Executive Corner: Mitigating Taxes While Achieving Strategic Ownership Goals
In my experience, the top three reasons why A/E firms implement employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are taxes, taxes and taxes. However, although mitigating taxes is an important element, a good ownership plan should be driven by a firm’s strategic plan and long-term goals, which may include aligning ownership with leadership, making the investment process affordable to new owners, and ensuring that the stock produces a healthy return on investment for all owners. The tax consequences of an o...
Final Thoughts: Bridge Work: From Wooden Covers to Recycled Steel
As I was previewing this issue of Informed Infrastructure, I came across a brief summary of an article about the engineering of tall wood buildings. Although I’m not quite old enough to have designed any covered bridges, I have some experience with wooden-bridge structures. Readers may recall from previous “Final Thoughts” columns that I spent the early part of my career with the Indiana Department of Transportation in the Bridge Design Section. During my time there, the department still had a...
Structural Solutions: Nuggets of Wisdom for Engineers Young and Old, Part 3: The Final Chapter
My previous two columns covered two main pieces of advice I like to share with students at the Direct Connect session at the NASCC conference: careful use of computer software, and mastering verbal and written communication. In this issue, I’ll finish my list of sage advice for the students with a couple of quick hitters. Listen to Your Clients As experts in our field, it’s easy to answer questions quickly. Most of us are anxious to share our expertise the moment we think we know what the answ...
From the Editor: There’s No Replacement for ‘Learning by Doing’
I recently visited a job site of a friend of mine who is a construction manager. I met with him to discuss the use of emerging drone and reality-capture technologies, but I ended up tagging along as he crisscrossed the site, solving one problem after another. In one case, the footing for a wall wasn’t poured in the correct location, because the arc of the wall was “eyeballed in” in the CAD file. In another issue, a sewer was 12 feet from where it was supposed to be—the construction staking was...
Code Update: ACI 318: High-Strength Reinforcing Bars
AMY M.R. TRYGESTAD, P.E., F.ACI (above) The motivation for developing high-strength reinforcing bar (HSRB) is driven from the construction community. Design practitioners are looking for improved, efficient and sustainable design solutions, while contractors are looking to address rebar congestion and scheduling/cost issues related to reinforcing bars. HSRB is regarded as any reinforcing bar with a yield strength greater than 60,000 psi. The adoption of HSRB started when Grade 75 bars appear...
Final Thoughts: Millennials Are ‘Engineering: The Next Generation’
Many members of my generation think we Baby Boomers are the greatest generation. After all, we protested against wars, fought for civil rights, and invented rock and roll. But we also produced this next generation of people. I am a Baby Boomer, and our generation currently is handing over the workplace to the Millennials. I recently heard that 1/3 of my generation already has retired, and the rest of us are not far behind. And because there are so many of us, there are going to be a lot of job...
Future Forward: Can Cross-Laminated Timber Replace Concrete and Steel?
This page profiles innovative and impactful applied research in civil and structural engineering. With a background as a builder and developer in construction for 35 years, Casey Malmquist is CEO and president of SmartLam, the first commercial manufacturers of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in the United States. He has a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. What Is CLT? Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is part of what’s collectively...
Change Leader: Overcoming Budget Constraints at State DOTs
J.D. D’Arville (top) is the GIS/LRS data management administrator for the Alabama Department of Transportation (DOT), and John Russell (bottom), a licensed surveyor, is the surveying and mapping administrator for the Alabama DOT. John Russell Change D’Arville and Russell have worked together at the Alabama DOT for 25 years, and both have seen a lot of organizational and technological change in that time. “We know what each other is up against and how we can help each other,” notes D’Arvi...
Executive Corner: Is the Future of Your Firm in the Hands of Millennials?
One of the largest ownership transition issues A/E firm owners currently face is the same one they faced years ago: finding a way to influence younger employees and warm them to the idea of equity ownership. Luckily, there’s now much more robust qualitative (and quantitative) data available from which we can draw stronger inferences as to what many Millennials’ thoughts are on long-term employment with a single employer. And we’re increasingly seeing that this piece of the equation, once underst...
Structural Solutions: Nuggets of Wisdom for Engineers Young and Old, Part 2: Communication Is Key
In my previous column, I mentioned the Direct Connect session for students that happens each year at the NASCC conference. My company has attended the session for several years now; not for recruiting necessarily, but to share our small-firm perspective. In this issue, I’ll continue my list of sage advice for students with hopes of providing a useful nugget or two that helps with readers’ careers. The No. 1 Quality to Master Although I didn’t start with this topic last issue, communication une...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
