Engineering Needs More Surveyors

By Brad Oswald, Director of Survey Operations, WSB

Some elements of engineering are bright and shiny. Surveying is not classically considered bright and shiny. The work of a surveyor often goes unnoticed, but it is an important step to delivering a project on time and within budget.

A surveyor measures land, considering the topography of a project site, to delineate where to put infrastructure like pipes, wind turbines, solar arrays and more.

You may need a surveyor if you are:

Buying or selling a home or piece of land
Dividing a larger piece of land into smaller pieces
Installing a fence or pipeline

At WSB, developers, construction companies and their contractors rely on surveyors to perform boundary and land surveying on small and large projects. Boundary surveying is when a surveyor establishes the boundaries of a project site. A surveyor can tell you exactly where the boundaries of your property are, so you know what is and isn’t yours, and what’s developable. Next, a land survey will identify any easements or encroachments on the project site to determine where site improvements can be placed. The surveyor then provides a base map to engineers, who start designing the site. Once the site is designed, a surveyor will stake the design on the ground, so contractors know where to build on the site.

These steps help prevent any legal or monetary liabilities. A new homeowner may want to build a fence on their property. If they build that fence without surveying the property, they could be hit with a lawsuit if the fence encroaches on the neighboring property. Consider it on a much larger scale. A developer may plan to install wind turbines on a site. After paying the thousands of dollars to install the turbine, they could find that the turbine is encroaching on a neighboring property. Surveyors can mitigate these problems long before the wind turbine is in the ground.

Right now, the surveying industry is facing a challenge.

Less people are entering the industry. The engineering industry must come together to underscore the importance of surveying. Opportunities in the space are growing, too, as industries are focusing on increasing renewables projects across the country, even the world. These projects include pipelines, wind turbines, solar arrays, transmission and transportation projects.

Technology is also enhancing the field. With more satellites orbiting the Earth, improved GPS technology makes the job not only more efficient, but more interesting. Drones are also being utilized on larger project sites.

The work of a surveyor is critical to delivering a project, as designs and builds are based on surveys. The workforce must grow with the industry to ensure all projects are successful.

Brad has 23 years of experience in the land surveying industry with the last 18 focused on management, project delivery and mentoring. He has extensive experience in the electric and federal market sectors providing boundary, ALTA/NSPS, topographic surveys and construction staking.

[email protected] | 248.686.4745

WSB promotes Tony Havranek, lead fisheries ecologist, to director of fisheries

Havranek has led the firm’s aquatic invasive species and carp management service since 2014 and is the brains behind FisH2O, the firm’s fish logistics subsidiary.

Local design and consulting firm WSB today announced the promotion of Tony Havranek to director of fisheries. Havranek will oversee business development efforts for the firm’s fisheries work and leads operations for the firm’s fish logistics subsidiary, FisH2O.

Havranek has been with WSB since 2014 and has grown the firm’s ecological and fisheries services exponentially. In 2019, Tony led efforts to launch FisH2O, a fish logistics subsidiary that enhances WSB’s innovative invasive fish species management services. Since then, FisH2O has expanded its offerings to include fresh fish with future plans to include a research facility and aquaculture.

“Tony is recognized as a true expert in our industry and no idea is too big or out of reach for him,” said Andi Moffatt, WSB’s vice president of environmental services. “Tony’s dedication to leading the industry in sustainability and new techniques is unmatched and this type of big-picture, innovative and sky’s the limit thinking is what we encourage at WSB.”

Havranek has nearly 20 years of experience in the natural resources field. Prior to his time at WSB, Tony helped develop federal policies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and worked with tribal communities throughout the Midwest on their natural resources needs. He is recognized throughout the industry for his forestry, water quality, fisheries, aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, wetlands and wildlife expertise.

“At WSB, I’ve found a place where I can innovate with our clients and staff to improve ecological outcomes through sustainable solutions,” said Havranek. “Together, we will continue to support watershed districts, lake associations, cities and the tribal community to improve water quality and manage invasive fish species.”

The top takeaways from the 2021 Minnesota Legislative Session

Bart Fischer, Senior Public Administrator, WSB and Gary Carlson, Intergovernmental Relations Director at the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) unpack the issues communities should pay attention to post-legislative session.

This year, there was an interesting confluence of state and congressional legislation that will impact cities more than any other time in history. The pandemic and recovery efforts will have a tremendous impact of congressional action on our cities and understanding and navigating these impacts can be extremely important in the coming months.

BF: It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were talking about the top issues to pay attention to going into this session, Gary. Thanks for taking the time to dive into the takeaways with me post-session.

