Erik Rutherford, Engineering Associate at Wallace Group, joined our company twice! The first time was in September 2007. After working here for a couple years he left to pursue graduate school and then returned to us in July 2012. Erik grew up on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo off of Orcutt Road. He is a self-described country boy-turned-nerd. An outdoorsman at heart, Erik grew up with his friend and his brother on a ranch setting, able to enjoy the great outdoors through fishing, hunting, and camping in the hills behind the ranch. He attended Los Ranchos Elementary, Laguna Middle School, and San Luis Obispo High School. Erik always loved being outside and had an interest in agriculture and was in fact planning to go to Montana for schooling in Range Management. However, after taking a physics class at SLO High from an influential teacher, he decided to pursue engineering instead. A great example of how a teacher can influence our lives in great ways! Erik became very interested in the way things work, so rather than go to Montana for range management, he decided attend Cuesta College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and then on to Cornell for his Masters in the same field. When Erik came to Wallace Group, we threw him right into mix from day one and he has been learning and honing his craft ever since. Erik says that he likes Wallace Group; he has worked at many different engineering firms and what stands out to him are the people he gets to work with. He thinks that Wallace Group has the best mix of competence and professionalism that he has ever experienced, at all levels of the company. Erik primarily works on projects in the oil & gas industry, but also other energy-related industries as well. He enjoys the challenges of the projects he is assigned to work on. Being a part of our Mechanical Engineering Department, thermal and fluid systems are the main areas of interest to him. He also enjoys the project management aspect of a project; working as part of a team and with Clients to bring a project to fruition. He is passionate about conservation, efficiency and sustainable design. Erik recently took the PE exam and is awaiting results. We obviously are wishing him great luck and are as anxious as he is to hear the results! Not just a nose to the grindstone kind of guy, Erik also likes to try and make the workplace fun. Many a day the email will go out challenging his fellow co-workers to lunchtime ping pong matches. He likes to joke around but still maintain a good work ethic. The country boy-turned-nerd still pursues his outdoor passions. When not in the office you can usually find Erik mountain biking, running, hiking, swimming, snowboarding (if we ever have a good snow year again), etc. He also loves to BBQ! Having once worked at a BBQ stand, his skills are well honed in this area as well! Now, the BBQs involve time with friends in backyards :) Fun Facts: Favorite TV guilty pleasure: “Oh! Southpark!” Least favorite food: Tomatoes…hates the texture. Can eat ‘em cooked in sauces but not raw. Apparently tomatoes made his mom sick when she was pregnant with him so it may have worn off on him! Favorite food treats: Beef Jerky and Cheez-Its (the original, not the weird parmesan or white cheddar ones). Usually has a box at his desk. Bucket List Item 1: To visit the U.K. and do some ancestry research. He was told by his grandmother that there are long networks of walking trails that his ancestors used to travel between villages, and he would like to try and retrace some of their steps. Bucket List Item 2: Heli-boarding! (If we ever have a good snow year again…)

This month, Steve Tanaka, Director of Water Resources at Wallace Group, shares his experience donating PLATELETS (Pheresis). Very interesting, read on! What are Platelets? They are the smallest-sized components in whole blood, but they are mighty in importance. Platelets help control bleeding, and are used in large quantities and over extended periods of time by leukemia, cancer, aplastic anemia and marrow transplant patients. Platelets also are used during surgery to help stop bleeding. How are Platelets collected? During pheresis, whole blood is collected from one arm and goes into a machine called a “cell separator.” The machine separates the platelets out, and returns your remaining blood (combined with a saline solution) back to the donor. In some pheresis donations, more than one component is collected. Each donor uses an individual sterilized kit that is used only once, and it is very safe. Yeah, you get poked with a needle each time, but you get over it quickly! How Long Does it Take? The entire platelet pheresis donation takes less than two hours, or two hours or longer if you “double-dip” (double donation) like I do. This includes the health interview, the actual donation, and a required waiting period following the procedure including free refreshments. How Often Can I Donate? Your body is able to replenish its supply of platelets very quickly. You may donate platelets by pheresis as frequently as every seven days, but no more than 24 times in a 12 month period. Fun Facts: 1- You get a very comfy recliner chair, with a heating pad, warm blankie, your individual computer/entertainment center to watch movies, do email, surf the web, listen to music, or you can stare out the window and day dream. 2- Free snacks during and after the donation! 3- You get a free cholesterol screening as part of the lab work they do. 4- Earn donor points, and redeem for free T-shirts, ice cream, movie tickets, and more! (you can also donate points back to the blood bank). Why Donate? We all have different ways we like to donate our time for good causes. I have been doing whole blood and pheresis/platelet donations since I turned 18, and have been a dedicated donor for over 30 years. I always leave with a good feeling that my donation very well is saving someone’s life! For more information contact www.unitedbloodservices.org/centralcoast/ or a donation center near you!

