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The PBSJ Foundation is our first funding sponsor for education
May 23, 2009
On Wednesday, May 20th we gathered with The PBSJ Corporation executives at the historic Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle. The setting was ideal for the presentation that we held. The stated mission of the Arctic Club Hotel is: “to revive the energy of the original Arctic Club for the pleasure of today's adventurers.â€?
The Associate Vice-President of The PBSJ Corporation Bill Hinsley had already joined our Board of Directors and had been actively involved in formulating novel approaches to how we did business. His advice and guidance were instrumental in presenting a valid application to The PBSJ Foundation for our new educational initiatives.
The PBSJ Corporation executives were in Seattle for a convention, and they also took part in the management of their foundation. In attendance were Robert J. Paulsen, their President, and Cecilia Green, their Executive Vice President and National Service Director for Environmental Sciences. They would be the overseers of our activities along with Bill Hinsley, and they would be the best resources for us in the future to develop more effective programs.
While we are still developing our best practices, our common vision is to create a collaborative environment where each PBSJ office would engage the education system in their respective regions. The outreach would leverage the nationwide presence of PBSJ in the United States, providing us with a wider audience, valuable feedback and guidance on improving our offerings.
The PBSJ Foundation is how The PBSJ Corporation gives back to the communities in which its employees live and work. What began as the passion of individual employees for community service has thus become a hallmark of PBSJ’s corporate culture. PBSJ supports worthy charitable causes ranging from scholarships to youth education and development programs through the PBSJ Foundation. With a grant from the foundation, Around-n-Over is tasked to develop online educational modules focusing on math and science.
The PBSJ Corporation is an employee-owned family of businesses with expertise in engineering, environmental science, architecture, planning, and construction. Their purpose is to improve life for generations by advancing the quality of infrastructure—from basic modern conveniences for health and safety to economic drivers that power nations—and by promoting responsible stewardship of our planet’s resources. Their professional depth and breadth foster a unique connectivity among people of diverse backgrounds and experience, which in turn promotes thoughtful collaboration and innovation to a myriad of challenges. They encourage this diversity by offering an environment of acceptance, inclusion, and continual learning.
With its origins dating back to 1959 when Miami Lakes, the first planned “new townâ€? in Florida was created, the company continued to expand its activities to sanitary engineering, highways and bridge work. The PBSJ Corporation was formed in 1973 as the stockholding entity over PBS&J and future subsidiaries. Expansion outside of Florida began during the 1980s, and by the end of the 1990s, the company’s offices spanned the nation from coast to coast and was doing business in overseas. The company’s service offerings also increased significantly over these decades, and the company developed a solid reputation for excellence in environmental sciences, planning, landscape architecture, architecture, program management, and associated disciplines to complement its strong, legacy engineering and construction management services. Today, The PBSJ Corporation has nearly 4,000 employees and 80 offices located throughout the United States and abroad.
After the introductions, I provided an overview of Around-n-Over's origins as a nonprofit and of its charitable and educational programs. I entertained them with a presentation which included the story of my recent row across the Pacific Ocean from California to Papua New Guinea. We concluded the gathering with quality time over lunch.
The challenge is in our court as Around-n-Over to maintain the quality of our educational message; to educate and inspire children not only to stretch their boundaries, but to look at the world from a different lens in achieving a sustainable future with peace and prosperity for all of its inhabitants.
Erden.
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The PBSJ Foundation is how The PBSJ Corporation gives back to the communities in which its employees live and work.
Robert J. Paulsen, President of The PBSJ Corporation was gracious with his time and advice to Around-n-Over.
It was a joyous occasion to receive the oversized check from Mr. Paulsen. Our officers and directors joined the PBSJ executives in this frame.
