tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post5333796285812046018..comments2023-08-27T06:53:36.768-06:00Comments on LANL: The Rest of the Story: Does it Come with a Sports Car?Frank Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02134775226991383924noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-37401446522979487482009-02-26T11:29:00.000-07:002009-02-26T11:29:00.000-07:00"Bechtel is making more by bringing in people on R..."Bechtel is making more by bringing in people on ROS agreements. These are short term assignments that are in the $150/hr to $200/hr range." (9:36 PM)<BR/><BR/>Oh, yes, Bechtel will work behind the curtains to bleed this place dry. You can count on it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-83012580979790602022009-02-25T21:36:00.000-07:002009-02-25T21:36:00.000-07:00The LANS LLC got about ~60% of the $80m fee, not s...The LANS LLC got about ~60% of the $80m fee, not sure how it is distributed. Bechtel is making more by bringing in people on ROS agreements. These are short term assignments that are in the $150/hr to $200/hr range. Nice work if you can get it. I know that SAE is using some of these pricy experts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-62635988558519896112009-02-23T16:04:00.000-07:002009-02-23T16:04:00.000-07:00"They ain't in it for the fraction of $80,000,000 ..."They ain't in it for the fraction of $80,000,000 that they get. They could make more profit anywhere else."<BR/><BR/>Sounds like they need to bail on this "bad investment" ASAP.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-47711275335578706572009-02-22T11:17:00.000-07:002009-02-22T11:17:00.000-07:002/21 6:30 pm: "Obama can demonstrate that these ki...2/21 6:30 pm: "Obama can demonstrate that these kinds of corporate excesses won't be tolerated by directing a LANL recompete as a not-for-profit. Think he will, or is he all talk?"<BR/><BR/>Guess what? ALL Presidents are "all talk." It's all they do. I'd venture to guess that the first time Obama can find 10 minutes to worry about NNSA/LANS/LANL will be about a week after he leaves office. Sorry, but he's not the Messiah. Your hope for salvation is futile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-9552346696645790212009-02-22T00:35:00.000-07:002009-02-22T00:35:00.000-07:00"LANL is a pure cash cow for Bechtel and Bechtel i..."LANL is a pure cash cow for Bechtel and Bechtel is RAPING LANL's operating budget. "<BR/><BR/>Got it now!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-88547031352891460102009-02-21T22:17:00.000-07:002009-02-21T22:17:00.000-07:00It is so sad that every word of 6:30 is so true.It is so sad that every word of 6:30 is so true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-81203136385094089652009-02-21T21:53:00.000-07:002009-02-21T21:53:00.000-07:00Poster 2:13 PM has to be one of our new Bechtelite...Poster 2:13 PM has to be one of our new Bechtelite managers. I mean, were else would you find foolish comments like his?<BR/><BR/>As others have stated, Bechtel scraps the cream off the top. That $80 million management fee is pure profit at no risk. <BR/><BR/>Furthermore, since they now run LANL, Becthel has a good chance at making construction profits off of any new buildings and can use the lab to park their idle engineers and construction managers between lucrative Bechtel assignments.<BR/><BR/>Bechtel didn't take over the LANL contract because they cared deeply about this country. They are a multi-national enterprise which exists to make money, and lots of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-79814625460243980562009-02-21T18:30:00.000-07:002009-02-21T18:30:00.000-07:002:13 PMSorry, but I have to insult you for your po...2:13 PM<BR/><BR/>Sorry, but I have to insult you for your poorly thought out comment - you must be a LANS manager.<BR/><BR/>It's return on assets invested (ROAI) that counts. If Bechtel had capital invested, the profit margin would need to be >10% or it would have been better to invest the capital elsewhere. Bechtel has no capital invested in Los Alamos. None. Zero. If Bechtel had labor costs, they would need to get enough return to pay the labor costs leaving a ~10% profit. Bechtel's labor is paid for by the lab's overhead, not out of their profits. They have no outlays for labor. None. Zero. If Bechtel had liability for LANL, they would need to make enough profit to pay for the indemnification and profit. LANS is a limited liability corporation, Bechtel has no liability. None. Zero. <BR/><BR/>LANL is a pure cash cow for Bechtel and Bechtel is RAPING LANL's operating budget. <BR/><BR/>Obama can demonstrate that these kinds of corporate excesses won't be tolerated by directing a LANL recompete as a not-for-profit. Think he will, or is he all talk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-83452314604018421092009-02-21T16:43:00.000-07:002009-02-21T16:43:00.000-07:00Bechtel has the nuclear fuel industry.Bechtel has ...Bechtel has the nuclear fuel industry.