Geotechnical News • June 2012
53
ASFE NEWS
takes chemical samples when it’s
connected to a piece of exposed rebar
and the concrete structure itself. The
samples are then computer modeled to
assess the structure’s integrity, particu-
larly with respect to the condition of
the rebar. Rebar often rusts after years
of exposure to road salt or sea water,
Alizadeh explained, noting that, when
the rebar rusts it can expand by up to
six times its original diameter, break-
ing the concrete apart.
Giatec’s technology is based on almost
ten years of research at the University
of Ottawa, where Alizadeh studied,
and Carleton University, where his
partner, Pouria Ghods, studied. The
two have won awards from the Ottawa
Centre for Research and Innovation
for their research in the field. Patents
for the pair’s work are pending.
Alizadeh is already offering units
for sale in 2012, reportedly for for
$10,000-$15,000.
The company is also working on
wireless sensors that could be located
on the sides of bridges, overpasses,
et al., to monitor structural integrity
remotely.
Building green: fad or future?
Think that building green is just a
passing fancy? If so, you have another
think coming: The U.S. Green Build-
ing Council (USGBC) on August 31
st
announced certification of the 10,000
th
LEED commercial project; the Live
Oak Family Resource Center in Santa
Cruz, CA (LEED Platinum). More
than 1.4 million square feet of new
and existing buildings are LEED-
certified
every day
. According to
“the founding father of LEED” Rob
Watson, CEO and chief scientist of the
EcoTech International Group, “Mile-
stones like this – 10,000 buildings or
the soon-to-be 2 billion square feet
of certified floor area or the imminent
cumulative 10 billion square feet of
projects registered and certified –
show the incredible impact that LEED
has had on the building market.”
GBCI is not at all the only player in
the green game, but it seems to be a
good place to start!
Is there a PEO in your
company’s future?
The nation’s 300 or so PEOs already
employ as many as 3 million people
and the number is growing. Will
a PEO benefit you? Maybe. The
acronym stands for professional
employer organization, also known as
an employee-leasing company, and it
functions to handle a variety of HR
administrative duties – like adminis-
tering benefits and processing payroll
– thus making your business life that
much simpler. In essence, a PEO hires
all your company’s employees (you
included), then “leases” them back to
your company. Because the PEO is
likely to employ thousands of people,
it probably can offer better and less
costly insurance options to your staff.
By the same token, however, you may
not have a choice about the health
insurance and other benefits offered.
That’s just one of the issues you need
to discuss when selecting a PEO.
Others, suggested by the National
Association of Professional Employer
Organizations (NAPEO;
, include:
• Identify PEOs that serve your area
Review their websites to learn
about the services they offer.
• Identify and list the services you
might be interested in.
• Identify the PEOs that seem the
most promising. Check the history
and reputation of each. Find out
how long each has been in busi-
ness. Speak with colleagues to
learn what people are saying about
the company.
• Contact each of the candidate
PEOs. Ask for references. Require
that the references be individuals
who are associated with a current
client of the PEO.
• Speak with the references. Ask
how long they have worked with
the PEO and whether or not they
worked with another one previ-
ously. If so, what was its name
and why did they switch? Inquire
about the services they obtain and
how well the PEO responds to
problems and situations your busi-
ness might face.
• Ask to meet with a PEO’s represen-
tatives at the PEO’s offices. Insist
that those representatives include
the specific people you would be
working with.
• Ask how employee benefits are
funded and what benefits are of-
fered.
• Make sure the company meets all
the requirements set by your state.
• Have an attorney review any con-
tract offered. Does it clearly lay
out your and the PEO’s respon-
sibilities and liabilities? What
guarantees does the PEO provide?
Under what situations can you or
the PEO cancel the contract, and
are there fines or penalties for do-
ing so?
