Press Releases 2007

December 14, 2007
GeoStructures Engineer Obtains LEED Accreditation

October 18, 2007
GeoStructures Continues Growth Pattern with Acquisition of TerraTech

October 6, 2007
GeoStructures Completes Construction, Moves into New HQ

July 5, 2007
GeoStructures, Forrester Construction Team Up on Three Local Jobs

June 15, 2007
GeoStructures Bulks Up with More Sales and Engineering Executives

February 5, 2007
GeoStructures To Begin Construction on 16 Projects in DC Area

December 5, 2006
GeoStructures Closes 2006 With Significant Growth

December 14, 2007
GeoStructures Engineer Obtains LEED Accreditation
Company Using Expertise To Show That Green Building Begins Below Ground

Shana Opdyke, a sales engineer with design-build contractor GeoStructures, has achieved accreditation for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), part of the Green Building Rating System™ that encourages adoption of sustainable building and development practices.

Opdyke joins an influential group of engineers, architects, general contractors, and others in the real estate and construction industries who have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building design practices and principles of the LEED rating system.  They have experience working with multiple design disciplines, knowledge of LEED life cycle costs and benefits, and expertise in the documentation process for LEED-certified projects.

On a number of ground-improvement projects, GeoStructures has helped owners obtain LEED credits by using recycled concrete to build Rammed Aggregate Piers™ as a way to stiffen soil enough to support mid-sized buildings.

“Having been involved with the construction of hundreds of buildings supported on Rammed Aggregate Piers™, our 10-plus year history in providing LEED-qualified Geopier elements has resulted in savings to owners and benefits to the environment,” says Michael Cowell, P.E., president of GeoStructures.  “Shana’s knowledge of how to apply LEED-accepted tools and performance criteria at the ground-improvement and wall-construction level of a project means site owners have a head start on obtaining the credits they need to have a completely LEED-certified building.”

Established by the U.S. Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/), the LEED program addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

October 18, 2007
GeoStructures Continues Growth Pattern with Acquisition of TerraTech
In an agreement that creates the Mid-Atlantic’s largest design-build contractor for the combination of ground improvement systems, engineered earth structures and sound walls for transportation and commercial construction projects, GeoStructures today announced the acquisition of TerraTech (www.terratechva.com) for an undisclosed sum. Customers, suppliers, and partners will gather to hear details and to tour the company’s newly built headquarters on Oct. 24th from 4-7 pm at 413 Browning Court.

TerraTech, known for its design and construction capabilities in anchor wall systems associated with foundation and excavation support, will complement GeoStructures offering of ground improvement, sound walls, and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. For general contractors, the bigger company with its shared engineering resources offers a streamlined way of fulfilling ground improvement, wall and shoring requirements on a design-build basis.

“This acquisition brings together the two strongest firms in our niche to create what the market has needed for a while, namely a better way for contractors to get the engineering support they need for commercial and transportation projects, says GeoStructures President Michael Cowell, P.E. “We now bring a greater breadth of expertise and options for handling retaining and sound wall challenges, and by combining this with the rest of our product line we are in a position to significantly serve the design-build market for transportation.”

The new offerings that carry over to GeoStructures include: 1) micropiles, which provide high capacity foundation support for new construction in karst geology and soils with tough drilling conditions 2) excavation support systems using tiebacks or soil nails for temporary or permanent walls for commercial building and highway construction, and 3) underpinning design and construction expertise for stabilizing foundations of adjacent structures on deep excavation projects.

GeoStructures also will continue to provide ground improvement through its Geopier, Impact Pier, and Rapid Impact Compaction technologies, and through its EarthTec subsidiary that offers design and supply of MSE walls.

Adds TerraTech founder Charlie Carey who is the general manager of the GeoStructures subsidiary, “it is a major improvement to offer all these services within one company. As an integrated ground improvement, wall, and foundation support company we will see more efficiencies that will benefit customers in terms of cost, scheduling, and specific solutions that will be applicable to our clients’ projects.”

October 6, 2007
GeoStructures Completes Construction, Moves into New HQ
Employee-Funded Effort Sets Stage for Expansion
GeoStructures, a design-build contractor that provides ground-improvement systems, engineered earth structures and sound walls for transportation and commercial construction projects, has relocated to its newly built headquarters at 413 Browning Court.