GC: Anytime Bart. It was an exciting session with a lot of moving parts. I think one of the biggest takeaways was the impact to our state budget and the American Recovery Act. There are still many question marks and unknowns about the federal package, but if you go back a year ago, we were facing a $2.4 billion deficit and we’ve ended up with quite a surplus due to a recovering economy and the federal government. At the beginning of the session, cities and counties were watching closely as the pandemic impacted tax collections and how it would affect local government aid (LGA) distributions and road funding. Relief packages have bolstered our economy and made the economic recession much less impactful. We were expecting to see deep cuts in state aid, but the legislature put over $5 million into LGA to preserve funding for all cities.

In addition to increased funding for communities, we were also looking for some flexibility in the use of TIF to account for the impact of the pandemic. TIF districts that were created between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2020, now have three more years to complete development activities.

BF: It’s great to hear some positive news after a year of so many challenges. The pandemic has certainly had significant impacts on our communities. Anything outside of the pandemic or relief packages that communities should be paying attention to?

GC: Yes – the Local Option Sales Tax. For many years, we’ve been having conversations about authorizing local sales taxes without the need for legislative approval. In recent years, the legislature has been trying to define what these sales taxes can be used for. This session, they have further defined allowable uses to be capital projects of regional significance that are generally buildings, park improvements or trails that provide benefits to both residents and non-residents. For example, civic centers, libraries, regional parks and trails, etc. This year, almost every county or city that sought approval for a Local Sales Tax option were approved at least in some part, with the notable exception of proposals for roads and water/wastewater projects. I expect that the trend towards sales tax as a local funding source will continue.

BF: That’s great news. Anything else related to taxes?

GC: We’ve been seeking streamlined sales tax exemption for local government construction projects for many years. This year, the sales tax refund process was extended to include public safety facilities when a city or county uses a construction contractor to make the initial purchase of materials. We’re really happy to see this happen. This has the potential to reduce costs by nearly 7%. Contractors will basically provide documentation of the sales tax paid on construction materials and the city can file to get a refund of that money. This is a huge benefit especially if you think about the rising cost of building materials.

BF: Speaking of public safety, I heard that communities are now able to create multi-jurisdictional fire departments. Can you speak to that?

GC: Yes, this is an issue that many communities have been fighting for years. A group of cities or towns can now form a fire protection district and use economy of scale to fund fire protection more thoroughly. This option allows many cities to be more efficient and it’s a good government reform effort as well. I think you’ll start to see a lot of cities and townships start to explore this option as many around the state are struggling to find enough volunteer fire fighters to staff their stations.

BF: Any final thoughts on this session?

GC: I think the biggest challenges cities and counties have in front of them is determining how to use the federal funds from the American Recovery Act. So far, 21 cities have received their distributions directly and there are 800+ more still waiting. Determining how to spend the funds will be a long-term project for many communities. Right now, cities can use the funds for a number of things; however, in relation to infrastructure, it is limited to water, sewer and broadband projects. There is some talk that Congress will allow the money to be used more broadly for infrastructure related projects. Communities of all sizes have different needs and adding some additional flexibility will really help with other infrastructure needs.

BF: Thank you, Gary. As always, I appreciate your expertise and valuable information.

Connect with the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations staff.

Bart Fischer

Bart Fischer has over two decades of experience in public administration. Throughout his tenure, he’s worked in five Minnesota communities as the city or assistant city administrator. Bart joined our firm in 2019 as a senior public administrator and focuses on lending his public service expertise to our clients.

Gary Carlson

Gary Carlson has 37 years of experience in government affairs. As the Intergovernmental Relations Director at the League of Minnesota Cities, Gary leads the League’s legislative efforts that matter to cities including aid to cities, economic development, employment and human resources, pensions and retirement, public finance, taxes, tax increment financing (TIF) and workers’ compensation.

Make Your Zoning Ordinance Resident Friendly

By Kim Lindquist, Director of Community Planning & Economic Development, WSB

Cities have spent the last few years working feverishly to get their comprehensive plans completed and approved. Many communities are now breathing a sigh of relief, recognizing the heavy lifting is complete. Unfortunately, for some the work has just begun as cities and townships enter the implementation phase of the updating process.

Most communities are good at keeping up with zoning issues that often arise, such as short-term rentals or solar farms. Zoning text amendments come up due to necessity as land use and issues dealing with structures change over time. Communities are often confronted with something unforeseen when drafting their ordinance and therefore need to amend to stay current.