Tom Zehnder joined Wallace Group in March 2004. Along with his engineering and leadership expertise, Tom also brought his passion for activities in the great outdoors and the desire to share those with his fellow employees. “There is more to life than just work,” he says. Tom has been an avid (some might say obsessed) hiker and mountain bike rider since he can remember. He enjoys both activities for their health benefits (as long as you don’t crash) as well as a way to relax and unwind. A couple years ago, Tom organized the “Thursday Afternoon Hike” so that interested WG folks could get together and hike a trail at the City of SLO’s Bowden Ranch Open Space after work and do the approximately 2 mile hike. It’s takes about an hour and a half so the WG crew has lots of time to unwind, and just get out and enjoy each other’s company outside of the office. The beers afterward help as well. This year, Tom spearheaded our August Fun Committee Event: A trip up Half Dome in Yosemite. Approximately 40 WG employees and their families will be participating in the 3-day trip. The hike is 16 miles and will take an entire day. Knowing not everyone will be up for that particular climb, Tom also made sure that intermediate hikes from the same trail to Vernal Falls, and the Little Yosemite Valley are available too as well as just sitting in the campground enjoying the grandeur of Yosemite. Tom also spends many hours on his mountain bike enjoying the many trails around SLO and beyond. About 5 years ago while riding in Mammoth, he crashed, broke severalribs and punctured a lung. Sounds fun right? One month later he was back on the biking trail! It’s hard to give up riding… Tom has found a unique way to connect his love of hiking and biking with a great cause. About two and a half years ago, the water heater in Tom’s house needed to be replaced. While talking to the plumber, Dave Smee of Smee’s Plumbing, he found out about the opportunity to volunteer for San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Search & Rescue team. Tom went through 1 year of training and for the last year and a half, he has been active on the team that searches for missing  people via foot as well as on the mountain bike. He has participated in approximately 20 searches to date all with positive outcomes.

May is National Bike Month! Many of our employees are avid bike riders who will be participating in SLO County Rideshare’s Bike Month “Suit Commute” May 13-17. We are also members of the SLO County Bicycle Coalition and will be attending their annual fundraising party on June 1st. For more information on either organization, please visit their websites or Facebook pages: http://www.rideshare.org/BikeMonth2013 http://www.slobikelane.org/cm/Home.html To get in the spirit of Bike Month, today our Surveying, Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture departments are working on the Via Carta pathway project for Cal Poly- Providing topographic survey and preparing design concepts and construction documents to provide for safer bike and pedestrian access through Cal Poly’s core connecting road. More coming soon!  

Chamisal Vineyards, located at 7525 Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo, is positioned in the middle of the Edna Valley, an area known for premier Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Chamisal Winery was the first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley appellation in 1973 by the Gross family, who named the estate for the fragrant Chamise, a native white-flowering shrub that thrived on the property. Wallace Group recently completed design and construction of an improved winery wastewater reclamation system for the 100,000 case-per-year production facility. The system is designed to meet state-mandated requirements for land disposal, as well as minimize visual, noise, and odor impacts to maintain a desirable setting for the winery’s tasting room and surrounding neighbors. Winery and Wastewater Treatment System Expansion In 2005, Wallace Group was asked to assist with design and construction of a process wastewater treatment system for Chamisal’s expanding production facility. The design of the process wastewater treatment was led by Rob Miller, Principal, and included a septic tank for primary treatment, followed by a pH adjusting lift station, and a constructed wetland for effluent polishing. The original treatment system was designed for 3,000 gallons of process wastewater per day. In 2012, the winery’s production facility would again need to expand to keep up with the demand for their excellent wines. In order to increase production, they would also need to expand their process wastewater treatment system. Once again, the winery asked Wallace Group for assistance. Now working with Shannon Peterson, Senior Civil Engineer, Rob Miller helped the winery design a treatment system that would utilize the existing storage pond by adding subsurface aeration through fine-bubble diffusion, and converting the pond from storage to secondary treatment. A new blower building was added to house the 20 horsepower blower and electrical controls.   The result is a wastewater treatment system that operates at 25% below the industry standard for electrical requirements, is capable of treating 9,500 gallons more of process wastewater per day, and the treated process water is re-used on site, adding to the winery’s sustainable best management practices. The project was completed just in time for the 2012 harvest and is currently operating beautifully. For more information on the winery, visit their website www.chamisalvineyards.com or Facebook page.