacksburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Middletown, Virginia, Greensboro,
North Carolina, and the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee attended the meeting through IP/TV
(Internet Protocol Television) over the company’s Wide Area Network.
For biography and background information on Secretary Cuomo,
visit the HUD web site at http://www.hud.gov/cuomo.html.
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Vice President Testifies
Before Congress in Support of High Speed Rail Funding
Timothy S. Stowe, Vice President of
Transportation, Surveying, and Planning at Anderson & Associates and Chairman of the
American Consulting Engineers Council 's Transportation Committee, testified last week in
support of a Congressional proposal for increased capital funding for high speed rail.
On July 25, 2000, Mr. Stowe testified before the House Ways
and Means Committee, Oversight Subcommittee, which is considering legislation, HR
3700, to extend tax exempt bonding authority to high speed rail projects. The proposal is
designed to promote the creation of a network of rail projects connecting major urban
areas and reaching out to rural areas not serviced by air. ACEC's Transportation Committee
recently passed a resolution endorsing this legislation. The complete text of Mr. Stowe’s
testimony can be found online at http://www.acec.org/programs/infrastructure.htm.
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Local Engineering Firm
Welcomes New Employees
Anderson & Associates welcomes new Survey Technician,
Andrew Sullivan. He has worked part time at A&A since January of 1999 and currently
resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.
John Butler joins A&A as a Project Engineer. He received
a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte, and specializes in Foundation Design/Geotechnical Engineering. He is originally
from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
John Hendricks joins A&A as a part-time Design
Technician. He is majoring in Geography/Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro and will graduate December 2000. Hendricks is originally from Gambrills, MD.
Christopher Schooley joins A&A as a Landscape Architect.
He attended both Virginia Tech and UVA, and has degrees in Landscape Architecture and
Environmental and Urban Planning. Schooley specializes in Large Scale Master Planning, and
is originally from Staunton, VA.
Angela Parrish joins A&A as a Project Engineer working on
Water & Sewer Design. She is a Virginia Tech graduate with a degree in Biological
Systems Engineering, and currently lives in Christiansburg, VA.
A&A also welcomes new Project Manger, William Randall. He
is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and
a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering. Randall is originally from Blacksburg,
VA.
Anderson & Associates welcomes new Project Surveyor,
William Ciccolella for the Greensboro, North Carolina office. He is a graduate of Guilford
Technical Community College with a degree in AAS Surveying Technology. Ciccolella is
originally from Tobaccoville, North Carolina.
Kelly Connoley joins Anderson & Associates as an
Administrative Assistant in the Blacksburg, Virginia office. She is a graduate of Valley
College of Technology and has a certificate in Legal Office Technology. Connoley is
originally from Lindsdale, West Virginia.
Candy Whitt joins A&A as an Accounting Assistant. She is
a graduate of New River Community College with a degree in Administrative Support
Technology. Whitt is currently living in Dublin, Virginia and is originally from Beckley,
West Virginia.
A&A also welcomes new Web/Graphic Design Assistant Jon
Sweet. He is a Roanoke College graduate with an English degree and a concentration in
Creative Writing. Sweet is originally from Damascus, Virginia, and currently resides in
Roanoke.
Jodi Bohn, who recently has passed the Professional
Engineering exam, joins A&A as a new Project Engineer. She holds a degree in Civil
Engineering from Virginia Tech, and is originally from Wise, Virginia.
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A&A Promotes/Adds
Staff to Geographic Information Systems Team
Anderson & Associates had promoted Steven Walker as
Project Manager for the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team. His duties include
project management, and overseeing proposal writing, cadastral mapping, conflation, and
cartography. He holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Virginia Tech and
a BS in Geography from Radford University. Walker is originally from Staffordsville, VA
and currently resides in Christiansburg, VA.
The GIS team has also added additional staff as Gerald McCoy
joins as GIS Technician, and Michelle Houseright as GIS Marketing Assistant. McCoy is a
recent graduate of Radford University and holds a degree in Geography. He is originally
from Whitewood, VA. Houseright is a recent graduate Virginia Tech and holds a degree in
Communications.
For more information visit A&A's
GIS website.
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Messier Named Vice
President of Local Engineering Firm
Anderson & Associates, an employee-owned professional
design services firm headquartered in Blacksburg, VA, announces the promotion of Project
Manager Peter Messier, P.L.S., P.E., to Vice President of Operations for the company’s
Tennessee office. Messier has been with A&A since August 1999. The Board of Directors
recently named him Vice President in recognition of his immediate and significant
contributions to the company.
Messier is a Professional Land Surveyor in four states and a
Professional Engineer in Tennessee. He brings 24 years of surveying and engineering
experience to the company, including previous management positions with consulting firms
in Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Virginia. He has taught
surveying-related topics at a number of universities and is an active member of
professional societies in both Tennessee and Virginia. His contributions at this level
include conducting seminars on the professional practice of land surveying and the legal
aspects of boundary surveying.
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Local Engineering Firm
Relocates to New Office
Anderson & Associates has relocated their Tri-Cities
office to Kingsport, Tennessee. A&A is an employee-owned Professional Design Services
firm headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia since 1968, with other branch offices in
Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Middletown, Virginia, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
The new address is 656 Eastern Star Road, Kingsport,
Tennessee 37663. The new phone number is 423-349-5600 and fax 423-349-5681. The (800)
number remains the same at 800-544-0147.