Located in the Browning Industrial Park, the 11,000 square-foot office and 5,500 square-foot workshop is home for the company’s 90-person staff consisting of executive management, sales and marketing staff, engineers, project managers, and work crews.  Also on site are staff for the company’s EarthTec subsidiary, which provides design, supply, and turnkey construction of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) structures.   

“Our new office brings multiple benefits to the company, chief among them being that our growth will not be stymied by a shortage of space,” says Mike Cowell, P.E.  “It also is centrally located with regard to staff commutes and customer projects, and it is supporting a unique retirement program for employees, so for everyone it is a great investment.”

Construction of the building was partially funded by senior employees who transferred money from 401(k) plans to self-directed, qualified individual retirement accounts (IRAs).  “The cash from the IRAs reduced the amount of money the company needed for construction, and the projected payoff to the employees should be significantly higher than  the traditional single-digit returns from 401(k) investment plans,“ says Rick Ross, CFO.

GeoStructures also maintains satellite offices in Cary, North Carolina and East Greenville, Pennsylvania.

July 5, 2007
GeoStructures, Forrester Construction Team Up on Three Local Jobs
GeoStructures today announced that it is providing ground-improvement systems on three projects in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for Forrester Construction Company (http://www.forresterconstruction.com/).

For both the Kipp School and the Riggs LaSalle Community Center in Washington, D.C., GeoStructures is deploying a series of Impact Piers to increase the strength of the soil and ultimately support the foundation of the structures.  Often used on sites with high levels of groundwater and loose sand, Impact Piers are an economical option when compared to the solution of over-excavation and replacement of the soil with compacted fill.  Impact piers are created when open-graded aggregate is poured through the opening of a hollow mandrel that is pushed into the ground.  With its beveled tamping foot the mandrel is then raised and lowered to compact the aggregate vertically and sideways, which creates lateral pressure on adjacent soil and confines the aggregate pier.

On the campus of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in White Oak, Md., GeoStructures is installing Geopier Rammed Aggregate Piers to support the foundation of a new parking garage.  Similar to Impact Piers, Geopier elements stiffen nearby soil but construction begins with removal of weak soil from 30-inch diameter holes.  Well-graded aggregate is then placed and compacted using impact energy and a beveled tamper in one-foot compacted lifts up to an elevation six inches above the bottom of the footing.  The Geopier process eliminates the higher cost and need for over excavation or deep foundations in marginal and fill soils, and controls building settlement.

“The high number of underground variables at sites means it is impossible to have one ground-stabilization solution,” says GeoStructures President Mike Cowell, P.E.  “We regularly work with general contractors like Forrester because they know we have the breadth of offerings to support most any structure they are building.”

Comments Project Manager William Beschorner of Forrester Construction, “Ground-improvement from a design/build perspective can be tricky because of the unknowns below the ground – water, soil type, or the location of rock formations.  However, our team approach with geotechnical and structural engineers, and ground-improvement technologies from GeoStructures, brings more predictability to projects for mid-sized buildings, both from a cost and scheduling viewpoint.”

June 15, 2007
GeoStructures Bulks Up with More Sales and Engineering Executives
Ground-improvement contractor GeoStructures today announced the addition of three new staff who will help propel the company’s growth in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the country.

Chuck Lacey, Jr., P.E., is the company’s new director of business development and will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with site owners, general contractors, and geotechnical engineering firms, all of which have an important role in site development.  Lacey brings to GeoStructures a broad range of experience in engineering, land development and construction, and management gained at organizations including Advanced Drainage Systems (http://www.ads-pipe.com/) where he received awards for Regional Engineer of the Year and also Region of the Year for sales growth.  He also held several supervisory and project management positions at the utility Baltimore Gas & Electric (http://www.bge.com/).

Serving as the new sales manager for the Southeast region is Derek Harwood, P.E., who will be accountable for revenue associated with the company’s Geopier Rammed Aggregate Piers, Impact Piers, and Rapid Impact Compaction products that stiffen soil enough to support foundations of mid-sized buildings.  Harwood will use his knowledge of construction products and processes to capitalize on the need for ground improvement at projects near the company’s satellite office in Cary, North Carolina.

Filling the role of project engineer is Daniel Evans, who will conduct design and quality control services associated with Geopier elements and Impact Piers so that settlement of the future buildings will be minimized. 

