While we have been celebrating all year, October 19, 2017 is the official day of our 25th anniversary! All offices enjoyed a catered luncheon, after which we heard a few words from Co-President Karen Gracey and Co-Founder & Senior Vice President Paul Howard. After their speeches, we all raised a champagne toast to our incredible success over the past 25 years, and for continued success over the next 25 years. All employee-owners were also gifted with Tata & Howard fleece jackets. The day was a great success, and everyone felt proud and humbled to be part of this momentous occasion.
Since many EOs were at the corporate office in Marlborough, MA for training on September 20, the ESOP Committee decided to host an after-hours Poker Night complete with barbecue from Firefly’s and a variety of beers including fellow ESOP Harpoon Brewery’s Flannel Friday. EOs enjoyed some great food and downtime while also participating in a friendly Texas Hold’Em tournament. The grand winner of the night was Dave Ceppetelli from the Vermont office, and he walked away with a VISA gift card. The response from the team was extremely positive, and we can’t wait for the next fun outing (which will be very soon considering October is ESOP Month!)
Some T&H team members chose to run the race together on August 16, 2017
This summer, Tata & Howard organized and sponsored a virtual 5K to raise funds for the Navajo Water Project. Runners were able to complete the race in their own time and space between July 1 and August 31, 2017, after which they received a custom-designed medal featuring a Navajo dragonfly, the symbol of water to the Navajo people. Over $1,000 was raised, all of which benefitted the Navajo Water Project in an effort to bring safe, clean drinking water to the thousands of residents of Navajo Nation who do not have running water or a toilet in their homes.
A group of runners from central MA gathered together to run the Navajo Water Project 5K on August 26, 2017
Some Tata & Howard runners decided to participate in the 5K together after work on August 16, while the Wormtown Milers — a central Massachusetts running team headed up by Marketing Communications Manager Heidi White —took to the streets of Worcester, MA to run the 5K together on August 26. Both live events were a lot of fun. In addition, virtual runners from as far away as Arizona participated in this philanthropic event.
Navajo Water Project Background:
Just like African women and children who leave their homes each day to fetch unimproved water that is miles away, thousands of Navajo also make a daily journey in search of water. For the few fortunate who own cars, they may drive to find water, although the gas expense is almost unbearable for many. For those without vehicles, they must walk miles to find water, sometimes getting the water from livestock troughs that are rife with bacteria and contaminants, other times getting water from unregulated wells and stock ponds.
Not only do the Navajo have to travel for miles to find water, but the water they do find is often contaminated. As a result of the heavy mining that took place in the area during the nuclear arms race following World War II, much of the water found in Navajo Nation is heavily contaminated with uranium or other radioactive particles.
Chris Halter, director of Saint Bonaventure Indian Mission, has done work in some of the poorest parts of Africa and Latin America. Working in Navajo Nation for the past eight years, he notes, “It’s a third world country in the middle of the wealthiest country in the world.”
Many Navajo can’t get enough clean water, creating a cycle of poverty that limits health, happiness, educational opportunity, and economic security. Of the 174,000 residents of Navajo Nation, 40% do not have running water. The goal of the Navajo Water Project is to bring safe, clean drinking water to every household in Navajo Nation.
Excavation for the new 7.0 mgd Home Farm Water Treatment Plant began in July 2017
This week, we broke ground on construction of the 7.0 mgd Home Farm Water Treatment Plant in Shrewsbury, MA. The new treatment plant uses Mangazur® biological filter media to treat manganese. While Mangazur® technology has been approved in one other municipality in Massachusetts, there are few treatment plants in the northeast using this technology, and of those treatment plants, none have a design capacity above 5.0 mgd. Home Farm will be the largest Mangazur® water treatment plant in the northeast once completed, and will have the second highest design capacity in the country, after a 26.0 mgd treatment plant in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. For complete project details, click here.