<BR/><BR/>Bechtel has the nuclear power plant/reactor construction industry.<BR/><BR/>Bechtel is heavily involved in the war efforts.<BR/><BR/>Bechtel now has the nuclear weapons industry.<BR/><BR/>Clear enuff?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-86151345064214205772009-02-21T15:24:00.000-07:002009-02-21T15:24:00.000-07:00Anonymous at 2/21/09 2:13 PM wrote that Bechtel's ...Anonymous at 2/21/09 2:13 PM wrote that Bechtel's profit for running LANL is about 2.4% of the $2B "income."<BR/><BR/>First, it's not really earned income that Bechtel has to compete for. The $2B will happen every year. <BR/><BR/>Secondly, as far as earning the profit, there seems to be no relationship between any kind of productivity at LANL and the award fee.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, if it really such a crappy deal, I would think that Bechtel would never have gotten involved.<BR/><BR/>The fact is that Bechtel's participation in LANL generates profit with very little effort and absolutely no risk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-90464923922503906402009-02-21T14:13:00.000-07:002009-02-21T14:13:00.000-07:00Fat $80,000,000 profitFor reference, they actually...Fat $80,000,000 profit<BR/><BR/>For reference, they actually get about 60% of this.<BR/><BR/>If we consider this profit on about $2,000,000,000 of income, Bechtel's profit is about 2.4% on running LANL. Bechtel's profit on building buildings in Iraq or elsewhere is about 20%. Smith's Supermarket in town tends to make about 3% profit. This only works for supermarkets because they have high volume.<BR/><BR/>So, Bechtel is making less than Smith's on equivalent volume.<BR/><BR/>They ain't in it for the fraction of $80,000,000 that they get. They could make more profit anywhere else.<BR/><BR/>Just a thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-63478274350322310112009-02-21T12:53:00.000-07:002009-02-21T12:53:00.000-07:00"There are too many good people still at LANL who ..."There are too many good people still at LANL who haven't gotten the message. Get out now, or sink with the ship!" (11:15 PM)<BR/><BR/><BR/>People have received the message. There are very few good people left at LANL. Most of them have already left. Those staying on are there largely because they have no better options at this present moment. <BR/><BR/>If the housing market was strong, I bet you would see around half the remaining scientific staff head for the exits. On the lab's current path, they'll probably be forced out the exits by Bechtel during the upcoming layoffs. <BR/><BR/>LANS (aka Bechtel) has plans to reshape LANL largely along the lines of doing mostly cleanup, production, and plant engineering type work. They'll make their fat $80 million profit fee, just the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-19452979369657600192009-02-21T11:30:00.000-07:002009-02-21T11:30:00.000-07:0011:06 PM, I guess Neu is attractive if you like yo...11:06 PM, I guess Neu is attractive if you like your women a bit on the horsey side. This one comes complete with saddlebags under her eyes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-1356339844781157562009-02-21T07:20:00.000-07:002009-02-21T07:20:00.000-07:00Excellent editorial, Tom. You have clearly captur...Excellent editorial, Tom. You have clearly captured much of what ails the Laboratory and opportunities for the future. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>Scott W.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-11400613457989812972009-02-20T23:15:00.000-07:002009-02-20T23:15:00.000-07:00Tom Meyer had his own serious problems, but at lea...Tom Meyer had his own serious problems, but at least he had the guts to stand up and say the truth. Nobody was listening then, and no one is now. Nor is there anyone left like Meyer who has both the heft and the guts to speak out for LANL the institution.<BR/><BR/>St. Pete is gone, and the remaining NM congressional delegation is a sick joke. You're all on your own, folks - better find a life raft soon. My ship sailed a couple of years ago, and I made sure I was on it. There are too many good people still at LANL who haven't gotten the message. Get out now, or sink with the ship! If you were one of the (20-20 hindsight) fools who took tcp1, get a lawyer, get a plan for your future employment, and get under cover fast.