Let’s Build Two: Hub Group Breaks Ground On Replica Headquarters Building
Hub Group is a publicly traded North American transportation-management company providing intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. With more than $3.5 billion in revenue, Hub is one of the largest such companies in the world. And in the teenage years of the 21st century, it has built not one but two outstanding—and nearly identical—headquarter buildings in Oak Brook, Ill., that befit their status and serve their mission while also being models of progressive, sustainable design and co...
Executive Corner: Three Critical Actions Will Help Your Firm Survive … and Thrive
In 2008, I had just taken a position with a large, international engineering firm as chief financial officer. The firm was coming off a good run of profitable years, solid cash flow and expansion into new markets, but it was starting to feel the strain as the world’s financial markets were deteriorating. Before the Great Financial Crisis finally ended, more than 65 percent of the firm’s revenue flow had evaporated, and, more troubling, the firm’s cash position had dwindled to perilous levels. W...
AEC from Home: Tips from Leading Professionals Adjusting to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In May 2020, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson interviewed three leaders of AEC firms to learn how they’re adjusting to the “new normal” and help pass along some of the tips and lessons learned from their experiences in early 2020. Kevin Cornish, P.E. Senior Vice President Surface Transportation Market Sector Leader AECOM Andy Kaiyala Vice President, Bid Development Lane Construction Dustin Parkman Vice President, Project Delivery Bentley Systems...
From the Editor: Graduating Engineering Students Face New Challenges
The stay-at-home orders due to the pandemic are beginning to be relaxed in some places. For me, at least for some time yet, I’m choosing to act as if everything is not yet back to normal. Whatever I’m called—baby boomer, dinosaur or grandpa—I’m at a high-risk age, so I prefer to be safe for a little while longer. Although my lifestyle has been altered, the negative effects are not as great for me as for many others. One group that COVID-19 certainly affected negatively is the graduating class o...
The Flooding Strikes Back: Mother Nature Rises Again Shortly After Technology Seemed to Have the Upper Hand
In mid-May 2020, several days of heavy rain fell on central Michigan, causing the Tittabawassee River to swell to 35 feet, more than a foot past its previous record and 10 feet above flood stage. Even worse, catastrophic dam failures further upriver forced the evacuation of approximately 10,000 people as the severe flooding overtook several populated areas in Midland County and threatened a Superfund site. The state of Michigan is investigating the catastrophe, including dam operators Boyc...
Thoughts from Engineers: More than a Pump and a Toilet: Communities Worldwide Need Critical Water Supply and Sanitation Systems
A day rarely goes by in the United States without some news about drinking water and the physical, social and administrative systems needed to deliver it. We hear about lead contamination in Newark, N.J., Flint, Mich., and other cities. We hear about water mains that break annually as a result of age, weather or neglect. We hear about the substantial investment needed to fix the many problems that inevitably surface. In short, the delivery of drinkable water and the removal of wastewater are no...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Have We Learned Anything Yet?
One of the qualities of a good learner is being able to take in information, process it and use it to your advantage. Failure often is just as helpful as success. Having an example of “what not to do” can be just as beneficial as having a great “what to do” example. A learner always is on the lookout for both types of information and willing to take action with each. As I write, we’re now in week seven of working from home in North Carolina. Although the “move” to home was relatively easy for o...
AEC from Home: Tips from Leading Professionals Adjusting to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In May 2020, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson interviewed three leaders of AEC firms to learn how they’re adjusting to the “new normal” and help pass along some of the tips and lessons learned from their experiences in early 2020.
Project Management Insights: Where Does Project Management Fit into a Strategic Plan?
I was recently working with a 250-person engineering firm, helping them develop a new strategic plan. In the ramp up before the meetings, I sat with leaders and managers across the company, talked to them individually about the future, and listened to their concerns about what needed to be addressed before the vision could be realized. There’s always a temptation to place so much focus on operational, quick-fix issues that higher-level initiatives hardly land a place in the discussion. When thi...
Collaboration in Product Development Results in Better Designs
Good design is slow. Effective collaboration also takes time. According to Sara Pevaroff Schuh, the founding principal of Philadelphia-based SALT Design Studio, “Quality fights to be a full partner at the table with quick.” She’s right. It may seem like an all-too-costly endeavor to return to the drawing board, but the familiar cliche rings true: you either pay now or pay later. Green City, Clean Waters Rob Woodman, senior stormwater engineer at ACF Environmental, witnessed firsthand the bene...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
TriMet’s Banfield Type 1 Substation Replacement Project
February Issue 2026
