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Revolutionizing tomorrow through technology and innovation

February 16, 2024
Revolutionizing tomorrow through technology and innovation

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, staying at the forefront of technological advancements is not just a strategic advantage—it’s imperative for driving sustainable solutions and maximizing efficiency in the industries we serve. Today, on National Innovation Day, we celebrate the spirit of ingenuity and the limitless possibilities that arise when passion meets purpose.

At Barr, we encourage our employees to pursue their passions, explore, and learn. We value an enterprising spirit and the critical thinking needed to achieve practical solutions to complex challenges. Our annual Technology and Innovation Fair is just one way we celebrate and put into practice innovative ideas from our employees. To learn more about Barr’s spirit of innovation, we chatted with Aaron Mielke, Brian Fitch, and Jim Boyd—who all help lead the way in technology and innovation.

How did the Technology and Innovation Fair start at Barr?

Aaron: We recognized there are a lot of really smart people at Barr doing cool things, but not everyone knows about it. So, to help spread the word, we held our first technology fair in 2016. People could walk around from booth to booth, like a middle school science fair.

The fair has evolved quite a bit since its first year. Then, it had a heavy educational lens. Now, we hold a full-day fair with a keynote speaker and multiple sessions. The fair highlights the technical innovations at play, helps break down silos of independent groups, and recognizes the individuals who are innovating—an important thing to our company and clients.

How does the fair encourage employees to pursue their passions through innovation?

We want to provide the support to carry an idea to its maximum potential. We want to challenge people to learn and do more—and find better ways to do things.

Brian: The fair provides a platform to share innovations, but we also have a broader structure that helps support and encourage individuals pursuing innovations. Barr’s free-market system (a minimal-hierarchy company structure) allows pursuit of innovation to come about organically through project work and personal interest.

We want to provide the support to carry an idea to its maximum potential. We want to challenge people to learn and do more—and find better ways to do things. Our innovation hubs provide tangible support to our staff through innovation grants, service development initiatives, designated technology coordinators, and design coordinators. An idea may start as an innovation grant and then build momentum to be used company-wide to support clients.

Can you share an example of an innovation that was fostered over time and later incorporated into project work for clients?

Jim: One example that comes to mind is something we call Barr Data Visualization (BarrDV). BarrDV allows teams to access validated EQuIS data through an intuitive, user-friendly interface in PowerBI. It’s a customizable tool that allows project teams to take charge of their data; it displays metrics, provides tables with flexible filtering, includes charts with built-in filters, displays sampling locations, and more. BarrDV started as an innovation grant and is now a tool that is available to all project teams.

Going forward, what role do you see technology and innovation playing at Barr?

Brian: We could talk for ages about the exciting advancements in data, instrumentation, and operational technology; artificial intelligence and geospatial analysis; and coding and scripting. But on a broader scale, we are focusing more on how technology and innovation fit into Barr’s strategic plan. While it has always had its place, technology and innovation continues to grow in organizational importance.

Interested in igniting your passion for technology and innovation at Barr? Check out our open positions.

About the contributors

Aaron Mielke is a senior GIS/environmental consultant who is passionate about all things data gathering and sharing. Aaron helps coordinate and lead Barr’s annual Technology and Innovation Fair.

Brian Fitch leads Barr’s Data and Analytics Center of Excellence, which provides digital transformation, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), data management, GIS, 3D visualization, data science, and data management services to our clients.

Jim Boyd is a design and reality capture technologies manager. Jim leads the expansion, integration, and support of emerging design and reality capture technologies within Barr’s engineering practice groups.

Tags:

Barr Culture Career Technology Innovation

 

Aaron Mielke, Senior GIS/Environmental Consultant
Aaron Mielke
Senior GIS/Environmental Consultant

 

Brian Fitch, Vice President, Business Systems Support Manager
Brian Fitch
Vice President, Business Systems Support Manager

 

Jim Boyd, Design and Reality Capture Technologies Manager
Jim Boyd
Design and Reality Capture Technologies Manager
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