2016 RESPEC Annual Report

2016

ANNUAL REPORT respec.com

Embracing Challenge, Gaining Momentum

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EMBRACING CHALLENGE, GAINING MOMENTUM RESPEC TRANSITIONS TO “ONE COMPANY” 2016 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS // City of Bozeman Groundwater Investigation // Land Information Systems Management and Analytics Tool // IT Fleet Services Key Valet

// NMDOH Rural Health Care Practitioner Tax Credit // Big Sioux River Flood Information System

// Little Fountain Creek Design/Build Project

// Kinross Chirano Gold Mine Drill-and-Blast Audit // New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange

// NMDOT Bridge Scour Countermeasure Design // NIOSH Real-Time Hazard Recognition

// Yellow Medicine One Watershed, One Plan // Indian Health Service Integrated Data Collection System // Cook Lake Slope Stability Monitoring

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RESPEC’S COMMITMENT TO GIVING BACK Sometimes when you’re looking for a mining solution, you really need an IT solution.

On the cover: By taking a birdseye look at CRH’s operations, RESPEC integrated technology to maximize their mining operations in 18 different countries.

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Latitude and longitude of CRH’s Aberthaw cement plant in Wales where RESPEC provides mine duediligence services.

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embracing challenge, gaining momentum In 2016, RESPEC met market challenges and gathered

tremendous momentum! Staying true to our dynamic Vision 2020 strategic plan, RESPEC continued to set records with

net revenue growth and a strong cash position that supports

the operations. Like the wise market watchers who notice but don’t overreact to the daily peaks and valleys, we gain over the long haul.

Great companies are defined by their abilities to take on challenges and their continual desire to improve and grow as an organization. In 2016, RESPEC adapted to market

challenges by making critical decisions to support employee retention. A slowdown in

the oil-and-gas sectors, combined with delays on major information technology project awards, challenged overall profitability. We made a conscientious decision to retain our talented professionals with the knowledge that these technical resources are critical to our future success.

To complete our “One Company” strategy, we took a major step in 2016 by fully

integrating our information technologies subsidiary, POD, into the RESPEC company. As our company grew over the past 10 years, we recognized the importance of solidifying

our brand and communicating the breadth and depth of our technical capabilities across the enterprise to all of our customers. Within this Annual Report, you’ll see the new look

and feel of RESPEC. We’re proud to present our One Company initiative and our exciting brand identity.

2016 also marked a major international investment made by the company. For over

25 years, RESPEC has performed services for key clients in Canada. Recognizing the importance of building stronger relationships with our clients in North America, we

acquired North Rim Exploration Ltd., a geoscience and engineering consulting company located in Saskatchewan, Canada. Joining forces with North Rim solidifies RESPEC’s position as a major consulting expert in the potash marketplace.

Across the wide spectrum of our organization, RESPEC remains committed to achieving the goals and objectives set forth in the Vision 2020 strategic plan. We completely embrace the compelling challenge for continued growth, employee development, and sustainability.

May these pages reflect the pride and value of a professional team that continues to

expand RESPEC’s technical capabilities and global reputation. Enjoy the achievements

RESPEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Walter D. Jones, Lead Director N. Douglas Fluke Todd J. Kenner Jason T. Love Stephen T. O’Rourke Alfred J. Serrano Marvin D. Truhe

OFFICERS Todd J. Kenner CEO/President

Philip A. Welling Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Dale R. Atkinson Chief Information Officer Samantha L. Lapin Senior Vice President, Information Technologies

Jason T. Love Senior Vice President, Water & Natural Resources John S. L. Morgan Senior Vice President, Mining & Energy Kerry L. DeVries Vice President Rick R. Moser Vice President

Leo L. Van Sambeek Vice President Karla R. Lipp Secretary

of our talented professionals in this year’s Annual Report. Thank you!

// Todd Kenner, CEO/President

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WE AREN’T SUPERHEROES—

BUT THEY INSPIRE US. Our highly distinguished team of experts—versatile and

specialized engineers, developers, integrators, and scientists— are standing by, waiting for your call.

