Navigating the Future: Digital Construction Management with WSB

December 7, 2023
By Andy Kaiyala | VP of Construction Technologies and Controls, TX, WSB

In an ever-evolving construction industry, Digital Construction Management (DCM) is the future of our industry. Utilizing cloud-based connected data environments that visualize the physical world in an interactive digital space is the next step to advance civil construction project delivery. This undertaking will produce accurate 3D models that become the single source of truth for project delivery, with each stakeholder building upon the work of the previous.

Simply put, this is the future of civil infrastructure and WSB is at the forefront with our DCM service.

Defining Digital Construction Management
Digital Construction Management represents a paradigm shift. At its core, DCM is the fusion of advanced technology and traditional construction practices that allows all stakeholders to evaluate the same data and make smart decisions.

The shift from 2D to 3D workflows will not occur overnight, but we recognize the value of 3D modeling and its ability to provide a more comprehensive and intuitive view of a construction project. 3D models enable stakeholders to visualize the project in its entirety. Where are utility clashes? Where are the trouble spots that need to be addressed? How will shifting elements of a project play out in the real world?

DCM has far-reaching implications for every stage of a construction project, from design to execution.

Unparalleled Problem Solving
Every project comes with risk, but DCM helps create the opportunity to take risk from an abstract concept to a concrete reality so challenges can be solved efficiently. When the proposed design is analyzed in context of a full existing-conditions model, problems are identified early, risk is mitigated and projects are ultimately more efficient and cost-effective.

Putting the Design Model to Work
WSB is excited about DCM because it is the intersection between services and software, and what is next for our industry. WSB provides both cutting-edge software tools and the expertise to use them effectively. DCM enhances our clients’ capabilities, allowing them to integrate operational data within one platform from the very earliest stages of the project through construction close out.

WSB’s in-house DCM expertise spans construction modeling, visualization, design modeling, 4D scheduling, data analytics, project controls, IT development resources, constructability review and automated machine control. This holistic approach ensures that every facet of the project benefits from DCM.

Preparing for the 3D Future
WSB’s approach to Digital Construction Management is about meeting clients where they are today while preparing them for the future.

The future of construction is digital, and our DCM services are empowering clients to make informed decisions while fostering collaboration, utilizing data intelligently and mitigating risks.

The digital future is here, and WSB is leading the way.

Andy is Vice President of Construction Technologies and Controls with over 25 years of industry experience and emphasis on large, complex, alternative delivery infrastructure projects in the transportation, heavy civil, flood control, and transit spaces. Andy has led teams that secured construction projects with a contract value of more than $5B in nine states and three countries.

[email protected] | 203.599.5984

Gaining valuable insights at the League of Minnesota Cities Conference

Bart Fischer, Senior Public Administrator, WSB

WSB recently attended the annual League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) Conference in Duluth. At this conference, more than 600 city officials and staff attended from different cities in Minnesota. LMC is a membership organization dedicated to promoting excellence in local government. The goal of the conference is to join city officials from across the state to develop new skills, discover ideas and show love for our cities. This year’s theme was “City Love.”

City officials and staff are incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to their cities and communities. As we thought through how we could engage with conference attendees, while also gathering valuable insights, the “City Love” theme brought us to two prompts: “What do I love most about my city?” and “If I had a million dollars for my city I would….” We displayed two boards with the different questions at the exhibit hall and below is what we heard.

What do I love most about my city?

We received a number of different responses to this question; however, they all shared common themes. What city officials and staff love about their cities is their community. The people, diversity, infrastructure, and nature of a community is what people care about. City officials and staff work diligently to create a safe community with a high quality of life. Several of the responses reflected on open spaces, parks, trails, lakes, and wetlands.

It is crucial to understand this information because it matters when making decisions for the future of the community. When city officials and staff are providing their best to their community it grows and strengthens the city.

WSB works to grow with them, and we want to strengthen our cities infrastructure through partnership. Understanding what is important to the people we work with allows us to better serve a city’s unique needs. We incorporate our client’s values to build what is next in infrastructure.

If I had a million dollars for my city I would…

On this board, the many responses reflected similar ideas, and all revolved around making their city better. Responses talked about infrastructure, parks, landscaping, safety, and economics.