Unfortunately, ordinance amendments modifying regulations may occur frequently, but there seems to be less time for critically evaluating the ordinance in its entirety. While it is common for regulations to be added to an ordinance, obsolete or confusing items are rarely removed. As residents are increasingly looking to city websites for information, cities should consider if their ordinances have been reviewed for readability and clarity for the “non-planner” public.

WSB’s Community Planning and Economic Development Group has recently been working with communities to review their ordinances. In addition to reviewing them for regulations and legal consistency, we are evaluating their presentation and readability. We are helping these communities to improve the way that the information is presented to ensure that clients, staff and the public can quickly find the answers they are looking for regarding planning and zoning with minimal frustration.

For example, residents may need to look in multiple locations within an ordinance to find the information necessary for completing a simple accessory structure building permit. Setbacks, size, exterior materials, and location standards are often placed within different sections of the zoning code, making it difficult for residents to locate. This building permit “maze” often leads to frustrated residents and calls to the community staff, many of which can be avoided through more concise and clear ordinances.

Additionally, as new staff come on board, the knowledge regarding the original intent of the ordinance may be lost. Improving clarity of the ordinance benefits both residents and practitioners, resulting in more efficient use of community resources.

Kim is a planning professional with over 30 years of experience overseeing a variety of complex planning projects. Kim worked in high growth communities working with developers and the public on entitlements for residential development and business attraction to the city.

[email protected] | 763.287.8303

Building Resiliency into Public Works

By Amy Fredregill, Sr Director of Sustainability, WSB

Reliable resources are necessary for every municipality, and consequently, sustainability in public works programs has grown into a long-term goal for municipalities. Prioritizing sustainability and resiliency in a municipality’s infrastructure ensures that programs are reliable, so that when a user turns on their faucet or light switch, water or electricity is delivered.

Resiliency is an important part of sustainability planning. Resiliency is achieved by having a maximum number of options to be able to pivot and adapt to a disruption in an infrastructure system. For example, a main road in a user’s neighborhood could be under construction, or a resident may not have a vehicle. If the municipality has walkways or bikeways through the neighborhood, the user has the option to walk or bike to their job, store, or pharmacy. The ever-expanding choices can lead to healthier communities, encourage tourism, commerce and more.

Cultivating resiliency is not as complicated as it may sound; creating a walkway or bikeway trail system in a neighborhood is only one example. A municipality can invest in water reuse, renewable energy, energy efficiency, stormwater and flood management systems, too. The programs can be built into a large sustainability plan. Moreover, due to evolving technology, increased adoption rates and system investments, energy choices such as renewable energy and conservation can reduce costs and risks. Communities can take advantage of tax credits for renewables, rebates for conservation, and hedge financial risk through emissions reductions.

The systems we rely on – power and gas grids, water and wastewater systems – are complex and critical to daily life. With the significant progress in energy choices at our disposal, cities can offer more services to residents such as electric vehicle charging, helping them to reduce their monthly bills through energy audits and weatherization, increasing outreach and awareness on clean energy programs, and more.

Winter storms underscore the value of having a range of options at our disposal. By having a diverse menu of power generation options and increasingly energy-efficient operations, communities can be more resilient and adapt to changing circumstances. These are things that cities and communities are thinking about for their own sustainability plans. Prioritizing sustainability and resiliency in municipal systems can help prevent, adapt to and mitigate disruptions in the future.

Amy has nearly 25 years of experience across many industries, particularly energy and agriculture, in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. This experience has provided Amy with a broad background that enables her to meet community and business needs based on the business case for sustainability. By working across intersecting systems to simultaneously advance environmental, economic and social goals, she is able to uncover creative solutions.

[email protected] | 612.965.1489

Zweig Group honors WSB with Marketing Excellence Awards

The Zweig Group, the leading research, publishing and advisory services resource for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, has honored WSB with three awards in marketing.

Every year, the organization offers an awards program that specifically recognizes outstanding work within the AEC industry throughout North America.

Marketing Excellence Awards

Zweig recently announced the winners of the 2021 Marketing Excellence Awards for outstanding, results-driven marketing. Zweig awards the top five firms in each possible category. WSB ranked first place in one category and third in two others.

Award entries were judged by a team of marketing professionals and evaluated based upon overall creativity, messaging, results achieved by the campaign, and level of design.

Advertising | Road Work Ahead Mailer | First Place

Our Marketing team worked closely with our Municipal team to create a direct mail and email campaign that promoted our construction related services. The piece was shaped like a road construction sign that read “Road Work Ahead” on the cover. Inside we talked about our approach and philosophy around construction and highlighted our relevant service areas to support all aspects of construction projects.