With extra vision to see solutions that others can’t and

endless knowledge to bridge the gaps that others don’t, we’re transformers with the know-how to solve the world’s hardest

problems. At RESPEC, we thrive on technology and making our clients successful. This is why we do what we do.

From the depths of a cavern to the heights of a volcano, from an antiquated computer system to a business in dire need of re-engineering, our technical and business experts find

solutions for extreme situations... like the time we cleansed

and migrated 100 million rows of legacy data or the time we protected Mt. Rushmore.

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respec transitions to “one Company” RESPEC—and technology itself— have both come a long way since we incorporated in

1969, which was the year that pocket calculators

replaced the slide rule, the trusted tool of engineers for more than 300 years. RESPEC’s founding

mission was focused, unique, and highly specialized: we provide high-level, research-oriented consulting services. By successfully executing this mission, RESPEC has continued to expand other criticalneed service offerings to include Information Technologies (IT) and Water & Natural Resources. In 1985,

RESPEC won its first general

support IT contract with Sandia National Laboratories. Up until this time, RESPEC provided

instrumentation and software

development services related

to the Sandia research, but we

knew there was a much greater IT market to address. In 2006,

RESPEC acquired POD (based in Albuquerque) to further

strengthen the company’s IT offerings. Strategically, the

decision was made to focus the

company’s IT services within the wholly

a single brand: RESPEC develops integrated solutions to solve customer problems and

increase customer loyalty, employee collaboration, and shareholder value.

Committing to the One Company initiative in 2016 to realize operational and marketing benefits, we

recognize the value and opportunities created by leveraging the collective talents and strengths of

our previously individual, stand-alone business units and subsidiaries. This initiative aligns directly with our Vision 2020 strategic plan that emphasizes the value of operating as a seamless, collaborative, and unified highperforming team.

THE “IMPOSSIBLE R” As part of the One Company

initiative, we evaluated our brand

and relationship with our customers.

In doing so, we recognized the

opportunity in building our market identity as a multidimensional

consulting company capable of

offering integrated solutions. To

reinforce this new foundation, we

created a new logo inspired by the

mathematical art of M. C. Escher,

owned POD subsidiary. Specifically, our interests

an artist fascinated with “impossible” puzzle-like

local governments.

Escher’s interests in the impossible by addressing

were in expanding our services with state and

RESPEC has continued to experience significant growth and market diversification over the past

10 years. We acquired 8 companies and expanded

offices into 13 states and 1 Canadian province. By

geometric figures. The RESPEC team reflects the complex challenges that seem intractable

or unsolvable to our clients. RESPEC’s breadth, experience, and know-how allow us to engage,

analyze, and solve their most difficult problems.

diversifying our service offerings and geographic

Thanks to our employees—the name RESPEC instills

clarifying that our organization is unified by

team’s brilliance and adaptability keep us at the top!

footprint, we increased the importance of

trust in clients and communities around the world. Our

solid history strengthens our team today

1969 RESPEC was incorporated.

1985 RESPEC won its first contract with Sandia National Laboratories.

2006 RESPEC acquired POD.

2000s RESPEC acquired 8 companies within the past 10 years.

2016 RESPEC initiates its new brand under One Company.

2020 RESPEC serves customers under its 2020 long-term vision.

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know-how is everything.

We use our resourcefulness and vast experience to solve problems.

It’s called know-how. And when you have it, problems aren’t problems at all. Know-how defines the core of who we are. It is how our clients see us. Know-how speaks to ingenuity, aptitude, and skill—it is not merely knowledge; it is knowing how to get things done.

Imagine having access to a think tank with hundreds of diversely

talented engineers, scientists, programmers, and developers under one roof—that’s RESPEC. Each team member is highly trained and

skilled in understanding and applying the laws of a specific universe to solve any kind of problem.

