Executive Corner: A/E Industry Consolidation, Let the Good Times Roll
It seems like almost every day, another merger or acquisition is announced between two architecture, engineering (A/E) or environmental-consulting firms. And although the global mega combinations such as URS-AECOM and Parsons Brinckerhoff-WSP draw the most attention and scrutiny, each year there are more than 200 U.S. transactions involving organizations of every shape and size. We’re clearly in a consolidating industry that shows no sign of relenting. What’s going on here? Why are so many tr...
Infrastructure Outlook: The Age of the Engineer
Several years ago, I was talking to a friend who said, “Bill, if mankind is going to be around in 250 years, it will be because engineers make it so.” It was an intriguing concept. Certainly, our planet is being asked to support an ever-growing human population with a finite amount of available resources—resources become even more stretched as large parts of the globe industrialize. Although industrialization is raising billions from poverty, it also dramatically increases the demand and use...
Managing the Model: “We Can Do It Faster the Old Way”
I've been hearing the title of this column, in one form or another, from engineering and architectural design firms for more than 20 years. I hear it from drafters, designers, engineers, architects, principals and owners, and it's usually in response to why they’re not using modeling software they often already own. I heard it when the industry was moving from hand drafting to CAD drafting. I heard it when CAD drafting was first beginning to be supplanted by attached object data, and basic mo...
Structural Solutions: Helping Structural Engineering Students Benefits All
There are many ways to have a positive impact on the next generation of structural engineers. This is important, because they will face significant challenges to improve infrastructure while competing in a global market with constant change and ever-increasing pressures. Investing time to help them will benefit our countries, world and all of us individually. Conference Outreach An example of an event helping students is the “Students Connecting with Industry Sessions” (SCIS) at NASCC: The S...
BIM-Enabled Digital Fabrication of Structural Steel – An Advanced Approach
Complete and real benefits of BIM can be extracted only when it is used across all the aspects of a construction process and beyond. Today, a lot of firms have adopted BIM for project planning, scheduling, cost estimation facility management, etc. However, why does it happen that the overall productivity rates of the projects still continue to fall? This is because, although a BIM approach is implemented across all these stages of building design and construction, they still miss out on the m...
Structural Solutions: Increasing the Effectiveness of Young Structural Engineers
Would you like to improve the effectiveness of your young structural engineers? This column will explore some ideas and ways you might be able to accomplish this. One of the major challenges facing companies is how to teach their younger engineers while also remaining profitable on projects. While fees for structural-engineering services have improved over the last couple of years since the economic downturn, profit margins still are tight. In addition, project deadlines keep shrinking, leavi...
Managing the Model: What is a "model"?
Got a minute? I have a question for you: What is a “model”? No, I don’t mean the attractive people we see in ads and movies. And no, I don’t mean a scale replica of an SR-70 Blackbird, Godzilla or the Santa Maria, although these are a bit closer to the concept I’m driving at. Even when we constrain the question to our infrastructure industry, the answer still varies widely, depending on who you ask, so it’s understandable if this seems like a trick question. I have another question for you: W...
Infrastructure Outlook: Plotting Directions for Civil Infrastructure
There have been major breakthroughs in the civil infrastructure industry, with reality capture and advancements in 3-D modeling, analytics and software as a service (SaaS) becoming mainstream. This combination allows designers to quickly model “what could be in the context of what is.” They now can plan, design and engineer with real data (e.g., Big Data, GIS, BIM, digital images, laser scans, etc.) in the context of the real world in real time with cloud-based computing. Demand for infrastru...
Executive Corner: Managing by the Numbers
Although the pages of this magazine are largely devoted to the technical aspects of design and construction, this column will focus on the challenges executives face to ensure their firm’s prosperity and longevity. Through two decades of work, I’ve found that the most effective executives have a strong command of finance and accounting, and constantly track the key financial metrics that measure a firm’s performance. Furthermore, they educate their managers and staff to understand these basic...
Developing a Stormwater Trash Control Strategy
There are many types of trash and debris found in stormwater and they each have an effect on our environment and infrastructure. If your community is interested in developing a trash control strategy, here are six key points that should be considered:1. Identify all outfalls and estimate trash loads – This may seem obvious, but you need to build a database of all outfalls and estimated trash loads for each drainage basin. Only then will you know the true extent of the problem and have a base...
Video: Crashes Drop Measurably After Rural Road Safety Improvement Project on US 521 in Lancaster County
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June Issue 2026
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