Internal Newsletter | Year In Review | Third Place

The Year In Review received a third-place award in the Internal Newsletter category. Since 2009, WSB has published our annual Year In Review. For over a decade, this publication has recapped the previous year and has been distributed at our firm’s annual celebration. The goal is simple – to tell the story of WSB to our staff and external partners.. The Year In Review is one of the ways we celebrate our accomplishments in the past year and tell our internal WSB story.

We always include an overview of firm achievements and milestones at the beginning of the publication – because we are one WSB. Even though our work, projects and staff extend across the nation, together we’re working towards a common goal. The rest of the publication was broken up into our divisions and culture highlights. Our projects and work are always very important to our story, but it’s the people behind the projects that really help shape the way we work.

Special Event | 25th Anniversary Special Edition Newsletter | Third Place

In 2020, WSB celebrated our 25^th Anniversary. We had many plans prior to the pandemic to keep the celebration going all year long. Client events, staff events, videos, social campaigns – many of these celebrations involved being together in person. When the pandemic hit, we had to switch gears.

Twice a year, WSB publishes an external newsletter. For over 10 years, WSB has mailed a newsletter highlighting projects, innovations, techniques and news. As we began preparing our content for Volume 2 of 2021, our CEO Bret Weiss, mentioned that he thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight our 25^th Anniversary. Twenty-five years have built many memories – more than we could share on the pages of the newsletter, many that are best told by the people who lived them and a couple that should never be in print. We realized that there are countless people, places and projects that have shaped our story, but there were also many things that contributed to our success over the years. We decided to move forward and tell the story of 25 years through 25 things. The 25 ‘things’ varied – some were personal to individuals, some were from long ago, and some were new things that emerged since our rebrand. Through 25 ‘things’ we shared the story of WSB.

The Complete list of Marketing Excellence Award Winners can be accessed here: https://www.zweiggroup.com/2021-marketing-excellence-award-winners/

Seize Opportunities: Nathelyne Kennedy

In 1959, Kennedy became the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a school in Texas. Here, she reflects on her more than 55 years of experience since then.

In 1959, Nathelyne Archie Kennedy became the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a school in Texas. She is the president and founder of Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc., a Houston-based civil engineering firm that was acquired by WSB in 2019. Committed to advancing the engineering profession, Kennedy has served on the Texas Turnpike Authority Board of Directors and on advisory committees for Texas Southern University, University of Houston Downtown, and her own alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. In 2006 Prairie View named the Nathelyne Archie Kennedy Building, housing the School of Architecture and Art, in her honor. Here, Nathelyne reflects on her more than 55 years working in the engineering industry.

“I hope to see more women heading up their own firms,” Kennedy says. “Engineering is not a male field, it’s just male dominated. I would like to see more women seize opportunities.”

A conversation with Nathelyne A. Kennedy.

WSB: How did you end up in engineering?

Nathelyne Kennedy: I decided to major in engineering after one of my teachers brought it to my attention. My original plan was to major in math and become a teacher like my father. I thought, “If this doesn’t work out, I can always be a teacher,” so I decided to major in engineering. I found out when I started school that there were only two women majoring in engineering and only one graduated – me. After that, things moved fast. I didn’t know that I was the first Black female to receive an engineering degree in Texas. In the beginning, I struggled to get hired even though I graduated at the top of my class. The men easily found employment over me. But eventually, I was hired by an engineering firm after they decided to give me a one-week trial in Chicago. I pounded the pavement hard in Chicago and eventually moved on to a mid-size engineering firm – again after a one-week trial period. That one week turned into 12 years.

Eventually, life led us back to Houston. I took some time off to raise my kids and then eventually started my own firm in 1981, Nathelyne Kennedy & Associates, Inc. We continued to grow and build our networks and today, I still work with some of the same people from the ‘80s. For 38 years, we operated as NAK and I’m proud of all that we have accomplished. In 2019, NAK was acquired by WSB, a Minneapolis-based design and consulting firm. It’s bittersweet to hand over what I’ve built, but I’m looking forward to what’s next and know NAK is in good hands.

WSB: How did your role as president of NAK evolve over time?

NK: Everything has changed. At the beginning, I was doing everything myself. We were growing, things started changing fast and I couldn’t do it all. My job shifted toward marketing, business development, and managing the office. When I found out things I needed to do, I learned. I didn’t know I was going to have to go out and talk to people. I was used to sitting in the office. I had to practice how to build my network. I eventually learned to enjoy it because I learned a lot and had the chance to meet many wonderful people. I was new to people and they were curious about me. Right away, we started winning prime work. Designing roads and streets, then bridges. Word got around about us and we continued to grow.