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-50722724458564325712009-02-20T22:45:00.000-07:002009-02-20T22:45:00.000-07:00Check out this letter from Tom Meyer, in which he ...Check out this letter from Tom Meyer, in which he writes about the shutdown of 2004, and LANL senior management. This was an open letter which he released to the press a few months after he left LANL in October, 2004. The guy had class. I can only imagine what Tom would have to say about the quality of senior management at LANL today.<BR/><BR/>From the front page of <BR/><BR/>http://www.parrot-farm.net/lanl-the-real-story<BR/><BR/><B><BR/>Letter From Former Associate Director Tom Meyer<BR/></B><BR/><I><BR/>Final. 2/7/05<BR/> <BR/> WHAT HAPPENED AT LOS ALAMOS?<BR/> A Perspective by Thomas J. Meyer<BR/><BR/><BR/>On July 12, 2004, all work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory was<BR/>stopped and the laboratory shut down by the Director. The shut down<BR/>was said to be in response to a series of security violations<BR/>involving the mishandling of Classified Recordable Electronic Media<BR/>(CREM) and a laboratory accident involving an undergraduate student in<BR/>the Chemistry Division. The shutdown has had a negative effect with<BR/>its full impact still to be felt, but a satisfactory account of what<BR/>happened and why remains to be heard. As the former Associate Director<BR/>for Strategic Research and a former member of the Senior Executive<BR/>Team reporting to the Director, I have a perspective on the shutdown<BR/>that I feel obligated to share with the larger Los Alamos community.<BR/><BR/>Strategic Research is the core science directorate for the Laboratory<BR/>and includes research in chemistry, materials, theory, and earth and<BR/>environmental sciences with broad overlap with other science areas as<BR/>well. On October 12, 2004, I resigned as Associate Director. Although<BR/>my resignation was tied to the student accident, the overall safety<BR/>record of Strategic Research has been excellent, at the head of the<BR/>class, as documented by internal statistics and evaluations. There was<BR/>a special focus on safety in Chemistry in response to two high profile<BR/>accidents. As documented by an external review committee, the measures<BR/>taken by the Division and its management team were exemplary.<BR/><BR/>At the time of the shut down, Chemistry was actively implementing a<BR/>Directorate Safety Plan designed with input from internal and external<BR/>consultants to maximize worker involvement and management oversight.<BR/>Laboratory financial support for this ambitious undertaking was<BR/>lacking. Requests to the Director's Office to hire an Operations<BR/>Deputy for Chemistry, a position that would oversee day-to-day<BR/>operations and safety, were denied. Mid-year funding cuts delayed the<BR/>hiring of a safety professional to oversee implementation of the<BR/>division's safety plan.<BR/><BR/>In shutting down the Laboratory, the Director pointed to a "negative<BR/>culture" within the LANL scientific community, at one point even<BR/>referring to LANL scientists publically as "cowboys." If there was a<BR/>cultural problem, the evidence points elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>The major institutional problems at LANL lie in support and management<BR/>structures that have not kept pace as the Laboratory has<BR/>grown. Strategic investments of time and resources to meet commonly<BR/>accepted standards in safety, security, and business systems have not<BR/>been made. The Laboratory has fallen behind industry and other<BR/>facilitities in the DOE complex in these areas. As a result, much of<BR/>the management and support structure at LANL is out-of-date and<BR/>inefficient even with the hard work and best intentions of many<BR/>dedicated employees. Their problem is a lack of leadership at the top.<BR/><BR/>Management deficiencies were underscored by the DOE's "unsatisfactory"<BR/>performance rating for LANL operations and management for 2004. The<BR/>rating itself was disturbing but it also resulted in a $5.1 million<BR/>decrease in the management fee for the University of California. This<BR/>is a blow to science at Los Alamos since much of the fee has<BR/>historically been invested in funding joint science projects between<BR/>LANL staff and research collaborators at the individual UC campuses.