USI, A Registered SPSF with the NCDOT

USI is a registered small professional services firm (SPSF) with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).  We are currently working with the NCDOT through an On-Call Agreement to provide engineering services for improvements to the Tryon Road and Regency Parkway Intersection in the Town of Cary.  The project also involves improvements to the Highway 64 on-ramp to Highway 1.

USI is always on the lookout to partner with other engineering firms on NCDOT projects as an SPSF.  We are currently prequalified in the following areas:

• 00070            Erosion & Sediment Control Design---Roadside Environmental – Soil & Water Engineering Section
• 00097            Guide Sign Design- Conventional Roads---Transportation Mobility and Safety Division
• 00132            Landscape & Streetscape Design---Bicycle & Pedestrian
• 00150            Pavement Condition Surveys---Pavement Management
• 00155            Pavement Marking Plans---Transportation Mobility and Safety Division
• 00173            Public Water Distribution Systems---Utilities
• 00174            Public Water Transmissions Systems---Utilities
• 00195            Roadway Construction Engineering & Inspection---Construction Services
• 00201            Rural Roadway Design---Preconstruction
• 00203            Sanitary Sewer Collection Systems---Utilities
• 00204            Sanitary Sewer Outfall Systems---Utilities
• 00231            Stream Restoration/Mitigation Monitoring---Roadside Environmental - Soil & Water Engineering Section
• 00269            Urban Roadway Design---Preconstruction
• 00316            Multi-Use Trail Design, Survey & Layout---Bicycle & Pedestrian
• 00338            Building Site Design---General Services Division
• 00405            Quality Assurance for High Speed Data Collection---Pavement Management
• 00467            Low Impact Division Managed Roadway Design---Preconstruction 

If your company is interested in teaming with USI on any NCDOT projects, please contact either Bob Wilson, PE at (704) 342-3007 or John Fersner, PE at (336) 272-3402.  We look forward to working with you.

Creating a New Year's Resolution for Your Business

With the onset of a New Year, many people set a personal New Year’s Resolution.  The New Year represents a fresh start and resolutions are generally ones that will improve your personal health, relationships, or life in one way or another.  Have you ever thought about setting a New Year’s resolution or two for your business as well?  The New Year is a great time to reassess, and set the tone for the year to come.  Setting a business New Year Resolution can help you focus your business or discover new ways to meet your Mission Statement.  Just as each personal goal is tailored to your desires, so to the goals for your business resolution must also be tailored to the service or product you provide.  Below are some questions and suggestions to get you on the right track to setting your business New Year’s Resolution.

• Assess and identify customer/client’s needs – What can make their experience easier? What do they desire that you can provide?  Can you streamline a lengthy process or slash delivery/waiting times?
• Delegate - Have employees stepped up and filled certain duties during the previous year? Have they proved themselves to be competent and interested in a certain area?  If so, consider giving them more responsibility in this area.
• Succession Planning – If someone were to hand in their notice or announce retirement tomorrow, would there be anyone who could step in and take their place?  Do you have an effective cross-training program in place?
• Be More Productive – Are there new technologies that you are not taking advantage of? Could file sharing software make it easier for your employees to collaborate on documents internally or share them with clients? Is there new software on the market that simplifies and/or streamlines your current process?
• Keep Learning – With today’s ever increasing technological advances, it’s easy for opportunities to pass you by.  That is why continuing education is critical to staying on top of trends in your industry.  Are there any trade shows/conferences/conventions/seminars/classes that could improve your knowledge and that would work with your schedule?  If you already attend one or two, but they are the same you have always attended, are there any new ones that might benefit you in a different way?
• Give Back to the Community – Giving back to the community is a wonderful thing in and of itself.  It is also a great way to leave potential clients/customers with a positive image of your business. Is there any way your services or products could benefit the community?  Could you sponsor a non-profit event or program? 

 Once you set your resolutions, it is important to make them attainable.  If possible, set milestones along the way to full goal achievement.  And don’t forget to share your business resolutions with your employees, if appropriate, so they can join in and assist you in success!

5 Characteristics of a Professional

1.  Take Advantage of Every Opportunity.

I started my career as a hairstylist. At conferences I am often asked how I became a speaker, author, and executive speech coach? By noticing and using every chance that turned up. Opportunity doesn't knock just once. It knocks all the time, though you may not recognize the sound. One technique is to learn from successful people by finding out how they achieved their success.

2.  Start By Asking Questions.

Successful people will share their knowledge and experiences with you if you ask good questions that stimulate their thinking and responses. The quality of the information you receive depends on the quality of your questions. The key to connecting with others is conversation, and the secret of conversation is to ask the right questions. A conversation can lead to a relationship, and a nurtured relationship can produce amazing results.

3.  Dedicate Yourself.

Two questions you should ask yourself on a fairly regular basis are, "What can I do to contribute to my profession--to my employer and my professional association?" & "How can I be professionally accountable?" When you can do this, you'll get so much more than you give.

4.  Use Stories.

Be inventive in selling yourself and your profession. Learn to network, one on one, by using memorable stories. Sometimes, it's appropriate to fade into the background. Most of us are shy in some situations. But, to be professionally accountable, you must be able to stand out and speak up. When you are in any situation where you're meeting the public, how do you introduce yourself? When people ask what you do, can you tell them in a way that will stick in their minds? I challenge you to come up with a one-sentence way of presenting yourself and your profession so that people will never forget. Create a vivid, visual picture of your job, its challenges and triumphs. People will remember the picture you create in their minds, rather than your words.

5.  Develop Your Persuasive Powers.

Being professionally accountable means knowing how to influence people. President Dwight Eisenhower, said, "Leadership is the ability to decide what has to be done and then getting people to want to do it." How do you influence people? One of my clients is Horst Schulze, president of the Ritz Carlton hotels. He advises prospective employees, "We are all ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen. Our guests pay our prices to have an experience, and it is your job to be part of that experience. You will never say, 'That is not in my job description,' and you will never bring your own problems to work." Obviously, this works at the Ritz Carlton. Do you have a similar motivator for yourself, your colleagues, and your fellow professionals? Are you persuasive in representing my company, department or association in public?

Article by: Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE  www.fripp.com  PFripp@Fripp.com