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Major project features: // Groundwater Supply Assessment – Physical Availability // Groundwater Model Development // Water Quality and Source Protection Evaluation // Adverse Effects Analysis and Mitigation Strategies

// city of bozeman groundwater investigation Fifty years ahead—finding future water balance in the face of drought and climate change

Masterminding a city’s future water

supply requires foresight and ingenuity,

both of which the RESPEC team provided for Bozeman, Montana, in a recent

groundwater investigation. Anticipating a future water deficit, the City of Bozeman called in RESPEC after outlining several

ways to increase available water supply to meet future needs.

Following Bozeman’s integrated plan to project future water demand, promote water conservation, and increase

water supply capacity, our goal was to

to project future water demand at

quantify drawdown and stream depletion

We studied the City’s water supply

gallons per minute (gpm) at nine different

30-year and 50-year planning horizons. accounting and verified the water rights in its portfolio. A hydrologic, firm-yield analysis was performed to assess the sensitivity of groundwater sources to

drought and other potential impacts of

climate change. Comparisons between the current available supply and future demand projections were made to

produce estimates of the annual water balance gap in 2062.

associated with pumping at a rate of 1,000 potential well locations. Following the pumping simulations, a series of six

mitigation scenarios were evaluated. The mitigation scenarios demonstrate how

the groundwater model could be used to evaluate different settings in which the

City can use its water from other sources to mitigate potential effects on existing water rights from the pumping of new supply wells.

determine locations where groundwater

The RESPEC team developed a

RESPEC’s project success was

permit and construct high-yield wells

the Gallatin Valley Model, for the study

supply assessment, development of

was physically available and suitable to for municipal use. Our investigation also factored in hydrogeological

investigations that were performed

by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG).

RESPEC’s team of experts started

working from both moderate- and high-

growth estimates of population increase

groundwater flow model, referred to as area. The model facilitates predicting of

aquifer drawdown (based on rate, spatial

extent, and related streamflow depletion) and is used to examine potential options for aquifer recharge that could be used to mitigate the effects of groundwater

pumping. Our water experts performed a series of pumping simulations to

based on a thorough groundwater

a groundwater model, evaluation of

water quality and source protection, an

adverse effects analysis, and mitigation strategies. RESPEC takes pride in

charting a path forward for municipalities to secure their water supply for the

future, based on sound planning and protection strategies today.

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RESPEC’s LIS tool allows land and quarry managers to work closely and develop the best solutions for long-term acquisition planning and quarry optimization.

// land information systems management and analytics tool Working together across diverse disciplines to manage mining assets

When a client purchased billions of

dollars in land and mining assets, they had no accurate or efficient way to manage and quantify their assets. RESPEC

designed the Land Information System (LIS), a management and analytics tool,

to efficiently manage all aspects of land control that are needed for mining and

asset management. LIS serves as a link between the mine planning and block

model work completed by RESPEC and client-specific data on property and

permitting. Instrumental in managing multibillion-dollar mining company

Expanding its geographic reign in Asia, Europe, and North America, RESPEC’s LIS tool empowers clients to manage and quantify their land and mining assets.

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mergers and asset divestures, LIS focuses

roles to collaborate across business units.

property boundaries, deeds, permit

services such as land portfolio and asset

on centralizing all land-related data (e.g.,

boundaries, permit documents, property values, and reserve values) into a cloud-

spatial database where data can be easily queried and analyzed.

RESPEC’s LIS tool allows land and quarry

managers to work closely and develop the

LIS enables professionals to perform

management, permit management and environmental compliance, reporting land values and viewing value trends,

exploration and mine expansion analytics,

land acquisition management, and reserve tracking and logistics analytics.

best solutions for long-term acquisition

In 2017, RESPEC’s team looks forward to

also creates synergies within RESPEC

with a much larger geographic range that

planning and quarry optimization. LIS

because it allows personnel in diverse

introducing an expanded version of LIS

includes Asia, Europe, and North America.

// it fleet services key valet A system to manage 12,000 users and vehicles? No problem!