<BR/>These collaborations are at the heart of the "UC connection". They<BR/>have led to important scientific discoveries and been invaluable in<BR/>helping LANL recruit some of its best technical staff members from the<BR/>UC campuses.<BR/><BR/>By every measure, science at Los Alamos now and in the past has been<BR/>outstanding. The same DOE evaluation that gave an unsatisfactory<BR/>rating to operations and management has typically given the highest<BR/>possible rating to science. Compared to other national laboratories,<BR/>LANL's record of publication is outstanding. The Laboratory has been a<BR/>leader in external recognitions such as R&D 100 awards. Three<BR/>technical staff members were awarded the prestigious E.O. Lawrence<BR/>Award by the DOE in the past year.<BR/><BR/>The quality of science at LANL is assured by peer review. It shares<BR/>common values with the international scientific community and it is<BR/>the basis for making LANL arguably the best applied science laboratory<BR/>in the world. As the senior manager responsible for the internal<BR/>science evaluation, I was well aware of the quality of the LANL<BR/>scientific enterprise. I came to LANL from the University of North<BR/>Carolina five years ago. As a member of the National Academy of<BR/>Sciences, with several of my former students on the technical staff,<BR/>the quality of science was a primary factor in my decision to join the<BR/>LANL senior management team.<BR/><BR/>I personally believe that the overwhelming majority of the LANL work<BR/>force, on both the scientific and support staffs, is hard working,<BR/>recognizes safety and security in the work place, and is a great and<BR/>valuable asset for the nation. They have been inappropriately<BR/>pilliored and impugned publically by their own Director.<BR/><BR/>The unsatisfactory DOE rating and events of the past two years under<BR/>the current Director have identified significant weaknesses in LANL's<BR/>senior management which have begun to erode the science base. Endemic<BR/>problems in Human Relations and Purchasing remain largely<BR/>unsolved. After three years of trying and many tens of millions of<BR/>dollars invested, there is still no operational, computer-based<BR/>business system (Enterprise Business System) in place.<BR/><BR/>A series of Director-led intiatives created unsustainable cost<BR/>increases which increased the costs charged to sponsors (overhead).<BR/>These increases threatened LANL's ability to compete with other<BR/>national laboratories and universities for funding. This was followed<BR/>by an unprecedented and significant mid-year decrease in the overhead<BR/>rate, which was needed. However, with budgets already set for the<BR/>year, this resulted in decreased funding in the middle of the year<BR/>which created havoc for support organizations and new business<BR/>initiatives. These actions and the Director's insistence on a single<BR/>overhead rate to be paid by all sponsors demonstrated a woeful lack of<BR/>understanding of laboratory finances and budgetary processes in the<BR/>competitive environment of a multi-program, multi-sponsor, national<BR/>laboratory.<BR/><BR/>The same administrative deficiencies surfaced in the CREM and safety<BR/>incidents. When the current Director assumed his position, a report<BR/>was waiting on security vulnerabilities, commissioned by former<BR/>Director John Browne and written by a committee led by Bruce<BR/>Matthews. Bruce had had 30 thirty years of scientific and engineering<BR/>experience in nuclear technologies and nuclear materials, and is now a<BR/>member of the presidentially appointed Defense Nuclear Facilities<BR/>Safety Board. This document highlighted CREM and provided solutions<BR/>that, only now after the Laboratory shutdown, are being implemented.<BR/><BR/>Before Director Nanos, Director John Browne initiated and implemented<BR/>at LANL a series of widely adopted safety best practices. These<BR/>included the five-step process to safety, Nested Safety Committees for<BR/>communicating safety issues and best practices through the various<BR/>levels of Laboratory management, and a Director's Central Safety<BR/>Committee as a mechanism for high level analysis and management<BR/>oversight of safety issues.<BR/><BR/>A next logical step in the evolution of a contemporary safety culture<BR/>at LANL, consistent with current safety best practices, would have<BR/>been the implementation of worker-oriented division safety plans taken<BR/>to the individual employee level with management oversight and<BR/>periodic review modeled after the process initiated by Strategic<BR/>Research. There was no support for this initiative by Director Nanos.