Endi Zhai is a cheerful, charismatic geotechnical engineer who can charm people into doing what he asks. For example, he persuaded top-level transportation officials, mayors, city councils, and some 200 engineers and contractors from several countries to attend the International Chinese Transportation Professionals Association conference, which was held in Los Angeles in May. PHOTO BY Michael Scott Kenney AMID TWO WORLDS: Chinese-Americans like Zhai have become key players in the new world order. Graphic by Justin Reynolds for ENR An ENR special feature. Related Links: Main Story: Where a New Inclusiveness Is Changing the Face of the Construction Industry Minorities
The idea of workplace diversity is nothing new, but its progress in the engineering and construction world is, well, diverse. Some firms take a minimal approach, adhering to federal rules regarding minority and disadvantaged businesses or anti-discrimination laws. Others cite diversity and inclusion as a core value and business imperative. Related Links: Minorities Lament their Low Numbers in Engineering and Construction How a Support Group for Gays in Aviation Took Flight Korean-Americans Build Cultural Inroads in U.S. Construction Chinese-Americans Find Themselves Bridging the Gap Between the U.S. and China A Generation of Iranians Displaced by Revolution Put Their Math and
The Middle Eastern men gather every year at the annual internal seminar held by their employer, Kleinfelder. They share notes about families, raising children and perhaps trade news from their homeland. For this cluster of Iranian-Americans, this kind of networking is a microcosm of a socio-cultural immigrant phenomenon: They are a generation of engineering talent that came to the U.S. to study and train but never returned to their home country. Photo courtesy of kleinfelder ENGINEERING GEN Makarechi (second from left), Behboodi (second from right), Moossazedeh (right). Graphic by Justin Reynolds A special ENR feature. Related Links: Main Story: Where
Attendees at the International Bridge Conference, held in June at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, saw something they had never seen before: the 3,500-sq-ft main pavilion was devoted to the all-stars of the South Korean engineering and construction world. The exhibition included Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, rail and highway agencies, and governmental research laboratories. Collage by Justin Reynolds for ENR A special ENR feature. Related Links: Main Story: Where a New Inclusiveness Is Changing the Face of the Construction Industry Minorities Lament their Low Numbers in Engineering and Construction How a Support Group for Gays in Aviation Took Flight Chinese-Americans
Like an aging Hollywood diva attempting to attract new roles, Los Angeles International Airport is getting a $1.5-billion makeover in order to better appeal to airlines and customers. A gleaming 1.3-million-sq-ft addition to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, dubbed Bradley West, headlines the city's largest public-works project. Photo courtesy LAWA SOARING HOPES Airport officials pin the reputation of a revamped LAX on a new, modern terminal building. Related Links: Los Angeles Revamps Terminal to Save International Business “This is an effort not to grow the existing airport but to grow the quality of service,” says Michael Doucette, chief planner with
As mass transit officials, struggling to keep aging systems in usable condition, explored the possibility of private-public partnerships, Republicans unveiled on June 15 a plan to take the Northeast Corridor away from Amtrak and privatize it. Photo by AP Wideworld AMTRAK FACES ATTACK Republican-led proposal would strip Amtrak of Northeast Corridor ownership. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) fleshed out a plan to draw private-sector money to upgrade passenger rail service from Washington, D.C., to Boston to high-speed levels.The plan would remove from Amtrak's control its 363 route miles of the 457-mile-long Northeast Corridor (NEC). The proposal
Transportation and other markets in the emirate countries of the Middle East continue to offer lucrative opportunities for U.S. engineering firms. Qatar leaders on April 6 signed contracts with these firms worth billions of dollars during a Manhattan conference that drew top government and business officials. Parsons Transportation Group will provide design work for two new highways that together are projected to cost more than $1 billion, and is teamed with AECOM on construction management for a $3.5-billion, 30-km light rail network. Jeffrey Squires, Parsons executive vice president, says Qatar's 2022 hosting of the FIFA World Cup is spurring infrastructure
A construction management contractor wasted no time in responding to the damage inflicted to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport by an April 22 tornado and still expects to complete the ongoing renovation on schedule. Photo By AP Worldwide/Emily M. Rasinski Thanks to swift contractor response, the Lambert-St. Louis airport quickly resumed operations after the tornado. Kwame Building Group, St. Louis, is three years into the four-year, $70-million Airport Experience Program, which entails major interior renovations to terminal 1 and concourses A and C. “We had just started the terminal rehab when the tornado hit,” says Mike Minges, Kwame senior vice president.
Dovetailing with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation announcement that 24 states were vying for the $2.4 billion in high-speed-rail funds rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), public transit advocates on April 6 released a report contending that high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects will stimulate construction, manufacturing-sector and long-term job growth. Rendering: Courtesy of California High-speed Rail Authority Report says rapid rail boosts the economy and creates jobs. According to the report, for each $1 billion invested in HSR projects, 24,000 jobs would be created. Kevin McFall, senior vice president with Stacy and Witbeck Inc., Alameda, Calif., a general
Transportation and other markets in the emirate countries of the Middle East continue to offer lucrative opportunities for U.S. engineering firms. Qatar leaders on April 6 signed contracts with these firms worth billions of dollars during a Manhattan conference that drew top government and business officials. Related Links: Qatar Forum: Billion dollar deals Parsons Transportation Group will provide design work for two new highways that together are projected to cost more than $1 billion, and is teamed with AECOM on construction management for a $3.5-billion, 30-km light rail network. Jeffrey Squires, Parsons executive vice president, says Qatar's 2022 hosting of