Gathering this information, our team reflected on how WSB can play a role. We have collaborated with different communities to support their needs for nearly 30 years. Throughout this time, we’ve found that in many cases, one of the largest barriers to completing projects is funding. We work with cities to find a way to get their infrastructure projects completed from start to finish.

Following the conference, it was interesting to reflect on the collective responses from each question. While many cities share similar needs and thoughts, the scale and specifics vary greatly because of their unique characteristics, geography, and constructs.

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.

[email protected] | 651.485.1839

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 two awards in marketing.

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

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

WSB Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 2 | External Newsletter | Second Place

Twice a year, WSB publishes an external newsletter. For over 10 years, WSB has mailed a newsletter highlighting projects, innovations, techniques, and news. We feel there is still value in a well-done printed piece. Issuing a newsletter helps us tell our WSB story in a broader way than digital marketing.

This newsletter focused on the work we have done across the country. Our growth has been significant both in our staff, offices, and projects. Click here to view the newsletter.

2022 Year In Review | Internal Newsletter | Third Place

Since 2009, WSB has published our annual Year In Review. This publication recaps the previous year and is distributed at our firm’s annual celebration. The goal is simple – to tell the story of WSB to our staff. In recent years, we have grown significantly both in staff size and geography. The stories of how we are building what is next in infrastructure across the country are important for our staff to hear. It helps us reconnect to our mission and reminds us of what we work together towards. Click here to view the 2022 Year in Review publication.

The complete list of Marketing Excellence Winners can be accessed here: Marketing Excellence Award (zweiggroup.com)

City of Hugo has been selected as a MRPA Award of Excellence recipient

The City of Hugo has been selected as a MRPA Award of Excellence recipient for the Lions Volunteer Park and Downtown Improvement Project. The award will be presented later this summer at a City Council meeting.

WSB’s design team collaborated with the City of Hugo and HCM Architects to engage in a comprehensive planning process aimed at transforming the existing downtown into an expanded civic space. The project was completed in 2022 and features a fully redeveloped park with a wide variety of interactive features meeting a broad range of ages and abilities and includes event space, the Peder Pederson Pavilion, an inclusive playground, and athletic courts. It also includes an abundance of gathering areas surrounded by aesthetic landscaping that is irrigated through a stormwater reuse system. The new and redeveloped streets and trails greatly improve overall access to the park and the Hugo City Hall for both pedestrians and vehicles.

TxDOT selects WSB for Comprehensive Engineering Consultant (CEC) Services Houston District

The firm is selected to deliver $10 million in engineering services over four years

May 23, 2023

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that they have been awarded a contract by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Houston District as a prime provider of Comprehensive Engineering Consultant (CEC) services.

“We welcome the opportunity to support the Houston District’s engineering needs,” said Bret Weiss, WSB’s president and chief executive officer. “This is our first large-scale contract with TxDOT’s Houston District, and we see this as a significant advantage because we have the opportunity to shape the way infrastructure projects are delivered in the Houston community. As a firm, we lead the industry in in digital delivery across the country. We’re looking forward to bringing a more innovative, collaborative approach to design and engineering services for the state of Texas’ infrastructure needs.”

Through TxDOT’s Professional Engineering Procurement Services (PEPS) division, the CEC contracts are solicited through an RFP process and use qualification-based selection to procure services. PEPS mission is to obtain the most qualified consultants to deliver effective solutions for Texas. The division has $1.35 billion allocated for consultant services in 2023 alone.

“TxDOT’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable and integrated transportation systems align well with our capabilities and expertise,” said David Balmos, WSB’s vice president of strategy. “Our technical approach, deep bench of in-house expertise, approach to project management and our resumé of notable design and engineering projects will be vital to TxDOT’s long-range transportation plan.”

In addition to the CEC contract, WSB provides engineering services to TxDOT for the I-10 Inner Katy project, a $1.2 billion program to reconstruct five miles of urban freeway in Houston.