<BR/><BR/>Strategic institutional leadership was and remains needed for the<BR/>management of both safety and security at LANL. By contrast, the<BR/>Director's approach to the string of CREM incidents was not strategic<BR/>in nature as one would expect from a senior leader. Instead, he chose<BR/>to transfer blame and intimidate individuals even with a staff that<BR/>was often attempting to implement difficult and complex safety<BR/>processes with inadequate institutional support and limited resources.<BR/><BR/>Last July, after the series of CREM-related incidents, the Director<BR/>was called to Washington to defend himself and the Laboratory to DOE<BR/>management and to Congress. Even then, he carried with him no written<BR/>strategic plan for either CREM or safety. When this and his failure to<BR/>manage customer expectations led to mounting criticism, an opportunity<BR/>existed to exert true institutional leadership in a Truman "the buck<BR/>stops here" tradition. Instead, he transferred the blame again, this<BR/>time to the entire LANL scientific community.<BR/><BR/>Problems with management after the shut down continue to this day. At<BR/>other laboratories staged "stand downs" are commonly used to focus on<BR/>areas where there is known concern. This allows limited resources to<BR/>be brought to bear quickly and effectively on problem areas with the<BR/>work force sensitized, best practices instilled, and training<BR/>provided. Why did the LANL Director shut down the entire laboratory at<BR/>taxpayer expense? Why were limited laboratory resources not focused on<BR/>known problem areas? In contradiction to currently accepted best<BR/>practices, why was the restart process tied to a change in "culture"<BR/>with abuses in workers' rights and creation of an environment of fear<BR/>and intimidation. Will this be effective with the Laboratory's<BR/>sophisticated work force on the long term?<BR/><BR/>To the employees and the taxpayer, did it really make sense to impose<BR/>the severe restart procedures appropriate for nuclear facilities to<BR/>the library and the cafeteria? Did it also make sense to impose these<BR/>same procedures to computer science and theory groups where workplace<BR/>hazards are largely ergonomic?<BR/><BR/>Much of the DOE and LANL missions involve risk and the risk involved<BR/>needs to be understood, defined, and taken into account through<BR/>systematic worker involvement and processes for continuous management<BR/>review and oversight. The safety literature is clear on this point,<BR/>those who do the work should take charge of their own safety<BR/>environment with management assistance, oversight and review. In the<BR/>current regime of fear and intimidation, the Laboratory may well be<BR/>less safe than it was before the shut down.<BR/><BR/>The full consequences of the lab closure are yet to be felt and will<BR/>continue to cascade through Northern New Mexico and its families for<BR/>some time to come. Countless hours of productive work and millions of<BR/>dollars have been lost. This has resulted in a demoralized work force<BR/>and strained customer relations which threaten future programmatic<BR/>support. Key retirements have occurred; if the contract renewal is<BR/>handled inappropriately, many others, sensing a bleak future, will<BR/>follow. Important scientists are gone or leaving the Laboratory and<BR/>others seem ready to follow. Important programs have been lost to<BR/>other laboratories; others are threatened. Recruiting will be<BR/>negatively impacted for the forseeable future. Current recruiting for<BR/>postdoctoral fellows, who are key to the science base and a large<BR/>fraction of future LANL technical employees, is at an all time low.<BR/><BR/>I am concerned that a week after the shut down, the developer of a new<BR/>$200 million Science Complex, with construction set for next Spring,<BR/>was to have begun work. This was a project conceived and led by<BR/>Strategic Research. It promised a new way to replace much of the<BR/>existing, badly outdated science laboratories at LANL with<BR/>state-of-the art, 21st century research space. It was an<BR/>entrepreneurial project, to be funded by third party financing, and<BR/>was approved by the DOE. The project is currently on hold.<BR/><BR/>Although the Director must ultimately face blame for the negative<BR/>consequences of his actions, his personal behavior, and his vindictive<BR/>and abusive treatment of laboratory employees, there is blame<BR/>elsewhere. Is it conceivable that the DOE and University of California<BR/>allowed a $2 billion R&D laboratory, critical to US national security,<BR/>to be shut down because of two mishandled bar codes? Where was UC and<BR/>DOE oversight when it was so sorely needed? Why is there not a high<BR/>level board at LANL as there is at Sandia and other labs, to oversee<BR/>the DirectorÕs activities and provide guidance and oversight?