News
Annual Merit Awards Winners Announced
21 / September / 2022
Each year, Barge employees submit nominations to recognize colleagues who uphold our values and make an impact on our company, our clients, and our communities. Our internal Awards Committee evaluates the submissions per the criteria for each award to select the winners. We then recognize the recipients at our annual meeting. This year, we are proud to honor three outstanding employees for their contributions.
Dan Barge Jr. Award of Merit
This award recognizes an employee for distinctive performance in a specific situation in the prior year in which he or she has demonstrated extraordinary initiative or capability beyond the requirements of the position.
Curtis Underhill, Construction Representative, Memphis, TN
Curtis Underhill joined Barge in 2006 as a Resident Project Representative (RPR) after previously working for a geotechnical firm. With a strong grasp of earthwork, asphalt, and concrete construction, and construction materials testing, as well as a strong work ethic and focus on client service, Curtis is a vital member of the Barge Aviation Team.
Curtis is typically onsite every day of a project, allowing him the opportunity to be in front of the client more frequently than others in the firm. Understanding the value of these interactions, Curtis is authentic, kind, and goes out of his way to ensure client satisfaction. He capitalizes on every opportunity to build strong relationships with our clients.
When the contractor for his project experienced delays, they realized they weren't going to meet the client's critical deadline. Curtis took it upon himself, going above and beyond his duties, to complete a value engineering assessment of the project. He determined several recommendations that were accepted and resulted in the project being completed on time with a $250,000 cost reduction!
This project was successful because of many dedicated Barge employees, but Curtis’ distinctive performance in this situation was key to its success.
"Curtis went above and beyond the requirements of his position and demonstrated extraordinary initiative by undertaking a value engineering effort on his own to seek a solution that would keep the project on schedule," stated Randy Hudgings, Director of Aviation Services - Transportation. "Had Curtis not taken the initiative to seek an alternative solution, the project most likely would not have met the critical deadline. Curtis delivered excellence for Barge, our clients, the community, and all project stakeholders."
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Jack L. Wood Excellence in Service Award
This award, which represents our corporate purpose, is given to an employee who has demonstrated superior service throughout their career with Barge and has contributed to creating a better life for our people, clients, and communities.
Andrew Murr, PE, CFM, Director of Operations - Site Solutions, Knoxville, TN
Andrew Murr has served Barge for over 27 years. He started his career at Barge as a Project Engineer and is now the current Director of Operations for the Site Solutions business unit. He is a registered profesional engineer in Tennessee.
Andrew's mix of technical expertise, business savvy, and interpersonal skills allow him to be successful as a leader. He personifies the Barge CARES model by being collaborative, authentic, responsible, excellent, and service-minded. He lives these values, not only with client engagements but also in every interaction with his fellow colleagues and his leadership roles within the community and civic organizations.
More than anything Andrew is ready and willing to do whatever task is needed, big or small, to meet the needs of our clients. They appreciate Andrew's demeanor which exhibits confidence but not ego.
"I cannot think of a time he has said he was too busy to take on a task to support the team, and he consistently delivers an excellent product earlier than expected... The humility he shows, elevating others and taking actions that amplify his team’s achievements, is so very admirable," stated Heather Smith Sawyer, Senior Consultant - Thrivence. "Andrew truly makes Barge better, his ability to connect people across the entire firm sets him apart, and his embodiment of Barge’s CARES model makes him invaluable to our team."
Tiffany Throneberry, Project Coordinator - GTG, Nashville, TN
Over a 25-year career with GTG, Tiffany Throneberry has participated in upwards of 250 projects across 15 states, including the largest and most complicated projects in the company's history. She is focused on producing quality work that exceeds clients' expectations (making them repeat clients), as well as always finding ways to improve.
Her nomination states that her professional accomplishments are impressive, but what stands out most about her, is her thoughtful consideration of every detail to benefit the end user of a project; her ability to encourage and motivate others; her willingness to help in any situation; her level of respect for and treatment of others; and her humble, selfless desire to see others succeed and be recognized.
"Each day, she shows up to bring each of us ordinary people closer to our highest potential. Working with her has not only been an honor; it has been pure joy...," stated Matt Rigsby, Senior Architect - GTG. "You might not know right away, but you will quickly learn that this girl from Jackson, TN, can change minds, she can change hearts, and she can change your future for the better."
Congratulations to each of our winners! These awards honor Barge's culture of collaboration, authenticity, respect, excellence, and service. Our dedicated employees uphold each of these values, which helps Barge to be selected when it matters most.