At Sandia National Laboratories in

New Mexico, a government vehicle fleet with

over 600 users was becoming unmanageable.

Manual recordkeeping and management for Sandia’s Fleet Services Customer Support

Center were slow and unwieldy. To streamline their management process and establish firm control over the fleet of government vehicles and keys, reservations, pickups, returns, and credit cards, RESPEC researched several

solutions and successfully implemented the AssetWorks KeyValet, a “kiosk” in which all

vehicle reservations are made and vehicles are

checked in and out by users. KeyValet provides the client with a high-performance way to

manage its vehicles and ensures that a small

government vehicle loan pool could remotely maintain control over keys, Government

Services Administration credit cards, and the reservation and pickup/return processes.

Providing full-service data and information technology solutions to public agencies and private clients, RESPEC streamlines every business process and delivers proven large-scale innovations.

Overwhelmingly satisfied with the new system, the Sandia fleet management has selected RESPEC’s IT team to implement another

// NMDOH rural health care practitioner tax credit

KeyValet for its huge, main motor pool. Keeping the fleet shipshape, RESPEC’s future kiosk will be six times larger than the first one and will

serve more than 12,000 users with streamlined

Rapid design and build for user-friendly websites that work for the public and the agency

and efficient management processes for the Fleet Services Customer Support Center.

Too much paper! Too slow! Too many errors! Too many

user headaches! When the New Mexico Department of Health

(NMDOH) was ready to upgrade and go paperless, they needed a website that would allow rural healthcare practitioners to

submit a tax credit application online and could also function

internally as a powerful administrative tool. Our IT team listened to the needs of all users and quickly designed a solution. Within 4 months, we delivered an exponentially faster, easier, more

accurate, and efficient website system built from the ground up with Microsoft ASP.NET, AngularJS, Angular Material, and Microsoft SQL Server.

The new

website for New Mexico’s

Rural Health Care Practitioner Tax Credit

Program (RHCPTC) (https://rhcptc.nmhealth.org) is

designed for modern browsers and provides a responsive layout that adjusts to the viewport of the user’s Internet access device.

The extremely high client satisfaction resulted in RESPEC’s IT

team being named as the provider of help desk support for the website and its users.

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// Big Sioux river flood information system The power to respond in time—predicting time--Predicting and andmitigating mitigatingflood floodevents events

Working in our own backyard—Eastern South Dakota—RESPEC is very proud to serve South Dakota’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to develop a much-needed online flood mapping

tool for the Big Sioux River Basin, a critical area where past methodologies have failed to predict the path and severity of extreme flooding.

To protect people and property in the huge river basin, state and local decision-makers needed a high-

accuracy, web-based inundation mapping tool to predict flood behavior, mitigate damage, and improve

previous control methods that seemed hit-or-miss without the sophisticated technology of RESPEC’s Flood

Information System (FIS) tool. Cities and counties also needed a way to quickly and efficiently communicate

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A major innovation in missioncritical technology, RESPEC’s FIS tool helps federal, state, city, and county decision-makers to predict and manage flood activity and offer the best emergency response.

details about the peak velocity and depth of flood waters within the inundated area to better manage emergency response activities.

RESPEC’s FIS solution consists of a hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) model application and a web-based Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) tool. The FIS allows users to predict river elevations and flood inundation under a

range of stream flows and user-defined topographic conditions at critical conveyance points in the watershed.

Flow scenarios include analyzing alternative flows on critical tributaries as well as alternative flows on the

Missouri River to understand how the backwater effects from the Missouri River will impact the Big Sioux River inundation. Alternative topographic scenarios, mitigation strategies, and other ancillary information provide massive support for the most effective emergency management decisions during an extreme flood crisis.

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// little fountain creek design/build project Prepared for the big flood—protecting infrastructure and the environment

When floods wreaked havoc on Little Fountain Creek in Colorado, a natural-gas power plant owned by

Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) became

a critical facility risk. Environmental risks included the CSU solar ponds that treat

process water from both the natural-gas power plant and another on-site coal power plant.