Our annual company outing was held at Hopkinton State Park on Saturday, June 24, and the weather could not have been any more perfect! The day started with Paul Howard and Jenna Rzasa cooking different types of burgers for everyone, while employee-owners brought all types of dishes to share. After everyone ate their fill, we headed out into the field to play some lawn games. The hit of the day was Kubb, brought and taught by Steve Landry. Kids (of all ages, even the grown ones!) then enjoyed some frozen treats from the Kona Ice Truck. Around 2:30, Fran the Magician arrived to put on a show for the kids. There were lots of laughs and smiles, and even a couple of cute animals for the kids to pat. The day was filled with fun, food, and festivity, and was a great way to spend some time together outside of work.
Things got quiet when it was time to eat.Steve Landry making a throw during a game of Kubb.Karen Gracey and Justine Carroll enjoyed some time with their daughters.Fran the Magician was a hit with kids of all ages.Juliet Carroll and Emma Gracey smile for the camera.Fran’s magical dove received lots of attention from the kids!Paul Howard and Jenna Rzasa cooked up a slew of burgers for the crowd.The Kona Ice Truck was a huge hit!Cecelia Hoyt was one of our cuter attendees!
We are constantly growing, and are thrilled to welcome several new hires as well as some summer interns. Interested in working with us? Visit our careers page for more info!
Our Connecticut office welcomes Natalia Close and Tatiana Prevalla to the team. Natalia has joined the firm as an Engineer after graduating from University of Connecticut this past May with a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering. Tatiana is interning this summer and just finished up her sophomore year at University of Connecticut where she is majoring in Civil Engineering.
Stan Welch, P.E., has joined our Vermont office as a Project Engineer. Stan earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire and has over nine years of engineering experience.
Our corporate office in Marlborough, Massachusetts is excited to welcome five new hires! Brian Biagini graduated in May with a B.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) and has joined the firm as an Engineer. Ethan Peterson is majoring in Finance at UMass and is interning with the T&H finance department this summer. Jenna O’Connell graduated in May with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has joined the firm as an Engineer. Jack Garrett just finished up his junior year at UMass and is working toward a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He will be interning this summer. And finally, Justin Waters is currently studying Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has just finished up his junior year. He will also be interning this summer.
April 28 is Arbor Day and National Planting Day in the United States, and two of our ESOP Committees — the Wellness and Green Committees — joined forces to host a planting event for our employee-owners. Studies have shown that plants are proven to enhance the workplace by reducing stress, increasing productivity, reducing sickness and absence, creating a better environment in which to work, improving air quality, reducing noise, and increasing creativity.
Employee-owners from the Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine offices participated in the event, which happened to be a gorgeous, sunny day throughout New England. Everyone enjoyed the activity, had a lot of laughs, and brought their plants back to their workspaces to brighten things up. In the spirit of cooperation and teamwork, several of our employee-owners planted for those who were out of the office and unable to attend. Overall, the event was a fun way to enjoy some sunshine and good company, and to improve our workspace and environment.
Happy Arbor Day!
The CT office had plenty of laughs while planting
Nan Nanadoum from our CT officeMA office employee-owners pose with their masterpiecesThe Marlborough, MA office did their planting outsideThe Massachusetts crew got to workCollin Stuart from our Maine officeMaine’s finished plants!Paul Cote from our Maine office
The 8.4 mgd dissolved air flotation (DAF) Long Pond Water Treatment Plant is completed and in startup. Video is courtesy of Methuen Construction Company, Inc. For detailed information on the project, please click below.
February 15 is Random Acts of Kindness Day, and we celebrated by having a Kindness event! Employee-owners were able to purchase pops for $1 each. They would then write messages expressing gratitude or any other type of positivity on them and give them to fellow EOs. All donations went to DARE Family Services, an organization that provides services to severely abused and neglected children in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The event far exceeded our donation expectations, and we are very proud of our amazing — and very positive — team!
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” —Henry Ford
Friday, January 27 is National Fun at Work Day (not to be confused with International Fun at Work Day, which falls on April 1). Because teamwork is one of our core values and we are a 100% employee-owned company, we take teambuilding and fun…seriously? That seems like a bit of an oxymoron, but put it this way – we like to have a good time together!
