Month: April 2024

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., April 17, 2024 /3BL/ – Andrea Bernica, Black & Veatch’s chief people officer, has been named to the board of directors of the global leader in sustainable infrastructure solutions, the entirely employee-owned company announced today.

Bernica, who joined Black & Veatch in 2011, was appointed chief people officer in 2023 – a year in which the company expanded its broad portfolio of services with record numbers of construction hours completed (24.5 million in 2023, up nearly 8 million from the previous year) and increased its diverse employee-owners workforce by 17 percent (12,494 as of Jan. 1, 2024, up from 10,691 the previous year) to meet historical levels of project backlog and growth across its global regions.

“Andrea exemplifies the qualities of a strong and effective leader and is a role model and mentor to our many talented women professionals and leaders,” Black & Veatch Chairman and CEO Mario Azar said. “She has shown an unwavering commitment to keeping our employee-owners at the core of everything we do to deliver solutions to our clients.”

Bernica’s accomplishments include advancing innovative, culture-boosting programs, reimagining the company’s performance management approach to better support a client-focused business and culture, and aligning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with business priorities.

In her 13 years with Black & Veatch, Bernica has served as chief of staff, lead employment and corporate counsel, as well as operated as the Board of Directors secretary designee. She has more than 20 years of industry and legal experience, including serving as a commercial and employment litigator with a focus on construction and engineering clients at major law firms.

“In my time with the company, I have been motivated and inspired by the dedication, talent and integrity our employee-owners bring to the clients we serve, and I am excited to work with my fellow directors in advocating for our people and advancing our position as the engineering & construction industry’s Top Talent Destination,” Bernica said.

For a high-resolution image of Andrea Bernica, click here.

Editor’s Notes:

Bernica received her juris doctor degree from the University of Notre Dame, and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. She also earned a certificate in executive education from the Columbia Business School.

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

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JIM SUHR | +1 913-458-6995 P | SuhrJ@BV.com 
24-HOUR MEDIA CONTACT | Media@bv.com

April 17, 2024 /3BL/ – The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sharp HealthCare to its Healthcare Facility Advisory Board.

“Sharp HealthCare will be a valued addition to our advisory board,” said Laura Kirkvold, steward of the Healthcare Facility Advisory Board. “The organization has had been deeply committed to sustainability for decades and has made great efforts to establish and progress against ambitious sustainability goals for waste management, responsible procurement, and energy efficiency. We look forward to their contributions in our Advisory Board”

The Healthcare Facility Advisory Board was established to help HPRC understand the plastic recycling barriers that exist within healthcare facilities today, establish priorities for our technical agenda, and develop solutions through access to industry data, information, and resources.

“Our Strategic Action Plan aligns closely with the goals and initiatives of HPRC, particularly in the realm of plastic recycling and advocating for sustainable practices within the healthcare sector,” shared Don Carl, Director of Environmental Health and Workplace Safety at Sharp. “By joining the HFAB, we aim to synergize our efforts and leverage our collective purchasing power to effect significant market change.”

In their role on the Healthcare Facility Advisory Board, Sharp will help provide additional perspective into hospital barriers to recycling, share advice to support HPRC’s mission and vision, offer insights on how HPRC can better enable plastics recycling, and identify high value needs and opportunities for action.

HPRC is currently engaged in multiple initiatives aimed at enabling the recycling and circularity of healthcare plastics, including research into advanced recycling technologies to recycle mixed-stream healthcare plastics and a study of reverse logistics processes for collecting, segregating, and preparing healthcare plastic waste for transport.

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Made up of brand-leading and globally recognized members, HPRC explores ways to enhance the economics, efficiency, and ultimately the quality and quantity of healthcare plastics collected for recycling in support of a circular plastics economy. HPRC is active across the United States and Europe working with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and participating in industry events and forums. For more information, visit www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.

About Sharp HealthCare

Sharp HealthCare is a not-for-profit health care system based in San Diego, California, with four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three medical groups and a health plan. We provide medical services in virtually all fields of medicine, including primary care, heart care, cancer, orthopedics, stroke/neurology, women’s health, rehabilitation, robotic surgery, bariatric surgery, chemical dependency and behavioral health.

At the heart of our organization are more than 20,000 nurses, staff, affiliated physicians, and volunteers who are on a journey to make health care better for our patients and their families. It’s what we call The Sharp Experience – treating each person with dignity, compassion and respect, and using our clinical excellence and advanced technology to deliver the highest-quality patient care. We are dedicated to transforming the health care experience by making Sharp the best place to work, the best place to practice medicine and the best place to receive care in San Diego. Learn more at: https://www.sharp.com/