<BR/><BR/>The University of California has expressed concern that there is<BR/>inadequate representation for science in the current senior management<BR/>team. Science management demands a high degree of professionalism in<BR/>an open environment by managers who understand intuitively the<BR/>scientific process and how to manage, integrate, and develop<BR/>scientific capabilites and funding opportunities. Even so, the<BR/>University of California appointed an ex-admiral as laboratory<BR/>director without conducting a search to fill the position.<BR/><BR/>The current Director had no experience in science management, no<BR/>record of scientific distinction, and no experience at developing and<BR/>funding science programs. Where was UC when the director forced out of<BR/>the Senior Executive Team its only two members who were active<BR/>scientists and members of the National Academy of Sciences? Although<BR/>the position of Chief Science Officer has been created, there is no<BR/>one left in the current senior management team with significant<BR/>scientific credentials.<BR/><BR/>LANL is a core resource at the heart of the nation's national<BR/>security. It is also a nationally and internationally renowned center<BR/>for scientific research and is at the heart of the Northern New Mexico<BR/>community and economy. It is a major player in the supply of jobs and<BR/>a key to economic development. Members of my staff worked closely with<BR/>Governor Richardson and his staff on economic development issues by<BR/>providing strong leadership for statewide initiatives including the<BR/>Hydrogen Technology Partnership and the ZeroNet partnership with PNM<BR/>and the Electric Power Research Institute for water management in the<BR/>electric power industry. In the newly announced New Mexico Technology<BR/>Corridor Collaborative, two of the five projects are either led or<BR/>co-led by LANL: medical isotopes with UNM, NMSU and Lovelace and<BR/>hydrogen and fuel cells with NMSU and NM Tech. Close relations have<BR/>been forged with other national laboratories: with Sandia in<BR/>nanotechnology, with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in hydrogen<BR/>storage and carbon dioxide capture and storage, and with Argonne<BR/>National Laboratory in genome science.<BR/><BR/>With leadership from Strategic Research, LANL took the lead in forming<BR/>a multi-lab consortium that helped create the Advanced Fuel Cycle<BR/>Initiative at DOE and strong leadership nationally for a nuclear<BR/>energy future for the US and internationally for nuclear materials<BR/>management. New research centers have been created in high temperature<BR/>superconductivity, fuel cells and hydrogen, and in quantum<BR/>information. New, integrated management structures in energy and<BR/>environment and materials science and engineering have helped LANL<BR/>gain national leadership. There have been new initiatives in carbon<BR/>management, water research, and medical isotopes.<BR/><BR/>These efforts and future ones that diversify the R&D base at LANL are<BR/>critically important since it is becoming increasingly clear that the<BR/>nuclear weapons mission at LANL is entering an era of declining<BR/>support. If left unchecked, this decline will negatively impact the<BR/>Northern New Mexico economy by providing fewer jobs and fewer requests<BR/>for goods and services. Investing in the future and anticipating a<BR/>more diverse portfolio are critical to LANL and to the future of the<BR/>local economy. How many of the new initiatives at LANL will survive<BR/>the current management turmoil? Will customers have the confidence and<BR/>patience to work with LANL in the future?<BR/><BR/>The timing of the LANL shutdown could not have been worse for the<BR/>University of California coming, as it did, in the midst of<BR/>preparations for competing for the next DOE management contract. It<BR/>does highlight for the DOE some of the essential requirements for LANL<BR/>leadership under the next contract. A director and his or her team of<BR/>senior managers must understand and have knowledge of how to manage<BR/>and move forward a large R&D organization with a critical component in<BR/>manufacturing.