معلومــة

By Mary Scott Nabers Cities and counties throughout the U.S. are benefitting from funding that is readily available for transit-oriented development (TOD). Economic development teams have seen the boost of economic vitality that this type of initiative brings to local communities, and the result is that private sector developers and public officials nationwide will be delivering housing, retail and new communities located near public transit stations for the next several years. TOD projects, supported by federal funding, focus on building housing and mixed-use communities near public transit stations to encourage public transportation. This type of new commercial development with housing, retail, parkland and community gathering spaces is often linked to parks, trails and bicycle infrastructure. Some of the newly created communities have libraries, community centers and schools. Federal funding support is available because TOD projects result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the...

By Looq AI  Addressing the Challenges of Utility Vegetation Management Managing vegetation around America’s electric transmission and distribution infrastructure is crucial for ensuring uninterrupted power delivery. Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) is highly complex and represents a significant cost burden on utility operations and maintenance (O&M) budgets. This includes essential tasks such as tree trimming near power lines, which are critical for service reliability, grid resiliency, and operational safety. Research from Texas A&M University highlights that vegetation management is one of the largest O&M expenses for utilities, demanding substantial resources and posing logistical and safety challenges.  Each vegetation encroachment area requires specialized crews and equipment capable of working near live power lines, often involving planned de-energization, arborists, and traffic control. Electric utilities rely on external contractors who must adhere to...

By Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO, Aurigo One of the toughest jobs city managers face is getting buy-in from the public on infrastructure projects. These projects, such as highways, roads, and bridges, are often essential for economic growth and development but can be met with fierce opposition from residents. Projects such as Boston’s Big Dig have become notorious for their soaring costs and vociferous objections from the local community, resulting in long delays. While almost everyone agrees on the need for good public transportation for urban areas to thrive, the what, how, where, and when of these valuable projects can easily become contentious issues. The success of public infrastructure projects is inextricably linked with effective public engagement. However, public trust is at an all-time low thanks to the uncomfortable truth that most city construction projects are delivered over budget and over schedule. Timely dialogue with concerned constituents is often hindered by outdated pu...

By Mark Zweig, Chairman & Founder, Zweig Group From The Zweig Letter This is the math that firm owners who pursue mergers and acquisitions use to create a lot of value in their businesses. People talk about “synergy” in mergers and acquisitions of AEC firms, and for some, the word sounds like a cliche. Cynicism keeps many firm owners out of the business of pursuing M&A as a strategy, but they are missing out. Aside from the client and talent sharing that can and should occur between the buying and selling companies – which certainly can be real as long as earnouts or internal accounting or reward systems don’t work against it – the real synergy shows up in the valuation of the combined entities. Consider this example: Firm “A” is a $20 million revenue company that makes a 10 percent profit and is growing by 10 percent a year. They want to buy or merge with Firm “B,” which is a $4 million revenue company that also makes a 10 percent profit and is growing by 10 perc...

By Chad Coldiron, Principal & Director of Development, Zweig Group From The Zweig Letter Takeaways from Zweig Group’s 2024 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala. From September 17-19, 2023, Zweig Group hosted the  2024 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala  in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida. This year’s event was a fantastic gathering, bringing together some of the best performing firms in the AEC industry, along with other industry leaders committed to improving their workplaces and those who support these efforts. With a sell-out crowd of more than 400 attendees, the energy at the bayside venue was palpable, filled with inspiration and excitement for the future. Throughout the conference, the crowd engaged in numerous learning sessions and roundtable discussions on important topics such as recruitment and retention, operational excellence, professional development best practices, and the impact of AI and technology. The theme for this year’s conference was “Return ...

BOSTON, MA  – STV, a leading professional services firm that plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects across North America, today announced it has played a key role in securing a $472 million  MPDG Mega grant  from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). This historic federal award, the largest in MBTA’s history, will fund the replacement of North Station’s Draw One Bridge over the Charles River. STV provided technical assistance in developing the comprehensive benefit-cost analysis that demonstrated the value of this project, as well as advice critical to federal requests for information post-submission.  “STV’s deep expertise in transportation and grant advisory was key to securing this transformative grant for the MBTA,” said Patricia Macchi, national director of infrastructure economics and grants advisory at STV. “This grant will help fund replacement and modernization, enhance resilienc...

McIlheran will assist with leading raSmith’s team of site planners, civil engineers, & landscape architects whowork on projects across the U.S. BROOKFIELD, Wis. — raSmith, a multi-disciplined civil and structural engineering and surveying firm, has announced the promotion of Paul McIlheran to assistant director of site design services. Previously a senior project manager, McIlheran brings nearly three decades of site planning and design expertise to his new role. In his new position, McIlheran will work with David Mortensen, director of site design services, to lead the division’s 38 employees. His responsibilities will include business development, project management, standardization, and employee development. In addition to his role as assistant director, McIlheran will also continue to serve both existing and new clients. “Paul contributes a unique skill set to the site design services division,” said Mortensen. “He is a very talented engineer who has built lasting client ...