WSB: What were some challenges of owning your own business?

NK: We were a small firm and getting new, young people to come and work for me was a challenge. They would come and get a little experience and then leave for larger firms. The bigger the better it seemed in their minds. Today, I still have two people that have been with me for 30 years, and three people for more than 20 years – and they were the key people that helped build NAK into what it is today.

WSB: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

NK: The most rewarding part is the people – my staff and other engineering firms. It’s also realizing that we have been successful and have proved that we can do it. I’m proud of our recognition over the years. I have to say that the most rewarding part is not knowing if I could do it, and then achieving success. It has given meaning to my life and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s been a very rewarding journey.

WSB: What is the proudest moment of your career?

NK: The proudest moment of my career was when I was selected as Houston’s Engineer of the Year in 2016. In the 70 years they’ve given out the award, I have been the only female to receive it. It was a huge honor. It reinforced that I have accomplished something. Not one woman before me, not one after me. I am still the only one in 70 years.

WSB: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

NK: My parents. My mother was the mother everyone should want. My father was liked by everyone. My mother stayed at home and raised us, and my father was an agriculture teacher. He taught me a lot about money, saving, and people. They were my best teachers. I don’t know of anyone who was better or meant more to me than the two of them. I think about them every day.

WSB: If you could give someone starting their career one piece of advice, what would it be?

NK: Try to learn as much as you can about your craft and business, but don’t learn too much that it will cause you to change your mind. If I had been told it would be this hard to do this, I would have probably looked at something else, but sometimes it is best to just jump in the fire. If you jump in and work your way out it’s amazing how much you learn. To me, that was the best part of business. There is so much enjoyment in learning and meeting people. Deep down, I believe people are nice and that they want to help you. Everywhere I have lived and everywhere I have worked, I’ve loved meeting people, especially my staff.

WSB: What do you hope to see in the future for the engineering industry?

NK: I hope to see more women heading up their own firms. Engineering is not a male field, it’s just male dominated. I would like to see more women seize opportunities.

WSB: What is the most important life lesson you have learned?

NK: Be nice to others – it comes back to you. Do unto others as you have them do unto you. I grew up with that and I really believe in it.

This article originally appeared in the June 28, 2021 issue of the Zweig Letter.

WSB named one of the Top 175 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune

WSB is honored to be named one of the Top 175 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune – ranking #28 on the top Midsize Employers list. For eight years, we have received this prestigious honor, recognizing the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction.

We are extremely grateful to our WSB team who inspire each other to discover thoughtful and creative solutions for our clients. Together, we look beyond the needs of today to the opportunities of tomorrow. From the beginning, we’ve been firm believers that culture drives results and we’re proud of our staff who continue to help us forge ahead. We want to take a moment to publicly thank our staff for strengthening our culture.

As we look to the future, we remain committed to creating an environment where our staff feel valued, have fulfilling work and feel like they belong.

WSB promotes transportation leader Peter Muehlbach to senior director of transportation program management

Muehlbach is also leading project management efforts to deliver the first set of paperless plans in the state.

Local engineering firm WSB today announced the promotion of Peter Muehlbach to senior director of transportation program management – a leadership role for the rapidly growing Minneapolis-based company. Muehlbach will oversee business development efforts for the firm’s transportation and construction services, ensuring WSB is able to meet client needs today and in the future.

Muehlbach has been with WSB since 2014 and has held many roles throughout those seven years including project manager and director of transportation program management. Muehlbach is also currently project managing the 169 Redefine Elk River project. In this role, he is leading the efforts to deliver the first set of paperless plans to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and is supporting the agency’s development of new delivery standards.

“Our internal and external partners trust and rely on Peter’s technical leadership and expertise,” said Jon Chiglo, WSB’s chief operating officer. “The confidence he instills in our staff and clients is infectious and we’re lucky to have Peter lead these efforts into the future.”

Muehlbach brings more than 15 years of experience delivering transportation projects from concept development through completion. Throughout his tenure with WSB, he has led several key strategic pursuits including alternative delivery and traditional projects pursuits.

“There are many synergies between our transportation and construction teams at WSB and I’m looking forward to supporting their growth and focus,” said Muehlbach. “I’ve been able to carve out an exciting career path at WSB during a time when our industry is rapidly changing. I’m honored that I’m able to continue to shape the way our industry delivers projects.”

WSB is the fourth-largest engineering firm in the Twin Cities and has 15 offices in five states.