“It’s a Wonderful Life” in Inspections, Testing, and Quality Assurance

Gary Pasquarell, Ph.D., P.E., Vice President of Quality and Training at F&R, recently gave the keynote at the 2026 AASHTO re:source Technical Exchange, or “TechEx,” in Louisville, KY. He used themes from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to highlight the value of inspection, testing, and quality assurance professionals. Read on for a Q&A about the key points he shared on how we keep Bedford Falls from turning into Pottersville!

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What inspired you to create this “It’s a Wonderful Life”-themed presentation?
It’s kind of a pep talk. Sometimes we can feel like we’ve been turned into a commodity, but as a team, we’re about promoting quality in the construction industry, with protecting people and property as our goal. I wanted us to understand that our work is essential.

First, give us a brief synopsis of the film for those who haven’t seen it.
In the film, George Bailey considers ending his life on Christmas Eve after facing financial difficulties. While he kneels on a bridge praying for help, a guardian angel named Clarence steps in and shows George what the world would be like if he had never been born. That is, his wholesome hometown of Bedford Falls would have become the cutthroat, seedy, and disreputable “Pottersville.” George sees the positive effect he has had on his family, friends, and the whole community. He understands that his life is truly “wonderful” despite his difficulties and recognizes that his personal sacrifices directly prevented the community’s ruin. George returns to the family and friends he loves, and Clarence gets his wings. Friends gather from far and wide to toast George Bailey and bail him out of his financial crisis.

So, what would the construction world be like without our teams?
Part of the problem with seeing the answer to that question is this: What happens when we do a good job? Answer: Nothing! Nothing happens. Buildings don’t fall; bridges don’t collapse; foundations don’t crumble; people aren’t injured or killed. “Building still stable five years after construction…” will never be a headline.

What are the “Pottersville” scenarios that can occur?
There are plenty of examples. In January 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA, collapsed because the city failed to act on maintenance and repair recommendations. In this case, our peers were there, and inspections occurred, but they were rendered insignificant, as if they had never been performed and reported.

Here is a historic 1970s headline of the collapse of a 16-story building under construction in Boston that sadly killed four workers:

A case study on the incident revealed that 65% of the concrete put in this building did not meet the Boston building code. Critical reinforcing steel was omitted or undersized in the roof slab, whose failure triggered the collapse of the entire structure. Any inspection conducted was rendered largely ineffective because of how the construction process was managed. The report states, “Inspection, quality control, planning, and supervision were, for all practical purposes, absent from the project.” Inspector George Bailey, you weren’t there. There are countless other examples across the globe.

Here’s your Clarence moment – what do you want to tell the George Baileys in our line of work?
How many lives have been saved? How many buildings and bridges are still in place because of our services? We produce quality that saves and improves lives. In the examples above, there was no indication of inadequate design; failures could have been avoided if better inspections of materials and construction details had been conducted. Allow me to adapt Clarence’s quote to our own industry: Each inspector and lab technician, each environmental professional, each geotechnical engineer, each driller touches so many lives. When they aren’t around, they leave an awful hole, don’t they?

Think about how we, how YOU are preventing Bedford Falls from becoming Pottersville! I hope you take away a renewed sense of personal mission in our work. You really are having a wonderful life.