Ground Structures Engineering Consultants takes up new home at Liliendaal
Mar 09, 2018 , https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...-home-at-liliendaal/
After years of careful planning, tweaking of development plans and being split at two different locations, Ground Structures Engineering Consultants (GSEC) has finally been able to consolidate its services at one location.
Ground Structures Engineering Consultants’ new home at Liliendaal
As of Saturday last, GSEC is located at an impeccably built facility at Plantation Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
It’s an accomplishment that Managing Director at GSEC, Charles Ceres, is most proud of.
At the opening ceremony, Ceres detailed the history of his company and the efforts that went into the journey to its new facility. The official said that Ground Structures Engineering Consultants was started 25 years ago on February 27. He noted that it was birthed from the need for an engineering culture in the country’s development scheme.
He said that in the beginning it had a staff of three. Today, it boasts a staff of 33 persons, housed in the new building. Ceres said that the building and its contents are testimony to the success of Ground Structures over the years and the guiding principles that it holds firm to.
The Managing Director said, “Our brand entails a commitment to the development of Guyana. We are focused on the development of the young people of Guyana. We only ask that they be self-starters and demonstrate a sense of humility…”
He continued, “We have over the period of our existence in Guyana directly expanded the horizons of engineers in areas of geotechnical engineering. Our staff members are the only persons in Guyana who have been introduced to the intricacies of numerical modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport. We plan to expose additional members of our staff to surface water flow and transport and air quality modeling to address the immediate needs of our practice.”
The businessman added, “We have provided soils and materials laboratory training for young Guyanese in a state-of-the-art soils and materials laboratory, to the extent that we have provided support on most of the major projects in Guyana. This includes the Amaila Falls project, Guyana Goldfields, Sandspring Resources, Huawei 4-G Project and the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion.”
Ceres also stated that his company has instilled a level of professionalism among young people which has resulted in them working on projects around the world. He noted, too, that GSEC continues to expand that capability, as is evidenced by the posting of three staff members to Houston, Texas for additional training to complement those capabilities.
Furthermore, Ceres said that the success of Ground Structures could not have been possible without the desire to succeed being instilled in him by several persons. He said that one element of that desire was to not be living on foreign soil on his 40th birthday.
“Another was the sense of being Guyanese and contributing to Guyana’s development which was motivated by the vision of Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham… It also includes the vision of the now deceased Haslyn Parris who granted me authority as a 26-year-old to start a geotechnical services department at the then Guyana Bauxite Company.”
Ceres also said that being from Springlands, Berbice is also critical to the success of Ground Structures.
He shared, “When I informed my friends in the US about my plans to return home, they all thought of me as being no less than a fool to give up the American dream to return to Guyana. These persons were unaware of the strengths I possessed, instilled in me by people from Springlands, Corentyne, Berbice. Some of these people include Uncle Ernest and Auntie Norma; Teacher Joyce and Ms Doreen Ferdinand…”
Ceres also extended heartfelt thanks and appreciation to his wife Ndibi and his supportive children among other influential persons in his life.
He concluded, “Our success could not have been possible without the members of our staff. The company’s philosophy is to work smart and play hard. We pride ourselves in ensuring that our staff is exposed to contemporary technology and practices. We believe that the future of Guyana resides with our young people. Ground Structures promises to continue to nurture young people to ensure they are responsive to the development thrust of Guyana.”
