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BUSINESS NEWS CH2M HELPS RESTORE SALT MARSH IN THE UK TO ENHANCE FLOOD DEFENSES AND RECREATE ESTUARY HABITAT A new project in Hesketh Out Marsh near Preston, U.K., helps protect property and nearby infrastructure from flooding while creating an internationally important estuary for wildlife. The Hesketh Out Marsh East Managed Realignment Scheme, which opened late August 2017, reinstates 160-hectares of land to saltmarsh, and by doing so, provides important climate change adaptation to counter flood risk from sea level rise. Salt marshes protect against coastal erosion and water quality problems, and which reduce flooding while acting as nurseries and refuges for many species.
“The primary goal of the realignment project was to protect existing property and nearby infrastructure against flooding, in addition to recreating salt marsh habitats,” said Greg McIntyre, president of CH2M ’s state and local governments sector. “We are pleased to have helped the Environment Agency and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to improve coastal defenses and restore this marsh, providing space for natural habitats to flourish.” CH2M provided modelling and detailed engineering design to create appropriate habitats for wildlife. The team used numerical modeling to predict the design’s behavior over time, evaluating the impacts and enabling the area to flood and drain correctly.
The original salt marsh was reclaimed from the River Ribble estuary with an outer wall in 1980 and used for growing crops and pasture. With sea levels rising, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Environment Agency sought more natural ways of dealing with coastal flooding through “managed realignment”. Through work to develop creeks and lagoons and by allowing seawater back onto the land, salt marshes were created, helping absorb the force of storms before impacting the coastal defenses. The scheme, one of the largest of recent U.K. managed realignment projects, helps naturalize this internationally important estuary, while protecting more than 140 properties, farmland, and infrastructure against flooding.
JOHN KOMISIN, from page 11
in order to contribute to our organization’s success. As lead- ers, it’s our job to provide the right motivation and autonomy that encourages that commitment. We should inspire employ- ees to be more thoughtful and proactive in crafting ways their contributions can lead to additional meaning and fulfillment for themselves, while also benefiting the firm. “Organizations with a strong and unwavering focus on mission and values and a unique culture that gets their employees excited to come to work every day (with or without a mini-keg), will be the ones who outperform financially and who attract the best talent and clients.” ❚ ❚ Encourage successful collaboration. Perhaps there is such a thing as collaboration overload – endless meetings, relent- less emails, and pointless interactions. However, when done successfully, collaboration leads to innovation by taking full advantage of people’s strengths and respective differences. Oftentimes, we forget that collaboration can also be done outside of the walls of our own organization. Collaboration with groups such as universities and complementary industry organizations often brings new perspectives and ideas that will help push your firm forward. ❚ ❚ Be authentic. When you have a culture that’s authentic, you have something competitors can’t imitate. Use your mission as your guide to stay true to who you are and you’ll attract top talent and loyal clients. Dig deep into your culture. Does it coexist with the tangible nature of bottom-line impact? Cultivating this approach takes strong leadership, emotional investment and buy-in from employees. Organizations with a strong and unwavering focus on mission and values and a unique culture that gets their employees excited to come to work every day (with or without a mini-keg), will be the ones who outperform financially and who attract the best talent and clients. JOHN KOMISIN is Little’s president and CEO. He can be reached at jkomisin@littleonline.com.
Will this culturally-focused activity lead to tangible high bottom-line impact? Probably not by itself. That’s why Little also has programs like our grassroots, in-house research and development program that fosters innovative and habitual breakthrough thinking. The LaceUp mini- grant initiative gives employees the opportunity to explore, collaborate, and test an idea they are passionate about. Since launching in 2013, LaceUp has funded nearly 80 projects. One of them was the genesis of our Center for Building Performance, which takes a holistic approach to optimizing buildings for occupants and owners throughout the design, construction, and occupancy phases. This is where the intangible nature of an entrepreneurial culture focused on its employees transforms into tangible competitive differentiation and bottom-line impact. So how can we make sure that our workplace strikes a balance between the fun, caring, authentic environment, and the rigor of a work culture that leads to profitable growth? ❚ ❚ Keep your mission and values front and center. When you hear leaders at all levels of an organization talking about the mission, it gives employees a compass to guide their efforts. Breakthrough thinking is at the center of Little’s mission and having it be a driving force behind culturally fun and exciting activities helps reinforce that we all play a critical role in mak- ing sure this mission benefits our clients and those who use the projects we design. “Dig deep into your culture. Does it coexist with the tangible nature of bottom-line impact? Cultivating this approach takes strong leadership, emotional investment and buy-in from employees.” ❚ ❚ Motivate employees by celebrating successes. What better way to reinforce your values than to recognize those that are exemplifying them and creating results by doing so? There are multiple ways of doing this. Some involve money or other material rewards and some just involve a pat on the back. We all have the choice as to whether we want to go the extra mile
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THE ZWEIG LETTER January 8, 2018, ISSUE 1230
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