Tata & Howard celebrated National Fun at Work Day by planning a summer barbecue in January, complete with summer fare, outdoor (but indoor) games, and casual attire. To start the festivities in our corporate office in Marlborough, Massachusetts, we fired up the gas grills in the parking lot and cooked burgers, including beef, turkey, and veggie. While it was a little chilly and windy outside, there was no rain or snow, and the smell of grilled food was certainly reminiscent of a warm summer day. EOs contributed by bringing in their favorite summer barbecue dishes, including pulled chicken, slow-cooked ribs, pasta salad, chips, and dips. Even the desserts were summer-themed – popsicles and ice cream cake, in addition to cookies and brownies. Once EOs finished up their lunches, they participated in some outdoor games – inside! Steve Landry once again showed his gaming expertise by capturing the title of cornhole champion, while Karen Gracey learned how to play Lawn Yahtzee for the first time. Phil MacClellan, a seasoned dice expert, scored the day’s only Yahtzee.
Lawn Yahtzee and corn hole were the games of choice in our corporate office.Phil MacClellan scored the day’s only Yahtzee!Katie Carreira and Mike Quint played corn hole while Steve Daunais and Matt Barry finished lunch.Mike Kaczowka tried valiantly for a Yahtzee, but didn’t quite hit the mark.Matt Barry helped grill some burgers while Karen Gracey shivered!Lunch was plentiful and delicious.
At our Waterbury, Connecticut office, EOs agreed that the big food hit of the day was Dave Lombardo’s delicious pulled pork. Other offerings included baked beans, chicken wings, potato salad, cole slaw, cornbread, and donuts. Showing innovation even during fun activities, Waterbury EOs decided to create their own office version of cornhole using empty boxes of various sizes and plan paper weights. Nobody is quite sure who won, except that it definitely wasn’t Steve Rupar – he may want to stick to water audits!
Empty boxes at the end of a hallway coupled with plan weights made up Waterbury’s cornhole game!Waterbury EOs enjoyed barbecue prior to game time.Steve Rupar tried his hand at corn hole, and Jack Keefe’s face tells the story of how Steve did!We captured an action shot of our newest EO, Chelsea Henderson.
Maine may be known for its brutal winters, but that didn’t deter our Portland, Maine EOs from braving the elements to have an outdoor barbecue. Dan Bishop manned the grill and cooked hot dogs, sausages, and burgers, and team members joined him outside for some fresh air and camaraderie. Other fare included homemade pickles, dips, and veggie offerings. Paul Cote even wore his favorite Hawaiian shirt to add some extra summer flare.
The Portland, Maine office was all smiles during their summer in January barbecue.Dan Bishop did a fabulous job manning the grill.
During our Fun at Work Day activities, there were a lot of smiles and laughs, and afterwards we all went back to work feeling refreshed – and quite full! EOs overwhelmingly agreed that the day’s activities were very fun, and we all enjoyed spending some quality downtime together. Did your team participate in Fun at Work Day? We’d love to hear how you celebrated!
Let's stay in touch.
Get the latest news, blogs, and insights conveniently in your inbox.
While we have been celebrating all year, October 19, 2017 is the official day of our 25th anniversary! All offices enjoyed a catered luncheon, after which we heard a few words from Co-President Karen Gracey and Co-Founder & Senior Vice President Paul Howard. After their speeches, we all raised a champagne toast to our incredible success over the past 25 years, and for continued success over the next 25 years. All employee-owners were also gifted with Tata & Howard fleece jackets. The day was a great success, and everyone felt proud and humbled to be part of this momentous occasion.
Just like African women and children who leave their homes each day to fetch unimproved water that is miles away, thousands of Navajo also make a daily journey in search of water. For the few fortunate who own cars, they may drive to find water, although the gas expense is almost unbearable for many. For those without vehicles, they must walk miles to find water, sometimes getting the water from livestock troughs that are rife with bacteria and contaminants, other times getting water from unregulated wells and stock ponds.
February 15 is Random Acts of Kindness Day, and we celebrated by having a Kindness event! Employee-owners were able to purchase pops for $1 each. They would then write messages expressing gratitude or any other type of positivity on them and give them to fellow EOs. All donations went to DARE Family Services, an organization that provides services to severely abused and neglected children in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The event far exceeded our donation expectations, and we are very proud of our amazing — and very positive — team!