Because of the enormous danger posed by storm events, CSU hired the Tezak

Heavy Equipment and RESPEC design/

build team to design and stabilize the Little Fountain Creek channel with enhanced

protection for conditions associated with a 200-year flood event (typical projects are designed to withstand a 100-year

flood event, which is considered a big

flood). The 4-month timeline was tight for designing, permitting, and constructing

With a reputation for effective collaboration, RESPEC’s emergency design/build team quickly restores creeks and waterways with infrastructure that protects the future habitat.

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the 1-mile creek restoration, but the RESPEC team prevailed. We quickly

provided client-approved designs for bank stabilization, low-flow channel

preservation, overbank widening, and

channel grade-control structures. Leading the engineering design effort, RESPEC

collaborated with our construction partner,

local contractor Tezak Heavy Equipment, to perform the work.

Our successful project demonstrated

efficiency and allowed the satisfied client to obtain additional funding for further repairs, including additional grade-

control structures, bank protection, and site revegetation. Despite the timeline

challenges, RESPEC delivered a superior product and established excellent

relationships with both CSU and Tezak Heavy Equipment.

The flood damage occurred on Little Fountain Creek, which flows between a CSU natural-gas power plant and solar ponds that treat process water from both the natural-gas power plant and another on-site coal power plant.

// kinross chirano gold mine Drill-and-Blast Audit Taking control of the mine site—our top priority is providing clients with a holistic approach to reducing mine costs.

Addressing poor fragmentation, drillhole collapse,

and blast quality issues in their production ring blasts,

Kinross Gold Corporation needed a complete drill-and-blast audit at Chirano Gold Mine’s Paboase, an underground gold mine in Ghana. To define and communicate operational and safety standards, Kinross also needed a training program developed for staff.

RESPEC partnered with Lusk Consulting to use specialized equipment to monitor drillhole deviation, rock quality

and drillhole quality, explosive loading, explosive product

quality, detonation sequencing, velocity of detonation, and fragmentation. The data gathered by our team provided

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useful insight into the drill-and-blast operation and was used to create a comprehensive plan for improving operations

based on the mine’s specifications. Detailed findings were incorporated into a comprehensive training program and a continuous drill-and-blast improvement program.

Specializing in solving critical mining issues safely and

effectively, RESPEC’s approach improved drill-and-blast

operations as well as company training. Pleased with our solutions that fulfilled audit recommendations, Kinross

Gold continues to grow a safe and successful international mining operation by applying proven modern technology, comprehensive staff training, and sound practices.

Experts in rapidly evolving technologies, RESPEC guides clients to take charge of the total operation by using interdisciplinary solutions designed to create safety, productivity, and peak efficiency.

// new mexico health insurance exchange Working seamlessly behind the daily workflow to provide IV&V services to public agencies

Health insurance exchanges are

integral to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA)

Designing for efficiency as well as aesthetics, RESPEC’s team delivers engineering solutions that are cost-effective and respectful of the environment.

goal of insuring all Americans and to prohibit discrimination against people with pre-

existing conditions. To ensure their legal

compliance with statutes, the New Mexico

Health Insurance Exchange (NMHIX) required

independent verification and validation (IV&V)

Awarded Best solution met regulations set forth by the ACA. Maintenance Project of Having honed IV&V methodologies 2016 through many similar projects with publicservices to assess whether or not their

sector agencies, RESPEC delivered key

assessments in only 2 months. Our team of experts quickly assessed the primary

areas of concern, including past updates to the Small Business Health Options

// NMDOT Bridge Scour Countermeasure Design It’s way more than a bridge.

The soil around an old highway

Program (SHOP) solution in previous

bridge in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley

the SHOP solution to meet Federal Centers

the wood foundation, which affected

requirements. We also assessed current

left unattended, the bridge over the

releases and blueprint test scenarios for

had eroded to the point of exposing

for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

the bridge’s structural integrity. If

implementation activities related to a Data Management Reporting System (DMRS).

