Welcome, Keith!

Wishing a warm welcome to Straughan's newest Ecosystem Restoration Specialist III, Keith Binsted!

Here are a few fun questions to get to know Keith:

What led you to this career?

Since about age 8, my response to “what do you want to be when you grow up?" has been ‘hydrologist’. I wasn’t sure what that meant then, and frankly I’m still not sure. But I knew I wanted to have a job that involved working in creeks and rivers. That led me to pursue an Environmental Science degree with a Watershed Focus, and happily I found myself a job doing just that – playing in creeks and rivers – shortly after college. Since then, I’ve also grown an appreciation for shorelines, vegetation, statistical analyses, and many other aspects of getting a project from conception to completion. 

What's one piece of advice you'd give to your younger self at the start of your career?

Remember to make time for the types of tasks that led you to this career. Be sure that your job continues to have meaningful and fun work mixed in.

Would you rather be able to run at 100 miles per hour or fly at 10 miles per hour?

Flying at any speed, any day. It only makes sense given our geographical location (lots of rivers/estuaries) and those pesky no trespassing laws. But, if I were given a third choice, I may choose ‘breathe underwater’ so long as I was also able to withstand the crushing pressures necessary for deep sea exploration.  

What's a book you've read recently that you'd recommend and why?

‘The Expanse’ by James S. A. Cory is by far my favorite book series to date. The complexity of the characters and the world (circa 2350) is captivating. The audiobooks will keep you busy for about 200 hours and are available from MD public library. It was adapted into a television show on Amazon Prime, but as so often – the books are better.  

Keith's email address is linked above. If you have a moment, feel free to say hi via email or Teams, and join his virtual meet and greet on Monday, 12/8 at 9am to introduce yourself and learn a bit more about him!

November Employment Anniversaries

Please join us in congratulating the following employees on their recent work anniversaries:

JONATHAN JONES | 18 years

SERENA STAFFORD | 8 years

LUIS PONCIANO | 8 years

If you could take a month to travel anywhere, where would you go? | I have a few countries on my dream list for this; Malta, northern coasts of North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), the Caucus region, the “Stans”, Equatorial Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Brunei.

MELANY FELIX | 4 years

If you could choose any two famous people to have dinner with, who would they be? | I’d choose Mark Cuban and Bad Bunny. I admire Mark Cuban because ever since he’s been on Shark Tank, it’s clear he’s well-rounded and really works to stay in tune with what his consumers want. He’s not only a great entrepreneur but also outspoken and willing to stand up for what he believes in. If I ever had an idea to pitch, he’s definitely the shark I’d want on my team!

I’d also love to meet Bad Bunny because of his incredible creativity and pride in representing Puerto Rico. I love that he stays true to himself and his roots no matter how big he gets. Going from bagging groceries to becoming one of the biggest global artists today is amazing to see. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when you stay authentic and work hard. I feel like I would walk away from dinner with so much knowledge and inspiration.

EVAN PRIOVOLOS | 2 years

What is one of your first childhood memories? | Crabbing with my grandfather at the beach

LUCY FISHER | 2 years

Green Team

Winter Walking Wednesdays

If you still want to enjoy some time outdoors this season, join the Green Team for Winter Walking Wednesdays! On the second Wednesday of the month (Dec 10, Jan 14, and Feb 11), we will meet at noon in the Straughan office atrium (right outside of our suite) to walk across the street to the Patuxent Branch Trail parking lot. Our route along the dirt or paved trail will be determined based on ground conditions on our scheduled dates, and we expect to return to the office within an hour. Feel free to join for any length of time or distance – you can easily turn around and head back at any point along the way.

Winter Walking Wednesdays

Dec 10 – Jan 14 – Feb 11

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Toys for Tots Collection

We are continuing the season of giving by collecting donations for Toys for Tots!

You can drop off new, unwrapped toys in the labeled bins in the kitchen. Please note that Toys for Tots will not accept any food items or toys that resemble weapons (i.e. nerf guns).

1. The last day to donate will be Thursday, 12/11. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sabrina Bachman or Kay Weekes.

What's Trending on the Straughan Website?

Following metrics on the Straughan website can reveal some interesting trends! Here are a few takeaways from the month of November..

Where's our traffic coming from?

56% of visitors came from direct channels (i.e. browser bookmark, email link, etc.)

42% of visitors came from organic search channels (i.e. using a search engine like Google)

1% of visitors came from referral channels (i.e. used a link from another website)

1% of visitors came from organic social channels (i.e. LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)

Visitors from organic search channels spent the most time viewing the website!

Tuesday, November 18th was the day with the most impressions for the website.

70% of visitors viewed our website on a computer and 30% via mobile + tablet.

Top Performing Pages:

1. 2021 Blog Post by Luis Resh: Meet ArcGIS Field Maps for iOS and iPadOS
2. Home
3. 2024 Black History Month Spotlight: Celebrating Wangari Maathai: An Icon of Environmental Advocacy and Women's Empowerment
4. Services: Water Resources and Civil Engineering
5. About Straughan

Top 5 Search Terms That Led Visitors to Our Website:

1. Straughan Environmental/Straughan/Straughan Environmental Inc
2. Alvaro Ugalde
3. Field Maps ArcGIS
4. Warren Road Bridge
5. Humphreys Engineer Center

Travel Talks

Join us on Friday, December 19th at 12pm Eastern to hear about Jen Martin's trip to London and Tracy Seymour's time visiting Christmas Markets and more in Berlin, Vienna, and London!

This is not a billable activity; it is a social activity meant to connect people with similar interests in travel.

If you're interested in sharing during a future Travel Talk, fill out the survey at the link below and stay tuned for updates!

https://forms.office.com/r/G6iraRrA7x

What's upcoming?

Monday, 12/8 @ 9am - Meet our New Employee – Have Virtual Coffee with Keith (virtual)

Wednesday, 12/10 @ noon - Green Team Winter Walking Wednesdays

Thursday, 12/18 @ noon - Workplace Culture Committee Meeting (virtual)

Friday, 12/19 @ noon - Travel Talks – London, European Christmas Markets (Berlin, Vienna, London), and more! (virtual)

Thursday, 12/25  - Christmas (Straughan Holiday)

Thursday, 1/1  - New Years Day (Straughan Holiday)

Dates, times, and details are subject to change. Please check your Outlook calendar or consult the meeting/event organizer for the latest information.

Do you have information or news you want to share in a future Straughan Stream company newsletter? Please send your information/news via email or Teams to Kay by noon on Thursday!

Our Mission/Vision

A leading engineering and environmental firm advancing sustainable and resilient communities.

We love hearing about and highlighting the great work being done every day by our staff! If you have kudos for a colleague, please submit them here anytime: https://forms.office.com/r/c974SF8hYD 

Are you enjoying The Straughan Stream? Do you have feedback? Any ideas for future content? Just want to say hi and let us know that you're reading? :)

Let us know using the link below!

https://forms.office.com/r/exc7fPh8NJ