October 26, 2022

WSB, a Twin Cities-based design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, community planning, environmental, and construction services announced the hiring of Sarah Rohne as its new director of human resources. 

Rohne will be supporting human resource needs throughout the company. In addition to her role as a HR Business Partner, Rohne will also focus on talent development, employee engagement, and strategic HR initiatives. She joins WSB from Schwan’s Company, where she most recently served as their senior human resource manager of talent pipeline and development. 

“WSB is an amazing organization with a team of incredibly talented people,” said Rohne. “It is my job to act as a supportive resource, connector, innovator, educator, and talent developer for staff so we can successfully drive business forward. I look forward to strengthening our HR team, managing our day-to-day operations, and advancing strategic initiatives to help our firm grow in size, scope, and tap into new markets and opportunities.”

As director, Rohne will help organize and oversee HR practices at WSB. She has received multiple leadership and recognition awards and has published impressive legal articles throughout her 15-year career in the HR industry.

“Sarah will be an amazing asset to our human resources team, as well as to staff and leadership across our organization,” said Julie Thiel, vice president of human resources at WSB. “She brings passion, expertise, and meaningful insights on how to foster and develop talent. We are thrilled to have her on the WSB team and know she will be valuable in advancing internal initiatives.”

More information about WSB and its services are available at wsbeng.com.

October 25, 2022

Karls will focus on driving growth for the firm’s transportation services in North Dakota.

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that Jessica Karls has joined the organization as their director of transportation design. Karls will be based in the firm’s Fargo office where she will focus on driving growth and expanding the firm’s reach across North Dakota. Karls will also act as senior project manager for WSB’s large-scale transportation infrastructure projects throughout the U.S.

The strategic hiring of Karls represents WSB’s investment in the Fargo metro area. The director role will strengthen and expand the firm’s transportation services and solutions throughout the Midwest. For years, WSB has been delivering engineering services in and around the North Dakota region, but the addition of Karls forms a stronger presence of boots on the ground, local expertise in the area. WSB has prioritized building their transportation team in North Dakota over the past year.

“Through our commitment to innovation and cutting-edge technology, WSB has the unique opportunity to support infrastructure projects in North Dakota in a more efficient and effective way than in the past,” said Wieber. “We’re continuing to make investments and the addition of Jessica will build our momentum. Her experience expanding into new markets and geographies and her strategic approach to project management and client service will be invaluable to our clients both in North Dakota and throughout the Midwest.”

Karls was most recently the associate vice president of transportation – senior project manager at KLJ, a Bismarck-headquartered civil engineering firm. She was named a Top 25 Women in Business in 2022 by the Prairie Business Journal and has managed some of North Dakota’s largest infrastructure projects including the U.S. 85 four-lane expansion from Long X to County Route 30, the U.S. 84 four-lane expansion south of Watford City, and the New Town Bypass.

“The opportunity to grow and support transportation locally, while also having the full backing of a multi-disciplinary firm is something that attracted me to WSB,” said Karls. “Joining a firm that is not only committed to exceptional client service, but one that is also leading the industry in the way we deliver projects is something I’m looking forward to being part of.”

WSB first entered the Fargo market in 2017. The firm is expanding throughout North Dakota and currently has an office in Bismarck and will open an expanded office in the Fargo metro in early 2023.

WSB was named a finalist in the Enterprise Engineering category for Bentley System’s 2022 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure. The projects nominated for the Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure are judged by an independent panel of jurors, using criteria specific to each category. The finalists demonstrate excellence and digital advancements in their respective award category.  Bentley Systems is a software development company that develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports computer software and services for the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure.

The Enterprise Engineering category recognizes organizations that have demonstrated excellence and innovation in digital collaboration, information management, information mobility, or content management through implementing digital workflows for improved outcomes on a specific design project(s) or broadly across the organization.

The Project

As part of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT’s) TH 169: Redefine Elk River initiative to support the roadway’s lifecycle management and long-term maintenance, the project team  wanted to share complex 3D model information between design, construction, and asset management teams. The team faced challenges updating the design model with the construction data, as well as integrating the information with asset management systems. They needed an open digital platform to integrate all data without losing valuable information.