<BR/><BR/>The new leadership team will need to understand the mission of the<BR/>Laboratory intuitively, how it relates to its customers, and the<BR/>central role that science and technology play in accomplishing the<BR/>mission. The new management team will need to transform the management<BR/>and support functions of the Laboratory by working with an industrial<BR/>partner or partners with a proven record of excellence to provide a<BR/>safe and secure work place and best business practices for its support<BR/>staff while maintaining an open, creative, and productive environment<BR/>for its science.<BR/><BR/>Imposing? Perhaps, but LANL is a sleeping giant waiting to reassert<BR/>itself. The ball is in DOE's court. A path forward must be found<BR/>quickly to provide leadership and a clear vision for the future.<BR/></I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-84574441214911579812009-02-20T22:25:00.000-07:002009-02-20T22:25:00.000-07:00Brian Dyer was, is and will be a single man show. ...Brian Dyer was, is and will be a single man show. he likes to run his own little group with no outsiders interfering. it probably took him about 20 years to realize he wants to be a big university professor. look at the people he converted to staff, hard to say they are from the 'best and the brightest' category. don't get me wrong, he is probably one of the smartest pals this place has ever had (scientifically speaking).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-81397554371599886072009-02-20T22:23:00.000-07:002009-02-20T22:23:00.000-07:00Tom Meyer was one of the good guys. He was one of...Tom Meyer was one of the good guys. He was one of (tellingly few) upper level lab managers who had the ethics and the courage to speak out against Nanos' idiocy. And he got fired for doing so. He stands head and shoulders above the other ADs from that period, for his honesty, his integrity, and his unwillingness to support a fool of a Director.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-12469025872546866212009-02-20T22:16:00.000-07:002009-02-20T22:16:00.000-07:00Woody Woodruff hired Brian Dyer, Basil Swanson hir...Woody Woodruff hired Brian Dyer, Basil Swanson hired Andy Shreve, aka CINT director and Athul Parik, now tenured UC professor, so, how are these people bad at getting followers? Not to mention Robert Donohoe (God rest him in peace), a great scientist and group leader. And we had Tom Meyer, NAS fellow and ALD.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-25130949297453697732009-02-20T18:47:00.000-07:002009-02-20T18:47:00.000-07:00"We used to have a saying, "A players hire A playe..."We used to have a saying, "A players hire A players; B players hire C players." Meaning: Great people hire great people, and mediocre people hire candidates who aren't as good as they are so they can feel superior to them."<BR/><BR/>From my perspective, you've just described the employment practice of our Federal Government - in particular, the DOE/NNSA. Imo they are steeped in mediocrity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-46509469305278362402009-02-20T15:05:00.000-07:002009-02-20T15:05:00.000-07:00We used to have a saying, "A players hire A player...We used to have a saying, "A players hire A players; B players hire C players." Meaning: Great people hire great people, and mediocre people hire candidates who aren't as good as they are so they can feel superior to them. (If you start down this slippery slope, you'll soon end up with Z players; this is called The Bozo Explosion. It's followed by The Layoff.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-87426636429921583662009-02-20T14:41:00.000-07:002009-02-20T14:41:00.000-07:00"Anybody remember Lisa Gutierrez?"2/18/09 9:44 PMW..."Anybody remember Lisa Gutierrez?"<BR/>2/18/09 9:44 PM<BR/><BR/>Why sure. Her nickname was "168.5".<BR/>She was ADTR's Morale Officer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-81727861966243269882009-02-20T13:28:00.000-07:002009-02-20T13:28:00.000-07:00Too late: NNSA and Bechtel already did that. We a...Too late: NNSA and Bechtel already did that. We all ride the short bus now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-17166109276362919012009-02-20T13:20:00.000-07:002009-02-20T13:20:00.000-07:00How bout if we drive our 3rd-tier short bus over y...How bout if we drive our 3rd-tier short bus over your inflated 1st-tier head?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28220200.post-886480720024608872009-02-20T12:47:00.000-07:002009-02-20T12:47:00.000-07:00Lisa was abusive with employees and her staff. He...Lisa was abusive with employees and her staff. Her staff refused to work with this womanm any longer and Rich Marquez had her removed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com