“A significant attribute of our company is that we have a high number of engineers on staff with advanced degrees and varied experience, many of which are accredited Professional Engineers.  This enables us to meet the needs of our customers in the commercial, industrial and highway sectors,” according to Michael Cowell, P.E., president of GeoStructures.  “As a result, customers have a higher level of confidence in our capabilities because we approach ground-improvement projects with proven methodologies and no guesswork.”

February 5, 2007
GeoStructures To Begin Construction on 16 Projects in DC Area
GeoStructures today announced that it has begun the new year with agreements in place to begin soil reinforcement activity on 16 sites in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The company will provide its soil improvement technologies to support a mix of projects that includes: Metro Kiss & Ride garage in Wheaton, Md.; St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.; National Harbor Marriott in Oxen Hill, Md.; Brunswick WWTP Expansion in Brunswick, Md.; Marlo Furniture in Chantilly, Va.; EZ Storage in Frederick, Md.; and the Bare Hills office building in Baltimore, Md.

On many of the projects GeoStructures will use Geopier Rammed Aggregate Piers, which are built by drilling holes 30 inches in diameter, removing weak soil, and ramming in well-graded stone in compacted, one-foot layers to create a rammed aggregate pier. A beveled tamper pushes the stone outward against the cavity wall, creating lateral pressure that confines and stiffens the pier. The result is a stable, dense foundation with minimal settlement and the strength to support conventional spread footings designed for relatively high bearing pressures of five to eight ksf (5,000 to 8,000 pounds per square foot).

On projects where soil is soft and drilling would cause cave-ins, or where removing contaminated soils or “spoils” would create problems, GeoStructures uses Impact Piers. Similar to traditional Geopier elements but without the spoils, Impact piers are built by pushing a mandrel into loose ground, pouring open-graded aggregate through the mandrel, then raising and lowering the mandrel to ram the stone downward and outward to create a dense pier.

For projects where the soils can be densified in place, GeoStructures uses Rapid Impact Compaction, which compacts soil with a 7.5-ton weight that rises and drops 40-60 times a minute onto a five-foot diameter tamper foot.

“General contractors and site owners know that most of the risk associated with site development is below the ground,” says Mike Cowell, P.E., president of GeoStructures. “They also know that deep foundation systems like piles and caissons still provide risk due to cost overruns based on weather, missed expectations of where the solid rock is, and the need for over-excavation of fill soils. This puts us in a good position to redefine the market because our soil improvement methods are not dependent on the depth to rock, can be installed year round, and are cost effective for buildings as tall as 16 stories.”

December 5, 2006
GeoStructures Closes 2006 With Significant Growth
GeoStructures today announced that its business has grown by one-third in 2006 to accommodate demand among builders for its site-improvement technologies.

Leading the growth was the company’s signature Geopier product, followed by Impact Piers and Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC), all of which stiffen soil enough to increase load-bearing capacity for low- to mid-rise structures.

In the past year GeoStructures has built foundation support systems for buildings including big-box retailers, offices, hospitals, schools, parking garages, and oil storage tanks. The concentration of projects on the east coast reflects the suitability of the product suite for the wide range in soil types – from fat clays to fine sands - and urban fill sites that developers need to address. Geopier Elements, Impact Piers, and RIC are a way of reinforcing these soils, thus eliminating the costly process of over-excavation and refilling the site with granular soil, or the traditional but expensive support systems of pilings and caissons that must be driven 30 feet deep or more.

“The technology for building a structure on stable ground is well established, but when soil conditions vary that presents a lot of risk to developers’ budgets and the performance of their structures,” says GeoStructures President Mike Cowell, P.E. “This makes foundation support the riskiest part of a project, so we try to take the risk off the table for developers who are dealing with a marginal site and are worried about budget and time overruns. Our expansion is the result of our bringing greater certainty to this dilemma, and of the traditional construction industry embracing a relatively new but proven method of site improvement.”

With projects ranging from Florida to New York, GeoStructures will manage its operations from its new location in Purcellville, Va. beginning in mid-2007. The headquarters will house executive management, sales, and operations for the Foundation Support Group, as well as the Earth Structures Group that builds retaining walls, sound walls, and arch and bridge structures.