Receiving high marks and client praise for unintrusive professionalism, our

team successfully completed the work

of evaluating, documenting, and rating,

while identifying risks and offering specific

recommendations. The NMHIX management was very satisfied with our work to ensure

a compliant solution for continuing to offer a competitive private health insurance marketplace for individuals and small employers in New Mexico.

degrading arroyo could eventually

collapse and pose a serious danger to

drivers on NM Highway 1 near Socorro.

RESPEC designed the bridge scour

countermeasure plans for the scour

critical bridge as deemed by the New

Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). Our team provided a low-

cost design that protected the bridge from long-term stream degradation.

NMDOT’s heavy maintenance crew

repaired the structure, which included

grading, concrete work, a grade-control

structure, and laying gabion mattresses.

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Upon completion, the bridge structure was greatly protected from scour, and the arroyo banks on both sides were

aesthetically reshaped and lined with

stone. Our improvements blend with the

beautiful scenery surrounding the bridge that is home to mule deer, javelinas,

turkeys, and roadrunners. Our quality

solution led this project to be selected for a NMDOT internal award as Best Maintenance Project for 2016.

RESPEC has provided on-call drainage engineering services to NMDOT since 2014. Our high-quality work products

and responsiveness have led to repeat

business and a valued relationship with NMDOT.

awarded as NMDOT Best Maintenance Project in 2016

// niosh Real-time hazard recognition

To address these concerns, the National

the Video Gauge™ video collection and

Health (NIOSH) is investigating new

displacement measurements of the mine

Underground mines made safe for the twenty-first century with realtime hazard recognition

safety in underground mines. RESPEC’s

research project for NIOSH uses vastly

Every underground mine needs

at an unlimited number of locations, and

maximum safety. To monitor displacement in the mine structure, several types of extensometer devices are routinely

used to identify ground-control hazards.

However, a primary drawback of most

extensometers is that they provide only a single point of measurement. If the device is not installed in the correct

location, impending hazards may be

missed. Alternatively, placing an adequate number of devices to ensure that

potential hazards are identified can be

cost-prohibitive based on the expenses of

equipment and labor-intensive installation.

Traditional rock-mechanics instruments are also problematic because they are obtrusive and subject to damage.

Truth testing real-time video monitoring at SURF to improve safety in underground mines

Institute for Occupational Safety and

and improved technologies to enhance

improved video technology to monitor

for hazards across a large field of view, at a cost less than installing a suite of extensometers.

RESPEC is developing a real-time hazard recognition system using

Imetrum’s Video Gauge™, a commercial, digital image correlation software that

resolves displacement measurements of movements captured on video. As Imetrum’s distributor for structural

processing functions to remotely export

roof and ribs. Measurements and images from the videos are available real-time

on the web, and alarms signal when outof-range movements are detected. This

multiphase project is being truth-tested in a mining environment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, with eventual

deployment planned for a potash mine near Carlsbad, New Mexico. We take pride in working closely with NIOSH

and collaborating with Imetrum to make underground mines much safer using today’s technology applied with team ingenuity.

monitoring applications in the US,

RESPEC has previously adapted this system for measuring pavement deflection, evaluating road-bed

support, and assessing the mechanical integrity of various components in

underground mines. For this project,

our interdisciplinary team automated

9

Number of fatalities caused by roof falls in US underground mines in the past 5 years

0.001 in

Measurement resolution of Video GaugeTM for a 10-fthigh mine room

1,400 ft Length of mine workings being monitored at SURF

4

Number of video cameras in use at SURF 2016 RESPEC annual report | Page

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// yellow medicine one watershed, one plan Leading stakeholders into the next generation of watershed planning

Navigating the unchartered territory of a state-sponsored pilot

project can be challenging, especially

when the district, like Minnesota’s Yellow

Medicine Watershed District, is a complex intersection of conflicting political and watershed boundaries with differing public and private needs.

