Executive Corner: Wall Street Sentiments Suggest Strong A/E Industry Outlook
Sometimes the movement of money in capital markets can tell us a lot about investors’ expectations for a particular stock or a particular industry. In the case of the A/E industry, there are a number of factors that are likely impacting investors’ sentiments. Will increasing rates from the Federal Reserve offset any decrease in tax rates? Will reducing regulations have a positive impact on corporate growth? Will Trump’s trade policies help or hurt U.S.-based companies? Based on market performanc...
Structural Solutions: Engineers Need to Take Responsibility for Public-Safety Designs
My wife and I have been in Charlotte, N.C., for quite some time now. We’ve watched it grow from a rather sleepy city in the early 1980s to a national banking center despite having to weather the recent financial crisis. Of course, growth means jobs, and jobs bring people, and those people have to live somewhere. Historically, the growth was accommodated by large housing developments, expanding the borders of the downtown area. It was generally single-family homes, but there were the occasiona...
Technical Perspectives: Making a Case for Dynamo in 2017
After graduating with a Master’s degree in structural engineering, I anxiously began in 2006 what many would consider a traditional career path in the industry. I started working with a 2D CAD-based company that had a laser focus on everything that dealt with material properties, load cases and building codes, but never gave technology a second thought. However, I occasionally would hear discussions about transitioning from CAD to Autodesk’s Revit, which made me curious about how technology coul...
From the Editor: Start the New Year Looking Back to See Forward
With 2016 in the rearview mirror, it’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and failures as well as look ahead at the potential 2017 holds for us as individuals and for our industry as a whole. Look Back Professionally, 2016 was a busy and exciting year for me. As regular Informed Infrastructure readers know, my column moved to the very front of this magazine, exposing me to a much wider range of practical applications of emerging technology and forcing me think more holistically...
Infrastructure Outlook: How UAV Surveying Can Improve Land-Development Projects
By Dustin Price, L.S. A successful development project begins with an accurate land survey, which is why it’s critical for organizations to capitalize on the latest in surveying technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are one example of a new technology that’s delivering better results for land surveyors worldwide. Read on to learn the specific ways that adopting UAV surveying can help. Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency Traditional land-surveying methods take a lot of tim...
Executive Corner: Five Takeaways from 2016 A/E M&A Activity
Good or bad, you certainly can’t say 2016 was dull. In a year that produced memorable comebacks, upsets and surprises across a spectrum of institutions, whether geopolitical (Trump, Brexit), financial (Dow 19,000), sports (Cubs’ and Cavaliers’ wins, Villanova’s buzzer-beater) or cultural (alas, Brad and Angelina), the country is due for a much-needed breather after these wild 365 days. Given this setting, A/E executives pulled back and took a measured “wait and see” approach to deal making th...
Structural Solutions: The Power of Positive Thinking Lasts a Lifetime
Although my daughters have almost finished college, it’s not (yet) difficult to remember when they were young. I was in scouting most of my young life—from Cub Scouts to Webelos to Boy Scouts, until I “aged out” at 18—and having two daughters didn’t allow me to go back into the Boy Scout track. Girl Scouts wasn’t really an option, because I wanted to be personally involved in their activities. Fortunately, we discovered “Indian Guides” within the local YMCA. It wasn’t scouting in the sense I...
Infrastructure Outlook: From the Video Vault: Erosion Control
Informed Infrastructure spoke with Matthew Welch, technical manager with Profile Products, at the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Environmental Connection 2016 event. This column features highlights from the discussion, and a video recording of the full interview can be viewed at informedinfrastructure.com/28058/profile-soil-solutions-software-welch. The Five Fundamentals “Profile Soil Solutions Software (PS3) is the vessel in which we incorporate our five fundamentals to...
Executive Corner: “I Know that E-mail’s Here Somewhere”
Understanding professional liability and managing risk is an important aspect of all A/E projects. For this installment of “Executive Corner,” Russ Ryan, principal at Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners (e-mail: [email protected]), interviews Ian Howell, CEO of Newforma, a project information management (PIM) software company transforming building and infrastructure project delivery (e-mail: [email protected]). Ryan: The design and construction industry continues to grow. As architec...
Final Thoughts: The Tools Are Nothing Without the Engineer
In the September/October 2016 issue of Informed Infrastructure, I described showing up for my first day of work back in the early 1970s with my slide rule, mechanical pencil and scales. If I were to start working today, fresh out of college, I wouldn’t have any of these. I would bring my smartphone and expect an extremely fast computer to be provided. In most cases, this is the way of the engineering world: find my cube, log in, create a password and start working. If only it were that easy …...
Video: Crashes Drop Measurably After Rural Road Safety Improvement Project on US 521 in Lancaster County
AdventHealth Weaverville Hospital
June Issue 2026
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