From the Editor: A Brief Glimpse at Useful AEC Pocket Tech
Living with tech is a lot like living with a new puppy: it’s not easy to recognize changes occurring through time until you step back and look at where we were not long ago compared to where we are today. Every couple of years, I see a graphic (or sometimes a video) showing how the number of devices on a typical literal desktop has reduced through the years, thanks to advances in smartphone technology. You can see one from the CATO Institute at bit.ly/2Im7ThI. As the graphic illustrates, it’s n...
Thoughts From Engineers: The Hidden Monster That’s Our Failing Water Infrastructure
An aging house built in the 1930s with chipping paint, a porch door that swings eerily in the wind and precariously leaning support beams gets attention. A bridge with rusty trusses and roads with potholes get attention as well. People complain—loudly—to their local and state representatives about the rough drive and costly damage to their cars. There are plenty of stories in the news about crumbling highways and third-world airports, but not so much about our water infrastructure—until now. Th...
Executive Corner: The Latest Trends in A/E Stock Valuation and M&A Pricing
Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners, LLC recently released its annually updated ”A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transactions Study.” Data from the sixth-edition study show remarkable stability in valuations of minority interests in privately held A/E and environmental consulting firms. As illustrated in Figure 1, enterprise values as a multiple of gross revenue, net service revenue, and pre-bonus earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were virtually unchanged from 2017 to 2018. This is not too su...
Final Thoughts: Let’s Talk About Our Favorite Projects
As I sat at my desk trying to come up with an interesting topic to discuss, I decided to let you, the reader, do a little thinking about your interesting work topics. It’s important to realize the effect projects have on you as well as others, so I’ll mention a few of the projects I was fortunate enough to be part of and invite Informed Infrastructure readers to think about some of the projects they worked on. Most Challenging Project Have you worked on a project that really challenged you in...
Code Update: AISI Publishes Design Example to Illustrate New Method for Analytical Modeling of Cold-Formed Steel Structures
Engineers in the construction industry have traditionally relied on simplified approaches to building design based on standardized formulas and tabulated solutions. However, as software and tools evolve and become more accessible, the industry’s forward-thinking professionals are moving toward a more digital approach that leverages analytical models tailored to specific projects. Analytical modeling is a relatively new approach for many engineers, but it’s becoming more common in the industry a...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Why Not Dream Big?
When I started my company several years ago, I decided to play the “I need to be close to home” card. Instead of commuting 20 miles to Charlotte, N.C., every day, I found some office space close to our home. I was pretty sure I’d be spending a lot of late nights at the office, and I didn’t think trying to drive home from Charlotte late at night (or early in the morning) was a particularly good idea. If I felt that not being “downtown” was jeopardizing my business, I could always uproot the offi...
Infrastructure Outlook: Lessons to Learn from Public-Private Partnerships and Military Housing
America’s infrastructure is in dire need of repairs. In its latest report, the American Society of Civil Engineers warns that our infrastructure is “falling apart.” Addressing these issues will require massive financial commitments, which is why the Trump administration seeks to continue to leverage private-sector investment. Often associated with major public infrastructure projects such as toll roads, Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) are unique arrangements that have been utilized for numerou...
Executive Corner: Five Takeaways on 2018 A/E M&A Activity
With a backdrop of solid macroeconomic growth, strong financial performance and robust backlogs—yet facing the tightest labor markets in a generation—A/E owners and executives are understandably wrapping up 2018 in a cautiously optimistic mood. And while there are certainly market sectors and states facing more headwinds than others, the year can best be described as “a rising tide lifting all boats” for the industry. However, a mature economic and design/construction cycle now is exhibiting mix...
Keeping it Safe and Efficient When Working in Wind
Denis Hogan, Performance and Special Projects Manager at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), highlights the regulations for working safely and efficiently with lifting equipment in the European wind energy sector. As the wind energy sector expands, so too does its requirement for lifting equipment, for which this relatively new industry sets several challenges. Working with lifting equipment must be carried out with safety as the priority because working at height in any appli...
Code Update: Resources for Safety in Lead Abatement
It’s well known that lead is harmful. Also well known is the metal’s usefulness as a component of industrial coatings because it holds up against the elements and helps prevent corrosion. As infrastructure and assets age, it’s a matter of when, not if, workers encounter lead hazards. That’s why businesses, industry organizations and governments have worked together to put lead-abatement procedures in place and develop lead-safe work practices. Use the following resources and information to help...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