Local government partners entrusted RESPEC to use new requirements for

measurable goals to develop the first,

state-approved, 10-year comprehensive plan for this 1,040.2-mile watershed.

During the “Yellow Medicine–One Watershed, One Plan” (YM1W1P)

process, RESPEC guided discussions with 15 local and state water management organizations.

Our team’s experts were highly effective in developing stakeholder relationships

and facilitating challenging conversations about different needs. We successfully collaborated on staffing, budgets,

regulatory programs, and organizational

Our professionals excelled at leading disparate stakeholders to a win-win watershed plan while delivering sound technical solutions.

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relationships, which were all necessary aspects of implementing the plan.

Technically, RESPEC used existing data

and studies as a platform for the planning process. RESPEC’s new optimization tool, Scenario Application Manager

including incentive programs, capital

improvement projects, operation and

maintenance, regulation and enforcement, research studies, data acquisition, data

management, outreach, and engagement and education programs.

(SAM), and the updated HSPF model were

RESPEC successfully led the team in

and inform the prioritization process.

boundaries with naturally occurring ones.

used to assess watershed conditions

Mitigating altered hydrology, which is a

groundbreaking effort in Minnesota water planning, was a main concern.

With the new watershed plan,

stakeholders have access to SAM, which allows users to try different

combinations of best management

practices and land-use changes to see impacts on flooding and water quality

before actual design work begins. SAM also helps determine the most costeffective implementation scenarios.

Our completed watershed plan included all of the state-required content,

replacing problematic political

Blending science, engineering, logic, and public outreach, we demonstrated that

natural land and river boundaries would yield the most cost-effective results.

To restore the Yellow Medicine River

Watershed, RESPEC prioritized projects that maximize benefits and conserve budget while reducing the transport

of pollutants and enhancing ways to preserve and protect groundwater.

RESPEC’s project is one of five

watershed projects in Minnesota and the first to be approved.

// indian health service integrated data collection system What’s new at Indian Health Service?

Working with the Indian Health

Service (IHS), RESPEC continues to

improve the Integrated Data Collection System (IDCS), its related dashboards, and additional capabilities through the

Agile development process. Our system solution simplifies complex needs by

using clinical data from the National Data Warehouse (NDW) and aggregating

data for Congressional and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) reporting

on IHS performance measurements,

are now more detailed, which results in a

requirements and improving patient care.

significantly to new Health and Human

all of which contribute to budgeting

Collaborating with the National Patient

better knowledge base that contributes Services Patient Quality Initiatives.

Information Reporting System (NPIRS),

RESPEC is proud to design and implement

capability allows users to easily answer

intelligence. Our successful solution for

RESPEC’s new “mix and match” ad-hoc questions regarding critical but previously unrelated data with a few drag-and-

drop steps. Because the combination

of questions is almost limitless, reports

innovations that increase business

the IHS makes information even more useful for both the national program offices and the local, individual medical facilities.

// cook lake slope stability monitoring Using technology to ensure area safety while preserving natural beauty

The beautiful Cook Lake Recreation

Area is 25 miles east of Devils Tower near

Sundance, Wyoming. Traveling to the lake’s secluded campground requires a 20-mile drive on gravel roads.

Unfortunately, the area has had landslide

issues that threaten accessibility, and the lake has been closed several times in the past because of the landslide.

In 1997, the southwest slope of Cook Lake underwent a massive slope failure. Nearly 10 years later, survey data indicated that the landslide was still exhibiting some

movement. In 2016, the Black Hills National Forest Service selected RESPEC to design a solution. Our primary goal was to design and install a real-time monitoring and

warning system to protect people at the recreational area and downstream.

RESPEC’s team overcame installation

challenges made difficult by rocky terrain, heavy forestation, and drilling monitoring

wells in unconventional locations. We

installed specialized sensors to monitor

ground movement at five sites within the

landslide area, and we installed tiltmeters on the surface and placed inclinometers and piezometers in two wells drilled to a depth of 200 feet. Inclinometers were

set in each borehole near the landslide

slip plane. A piezometer was grouted in each hole below the water table. Using

spread-spectrum radio, instrumentation devices at the five sites communicated

with one another and the base site, which was located away from the landslide.

