Geotechnical Consulting Firm: Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc.
Salt of the Earth
By Sara Pentz

While you are reading this article in Mississippi you are standing on the same kind of expansive clay ground as that found in Jordon in the Middle East. At least in one respect, we have more in common with folks on the other side of the globe than we might have thought. In fact, the ground makeup throughout the world is actually fairly similar, composed of combinations of clay, silt, sand and gravel soils, and various types of rock.

Think this is of no importance to you? You think wrong––because without a clear knowledge of the ground we walk on, we could not have civilization as we know it today with tall buildings, interconnecting highways and safe landings at our airports.

“All of the soils were originally derived from rocks being broken down over the ages,” explains Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc.’s Senior Geotechnical Engineer and Geologist Tommy Dunlap. “In some locales, the rock is still fairly shallow, and even exposed, while in other areas, the rock is very deep, as it is throughout much of Mississippi.” So, in one sense, Jackson is on rock–solid ground.

Dunlap explains it this way: “Mississippi has deep compressible clays along our Gulf Coast, which cause similar problems as the compressible clays in the San Francisco Bay area. Shallow rock causes problems with construction in Birmingham, Kansas City and Belize.” Aha, more worldwide commonality!

Because of mass communication and advances in geotechnical engineering study, these concerns are successfully addressed in a similar fashion throughout the world. And that’s where Burns Cooley Dennis enters the picture. The company’s job is to verify that the foundations of society’s buildings are well supported.

The company monitors and tests earthwork, deep foundations, concrete and asphalt. At its facilities in Ridgeland, experts conduct moisture density tests during earthwork construction. They also monitor drilled pier construction, concrete construction testing and asphalt testing. The soils laboratory, for example, is equipped and staffed to perform strength and compressibility tests, permeability tests, classification tests, and other physical tests on routine construction materials tests and on advanced fundamental property research tests.

Since its founding Burns Cooley Dennis has successfully completed more than 5,000 geotechnical engineering projects for engineers, architects, industries, construction firms, developers, private individuals, local governments, and state and federal agencies.

In the past ten years the company has fulfilled more than 1,200 construction monitoring and materials testing projects for a wide variety of clients on various types of projects––including power plants in Mississippi, and lock and dam facilities in Louisiana, Illinois and Arkansas. Projects have also included hotels and casinos in Mississippi, and several large commercial/industrial facilities throughout Mississippi including the Nissan plant facility in Madison County.

“We’ve come a long way in twenty years,” says BCD Principal Larry Cooley, P.E. “The only equipment we owned (then) was a Mayhew 200 drill rig, a water truck and a pickup truck.”

“Then” began in a narrow office slot in a Jackson, Mississippi warehouse. Jammed into that cramped space was a reception area, two offices, a lab and a shop. That was the promising beginning of this geotechnical consulting firm that today resides in an 8,000 square foot modern facility in Ridgeland with clients big and small––bringing jobs to Mississippi and other states.

But BCD is not all about the hard reality of dirt, boulders and bulldozers––or even laboratory analysis. When you speak with the men at the helm of this company you learn about the pride they experience in their work, and how they treat their employees and clients. These words from David Dennis, Jr., Tommy Dunlap, and Randy Ahlrich:

The most outstanding aspect of Burns Cooley Dennis is our good
people. Quality service makes us successful. We are able to help
solve difficult problems for clients as well as everyday run-of-the-mill
low-tech problems. Our staff is experienced, knowledgeable, trained
and certified in all areas of construction materials testing and engineering.

The most important task we perform for each client is to solve their problems expeditiously, efficiently, and in a professional manner, so that they will continue to use our services for all future jobs.

So, what is this thing called geotechnology that the people at BCD do so well and know so much about?

From a broad point of view geotechnology is the science and engineering of soil, rock, and the fluids they contain. Basically, it is all about the nature of the earth itself and how it affects the things we build––the foundations upon which all buildings and bridges sit, the tunnels our subways run through, the sewers and water systems that run underground, and almost everything that comprises our national infrastructure.

For example, these studies help us find ways to manage hazardous and radioactive wastes that are often stored in the ground. They help us gain energy independence by increasing our understanding of how and where the earth produces gas, oil, minerals, geothermal energy, hydropower, nuclear materials, and compressed air, all of which help power our modern civilization.

Geotchnology helps predict and mitigate natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods and slope failures. It helps ensure our national security by developing ways to create underground defense facilities capable of surviving nuclear and high explosive attacks. And it is a key factor in exploring our remaining frontiers on earth, such as the Polar Regions and the ocean floor. And it will certainly be a part of our exploration of the universe beyond Earth itself.

Along these lines, the primary forensic evaluations that Burns Cooley Dennis conducts involve weak soils, expansive soils, unsuitable materials, inadequate designs and improper construction practices. Without the expertise and strategic advice of this company, and others like it, dams might break, buildings fall, highways crumble and trains collide.

In the long run, while the work of BCD may not be the hot topic at cocktail parties or an evening soirée, it is all about ensuring the safety and security of our lives.

“There is a need during every construction project for the testing of materials to assess whether the contract specifications are met,” explains Randy Ahlrich, senior geotechnical/pavement engineer. “The purpose of materials testing during construction is to evaluate the quality of the materials and construction practices. We provide clients with detailed reports indicating whether the materials are achieving specification requirements and if construction techniques are producing satisfactory results. Test data and reports are provided to the contractor that he can utilize to control the construction process, and to the owner to rely upon for acceptance and payment.”

What happens if a particular client–testing demonstrates that the earth is not safe for construction? Ahlrich explains: “Occasionally, soil conditions for a project are poor and require specialized efforts to provide adequate support for a structure. It is possible that problems have developed in a structure that might require a specialized effort to repair. The specialized effort for new construction activities may include deep foundations or extensive undercutting and backfilling. These options are very expensive. Alternative soil improvement techniques have been used on several Burns Cooley Dennis projects with significant cost savings.”

David Dennis, a founder and principal of BCD, began his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District. “I assumed I would be there until I retired,” he says. “The Corps was a very good place to work.” Then he had an opportunity to move into private practice with a firm in Jackson. “I assumed I would work there until retirement.” The next assumption about retirement will probably be more accurate because Dennis teamed with his father-in-law (Cecil Burns) and Larry Cooley those 20 years ago to consolidate their expertise.

“When we started the company, it was very risky as most business endeavors are, and I had no idea how it would go,” explains Dennis. “We just knew we were good engineers and would work hard at providing a quality service for our clients. I never dreamed we would be the size we are today with 62 employees and that we would have the opportunity to work on some of the more interesting, large and technically challenging projects.”

When asked to name the most outstanding aspect of Burns Cooley Dennis the answer seems to be unanimous. “It is our good people,” Dennis says. “It’s the highly trained and experienced staff in geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, expansive soils and pavement engineering––and a facility with the latest equipment for testing soil, aggregates, concrete and asphalt.”

It would not be inappropriate to liken this quiet company to the “salt of the earth.” Salt is the only rock consumed by man. It doesn’t lose its flavor. It preserves perishables. It has been used as money. It is a metaphor for durability. It is emblematic of permanence. Without it man cannot live––the muscles won't contract, blood won't circulate, food won't digest and the heart won't beat.