WSB expands survey team leadership in Minnesota and Colorado

Expansion of leadership will delineate strategic business development efforts across the firm’s markets

May 4, 2023

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that they have expanded their survey team leadership. Brad Oswald has been promoted to Director of Survey and Pete Helder has been promoted to Director of Survey Operations, Minnesota. The new leadership structure allows for more focus to elevate the firm’s survey operations throughout offices in Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, North Dakota and expansion across the nation.

“The promotion of Brad and Pete within our survey team is significant for our growth trajectory,” said Kyle Klasen, WSB vice president of survey and digital delivery. “Both Pete and Brad have worked closely to build and expand our service offering across the markets we serve. Their work ethic and leadership skills have not only helped build our internal teams but has driven new business through their commitment to innovation and client service.”

Oswald first joined WSB in 2021 as director of survey operations. Throughout this time, he’s established the firm’s subsurface utility engineering (SUE) service, grown the WSB survey footprint in Colorado and has led many large-scale American Land Title Association (ALTA) land survey projects. In his new role as director of survey, Oswald will guide the overall strategy for the firm’s survey team and will coordinate survey efforts across the country.

“Every infrastructure project across the nation is based on survey measurements,” said Oswald. “Strong data is the foundation of any project and the way we operate at WSB is unique to the industry. We believe in the combination of expertise and cutting-edge tools to deliver better projects. I’m looking forward to expanding our footprint while working with our clients to provide this crucial data, efficiently and effectively.”

Helder has been with WSB for over 25 years as principal and survey group coordinator. Throughout his tenure, he’s managed the firm’s survey crews and was at the forefront of leading the firm into the renewable energy market. In his new role as director of survey operations, Minnesota, Helder will direct WSB’s survey efforts across Minnesota and will lead the firm’s renewable survey efforts across the country.

“The art of surveying goes back to ancient times and is one of the single most important assets in civil infrastructure project planning,” said Helder. “With the large investment in renewable energy across the nation, WSB is well-suited to deliver accurate, precise and technical survey data for our clients.”

Both Oswald, Helder and WSB are recognized across the industry as a go-to firm for survey services. WSB’s survey services include design, boundary, right of way, 3D laser, asset management, construction staking, environmental compliance and SUE. More information about WSB’s survey services can be found here.

Brad Oswald
Director of Survey
[email protected] | 248.686.4745

Pete Helder
Director of Survey Operations, Minnesota
[email protected] | 612.363.6952

WSB grows North Dakota presence with the relocation and expansion of Fargo office

The design and consulting firm’s North Dakota expansion is part of their strategic growth plans.

May 3, 2023

WSB, a design and consulting firm, announced today that they have expanded their Fargo office to the TAB 42 professional office building on 4207 28^th Avenue South. The 4,500-square-foot expansion represents a continuation of WSB’s geographic growth strategy.

“We’re proud to invest in the areas where we live and work,” said Travis Wieber, WSB’s vice president of transportation. “We’re looking forward to bringing the full range of WSB’s expertise to the area. As a full-service design and consulting firm, we’re capitalizing on our local leadership, investing in technology to create efficiencies, and changing the way our industry develops infrastructure projects through digital delivery.”

WSB, which provides engineering, community planning, environmental and construction services to the public and private sector, established a Fargo presence in 2017, their second WSB location in North Dakota. WSB first entered the North Dakota market in 2014 with the opening of their Bismarck office.

The Fargo area market has experienced steady growth with increasing infrastructure needs. Expanding the firm’s local presence will allow them to better serve the area through innovation, expertise and advanced technologies.

“WSB has deep roots in Minnesota and looks forward to expanding Fargo,” said Jessica Karls, WSB’s director of transportation design. “We have strong relationships with partners and clients in Fargo and throughout North Dakota. We look forward to bringing innovative, comprehensive solutions to the clients we serve.”

WSB’s Fargo office expansion represents an investment in the region, as well as with local clients and partners. The Fargo office will support full-service infrastructure needs throughout the government, energy and commercial markets.

Bret Weiss, WSB President & CEO, named a Most Admired CEO

May 1, 2023

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has announced that Bret Weiss, WSB’s President & CEO has been named one of the Most Admired CEOs of 2023. This award recognizes the outstanding professional accomplishments and the involvement in communities of Twin Cities business leaders.