Leveraging Bentley’s solutions WSB imported the data from MnDOT and other asset management systems into the design models and integrated them with the construction process data. Bentley applications reduced costs and resource hours while delivering the as-built model. The proof of concept demonstrates the value of a digital twin, providing teal-time insight on the performance of 12 MnDOT asset classes for easier lifecycle maintenance and saving millions on project scoping assignments by identifying asset needs.

Check out the full list of finalists here: 2022 Going Digital Awards Finalists | Bentley Systems

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 winners for the 2022 Marketing Excellence Awards for outstanding, results-driven marketing. Zweig awards the top three firms in each possible category. WSB ranked first place in two categories and second in another.

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.

New Hire Box | Recruitment / Retention Communication | First Place and People’s Choice Award

At WSB, we have six main divisions that our services fall into.  Rather than get into the weeds of the 30+ different services we offer and overwhelm our audience, we focused on our divisions to help guide the content.  Within the new hire box, there are six items that each represent a division at WSB.  To help tell the story, we created a new hire booklet that is included in each Welcome Box. The book also includes a welcome message from our CEO with tips on how to be successful at WSB, our mission and our values.  Not only do the items help us communicate our divisions, but they also help the new hire already feel part of the WSB community when they walk through the door on their first day for onboarding. 

2021 Year In Review | Internal Newsletter | First Place

Since 2009, WSB has published our annual Year in Review 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’re building what’s next in infrastructure across the country are important for our staff to hear.

Every year, we explore a different way to tell WSB’s story of the last year.  We’ve told our story through our geographies, divisions, service areas, etc.  We rebranded in 2018 and since then, our five values have become a strong communications tool.  This year, we wanted to tell the WSB story through these five values to reinforce that we bring our values into our work. We are Bold, Visionary, Optimistic, Authentic and Passionate. The content was guided by these values.

Special Edition DigitalPlus | 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.  Our WSB External newsletter typically follow a standard content format. With the introduction of DigitalPlus, we created a special edition because we’re introducing a new brand, while also straying from our typical standard format. The special edition newsletter allows us to plant a flag in the ground and tell the story of our commitment to advanced project delivery.

People’s Choice Award

WSB was awarded the People’s Choice Marketing Excellence Award at the Zweig ElevateAEC Conference in Las Vegas for the firm’s New Hire Box. The People’s Choice Marketing Excellence Award is chosen by conference attendees and is based on votes received for all first place Marketing Excellence Award winners in every category.

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

WSB is honored to be named one of the Top 200 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune – ranking #52 on the top Midsize Employers list. For nine years, we have received this prestigious honor, recognizing the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health, and satisfaction.

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. Together, we look beyond the needs of today to the opportunities tomorrow.

---

Join our Top Workplace! Learn about our career opportunities here.

WSB was recently named a 2022 Hot Firm by the Zweig Group for the ninth consecutive year. The list honors the fastest growing firms in the AEC industry in the U.S. and Canada. Firms are ranked based on three-year growth in revenue, by both percentage and growth. WSB ranks #42 on this year’s list, climbing 16 spots from 2021.

The Zweig Group is the leading research, publishing, and advisory services resource for firms in the AEC industry.  The Zweig Group’s awards programs recognize and celebrate top AEC industry firms in several categories.  Winners will be recognized at the 2021 Elevate AEC Conference in November.

View the complete list of Hot Firm Winners.

WSB is proud to land on ENR’s nationally ranked list for the tenth consecutive year, moving up 21 spots from last year’s position. Through ENR’s annual survey, companies throughout the United States are ranked according to revenue for design services performed. ENR’s mission is to connect diverse sectors of the industry with coverage of issues that include business management, design, construction methods, technology, safety, law, legislation, environment and labor.

Since WSB was formed 25+ years ago, we have been committed to growth.  For many years we’ve worked with our communities to build what’s next in infrastructure. Through strong partnerships we’ve been able to collaborate and solve some of our communities’ biggest challenges. Our growth would not be possible without our dedicated clients. Thank you for trusting us with your infrastructure needs.

It an honor to be recognized amongst our peers. Thank you to our staff who also play a significant role in driving our growth and shaping our company. At WSB, we drive innovation through every level and service area, and we look forward to advancing project delivery with our clients in the future.