A satellite terminal sent data from the base site to RESPEC’s servers.

Sending the client real-time data about landslide movement was achieved by

using Eagle.io, an online communication

and visualization application that displays

remotely collected data. Our solution also

allows the client to customize dashboards for data visualization, download data as

Known for innovation, RESPEC’s team overcame terrain challenges to install a life-saving real-time warning system. .csv files, and set thresholds. If thresholds

are exceeded, alarms notify recipients via a warning text message and email.

The RESPEC team is proud to contribute to the area’s safety.

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Global presence with

local heart

At RESPEC, know-how is everything—and it’s more than just technical

brilliance. Know-how also applies to understanding how to best serve the communities where we work. We want our neighbors to feel connected

and know that we’re invested in them. To enhance the quality of life for a

community, RESPEC designs its Corporate Social Responsibility events to help those in greatest need and provide the support that is not available from local agencies. This kind of service brings us our other payday—

the rewards of seeing smiling faces because we made a real difference!

Our employee-owners have a vested interest not only in the company's

performance but also in the community’s well-being. The greatest reward

of our business is being able to share the fruits of our hard work and fulfill a Page

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meaningful triple bottom line…..people, planet, and profit.

respec’s commitment to giving back

Feeding children In Roseville, Minnesota, our employees volunteered at Feed My Starving Children’s MobilePack events.

MobilePack connects volunteers from across the US to help starving children around the world by preparing and packaging food.

Over the years, our clients and communities often comment that they feel

the “RESPEC difference,” that special something that happens when we all give

our very best. Every year, we demonstrate that we believe in our Corporate Social

Responsibility—to society, community, and environment. In 2016, we celebrated a new company-wide program called the “Time of Giving Thanks,” which met with a warm welcome across North America in 12 of our office locations, including Saskatoon,

Canada. RESPEC’s One Company identity was fully realized as we joined together

across far-flung locations to celebrate the spirit of giving nationwide. From pitching in at local food banks and homeless shelters to teaching kids how to play chess to donating interview-appropriate clothing for low-income job seekers, the RESPEC team touches the lives of thousands of people throughout our communities on an ongoing basis:

Cheyenne, WY

Volunteered to “ring the bell” and drive donations for the Salvation Army

missoula/ bozeman, mt

Participated in the local “Brawl of the Wild” canned food drive

saskatoon, sK

Collected over 40 pounds of food items to donate to the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre

Clothing job seekers In Albuquerque, New Mexico, our team supported Robert Half’s Annual Suit Drive by collecting and donating men’s and women’s interviewappropriate clothing, shoes, and accessories to benefit St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income job seekers.

rapid city, sd

Assisted with cleaning at the Humane Society Adopted a community member with no local family support

denver, co

Provided a dinner service at the Rescue Mission for homeless families in need

roseville, mn

Prepared and packaged food for starving children around the world with Feed My Starving Children

boise, id

caring for community members In Rapid City, South Dakota, our staff rallied to help Marion, a community member who lives by herself with no local family support. We check in with Marion regularly and assist her with home upkeep. Last fall, we cleaned Marion’s house, raked her yard, and fixed the hinge on her screen door. Marion also enjoyed a trip to the salon for a new hair style.

Helped developers at Indigitous improve a delivery device for Wi-Fi networks

mountain view, ca

Taught chess to elementary school students

albuquerque, nm

Provided staff for a meal service for homeless families at Joy Junction Collected and donated interview-appropriate attire for low-income job seekers

lexington, ky

santa fe, nm

Provided security services for the Santa Fe Homeless Shelter

Created race team for 5k run/walk to benefit Disabled American Veterans

decatur, ga

Participated in cleanup efforts at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

2016 RESPEC annual report | Page

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