A&A’s Tri-Cities office has been in operation since
1995 providing a range of civil, transportation, utility, and environmental engineering
services, as well as surveying and specialized services such as Geographic Information
Systems and Information Technology. Vice President and Branch Manager Jeff Buchanan, and
Vice President of Operations Peter Messier head the office. The relocation is precipitated
by the need for more office space due to rapid growth within the company.
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A&A Names Associate
Vice Presidents
Brad Stipes and Michael Russell, Project Managers at Anderson
& Associates, were recently promoted to Associate Vice Presidents. According to Tim
Stowe, Vice President of Anderson & Associates, Stipes and Russell will take on
increased responsibilities in the firm’s Transportation and Planning Group.
"Brad and Mike have been operating in this capacity for
quiet some time, and we wanted to formally recognize their contributions to the
company," Stowe said. Stipes and Russell will have an expanded role in planning,
executing, and overseeing transportation and land development projects.
Stipes, a Professional Engineer in Virginia
and North Carolina, has been with Anderson & Associates for nine years. His
career also includes service with the North Carolina Department of Transportation as a
roadway designer. Stipes specializes in highway design and land development. Russell, a
Professional Engineer in Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, joined Anderson &
Associates in 1989. He has experience with Highway Design, Transportation Systems
Planning, and a Municipal Engineering projects. Both Stipes and Russell graduated from
Virginia Tech.
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Local Engineering Firm
Welcomes Four New Employees
Eric Lucas joins Anderson & Associates as a full-time as
Design Technician. Lucas has worked part time at A&A since June of 1997 and is
currently residing in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Naomi Bowers joins the Information Technology (IT) team as an
Administrative Assistant. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in business from
Virginia Tech in 1999 and specializes in management. She also resides in Blacksburg,
Virginia. Richard Blankenship also joins the IT team as a network technician. He is
currently working toward an associates degree in Fiber Optics and networking at New River
Community College. He is originally from Pearisburg, Virginia and is currently residing in
Blacksburg, Virginia.
Michael May joins A&A as a Survey CADD Technician. May
graduated from Bluefield State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil
Engineering Technology, and is currently residing in Bluefield, West Virginia.
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President of Anderson
& Associates Wins Professional Business Award
Ken Anderson, President & CEO of Anderson
& Associates, Inc. recently won the Professional Leadership Award, a newly initiated
award established by the Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg to recognize individuals
whose business activities substantially benefit the communities in which they operate.
According to the Rotary Club, "Leadership, in the context of this award, is based on
activities that are above and beyond that which would normally be expected for a person
operating in the same capacity."
Among other activities, Anderson’s
volunteer work includes technological leadership positions with groups such as the
Commission on the Future of Southwest Virginia, which focuses on industrial recruitment,
tourism enhancement, and educational improvement, and the New Century Council, an
organization that developed a 20-year plan for the future of the New River and Roanoke
Valleys. Anderson also encourages his employees to volunteer their time to community
projects, events, and organizations.
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Ratcliffe Elected as
Vice President of Chapter of ESOP Association
Anderson & Associates' Business Manager Zeke Ratcliffe,
has been re-elected to serve a second, two-year term as Vice President of the Western
Virginia Region of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)
Association. The Mid-Atlantic chapter serves the areas of Virginia, Maryland, and
Washington D.C.
The ESOP Association develops programs to educate members on
issues concerning employee ownership. As Vice President of the western Virginia region,
Ratcliffe plans quarterly meetings for ESOP members in the region, reviews how state
chapters are administered, and works with other ESOP companies.
Ratcliffe has also served on Anderson & Associates’
ESOP Advisory Committee for three years, two of which he served as chair, and on the
National ESOP Association’s Task Force on Chapter Administration.
For more information about ESOP, see the company’s web site at www.andassoc.com/esop.
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Anderson &
Associates’ Employees Receives Licensing
Anderson & Associates Project Manager Mary Ann Bonadeo
and Project Engineer Franklin Wagner have recently passed the Professional Engineering
exam and become licensed Professional Engineers in Virginia. Professional Engineers are
permitted to offer engineering services directly to the public, take legal responsibility
for their engineering designs, and are bound by a code of ethics to protect the public
health and safety.
Bonadeo specializes in land development and site design. She
received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. She has
worked for A&A since 1998 and currently resides in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Franklin Wagner specializes in utilities and construction and
has worked for A&A since 1995. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil
Engineering from Virginia Tech and is currently residing in Christiansburg, Virginia.
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Anderson &
Associates Welcomes New Project Manager
Joseph C. Hines, PE, joins Anderson & Associates, Inc.,
an employee-owned professional design services firm, as a Project Manager for the
Greensboro, North Carolina office. Hines received his Bachelor of Science in Civil
Engineering at North Carolina State University. Hines brings over eight years of
experience to A&A and specializes in site development and water resource management.
He will be responsible for project management, marketing, and helping build a municipal
client base. Hines is originally from Farmville, Virginia and is currently residing in
Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Local Engineering Firm
Welcomes New Employee
Darrin Plauger joins Anderson & Associates, an
employee-owned professional design services firm. Plauger will join the Geographic
Information Systems team as GIS Technician. He received his Bachelors Degree in Geography
with an environmental concentration from Radford University in 1999. He is currently
residing in Front Royal, Virginia.
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A&A Employee
Receives Virginia Land Surveyor License
Anderson & Associates, Inc. congratulates Andrew Martin,
Survey Manager, for recently passing the Land Surveyor exam and becoming a licensed Land
Surveyor in Virginia. Martin is originally from Winchester, Virginia and is currently
residing in Fredericksburg. He has worked at Anderson & Associates since July of 1998.
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