Weiss is well-deserving of this award. His years of leadership and vision have guided him to be the business leader he is today. Throughout his tenure, he has remained committed to finding solutions to support the growth of WSB and has lent his expertise and leadership skills to our industry and business community.

Weiss will accept this honor in September during the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO award ceremony.

Click here to read the full article.

WSB Promotes Steve Nelson to Director of Water/Wastewater

April 28, 2023

Nelson’s background in community enhancing, sustainable solutions will guide the firm’s innovative approach to water/wastewater solutions.

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that Steve Nelson has been promoted to director of water/wastewater. In his new role, Nelson will lead and grow the firm’s water/wastewater team, support business development and lead the firm’s biological filtration and water/wastewater innovation efforts. Nelson joined WSB last year as a senior project manager and since then has worked to elevate the firm’s water/wastewater services throughout Minnesota.

“Steve has over 30 years of water and wastewater industry experience,” said Monica Heil, WSB vice president of municipal services. “His deep understanding for clients’ operational needs is unmatched and his ability to apply his subject matter expertise with our staff will allow us to continue to deliver innovative water and wastewater solutions across all our markets.”

Throughout his tenure, Nelson has led several successful water and wastewater projects and has made several industry contributions. He has led the development of water treatment plant design and renovations, water treatment plant process optimizations, filter maintenance evaluations and biological treatment. He played a leadership role in the Approval of Biological Treatment in Minnesota and helped the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) develop its protocol for Biological Pilot Testing.

Regarding PFAS contamination, Nelson served as the primary contributing author of the report for the Minnesota Attorney General, for several east metro communities and continues to help communities with PFAS related planning and removal. Nelson served two multi-year terms as the chair for the Minnesota AWWA Research Committee, and currently serves on the AWWA Water Utility Council (WUC).

“WSB is providing industry leadership in customer focused environmentally friendly solutions like softening, biological filtration, and PFAS removal. Such solutions are imperative to protecting our natural resources and supporting sustainable communities,” said Nelson. “The engineering behind water/wastewater will only become more valuable as our communities’ face water related demands. I’m looking forward to taking on a new leadership role at WSB and believe in the firm’s commitment to building what’s next in infrastructure. It’s this kind of approach that will better arm our communities for the future.”

WSB’s water/wastewater services include wastewater treatment facility design, expansion and rehabilitation, water studies, system modeling and analysis and more. More information about WSB’s water and wastewater services can be found here.

WSB expands Houston presence with the relocation and expansion of office

April 26, 2023

The fast-growing design and consulting firm first entered the Houston market in 2019 and will open two additional offices in Texas this year.

WSB, a design and consulting firm, announced today that they have expanded their Houston office to the Energy Tower professional office building on 11700 Katy Freeway. The over 6,000-square-foot expansion represents a continuation of WSB’s geographic growth strategy.

“The Houston community and surrounding areas are investing heavily in their infrastructure and WSB’s offerings are well suited to support these needs,” said David Balmos, WSB’s vice president of strategy. “We’ve seen an increasing interest from our clients and partners in our digital delivery services. Our approach to project delivery is disrupting the industry and the Houston area needs a more innovative approach to infrastructure development. It makes sense to expand our operations and presence in the area.”

WSB, which provides engineering, community planning, environmental and construction services to the public and private sector, established a Houston presence in 2019 through the acquisition of Nathelyne A. Kennedy and Associates (NAK). Since then, the firm has invested heavily in strategic hires and has grown their local expertise substantially.

The counties surrounding the Houston area recently approved more than $3 billion for projects related to infrastructure improvement. As a firm that focuses on providing advanced project delivery for the government, commercial and energy markets, WSB will bring a forwarding-thinking mindset to their client’s project approaches.

“Our expertise, combined with our innovation is what differentiates us from others in the market,” said Jay Kennedy, WSB’s vice president of Texas operations. “We look forward to continuing our strategic expansion plans across the state of Texas through our commitment to building what’s next in infrastructure.”

WSB first entered Texas in 2017 with the establishment of their Austin office. Since then, the firm has established a presence in Dallas and will also open offices in Round Rock and Tyler later this year. The Houston office will support full-service infrastructure needs throughout the state.