2018

Gerry Galloway: 'Superstar' at 83 Continues His Water Management Crusade With an Assist on Big Urban Flooding Study

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0500

When Texas A&M had the chance to snag a “superstar” to join an academic team for the first national study of urban flooding scope and consequences, it knew just who to ask: Gerry Galloway.

Tracy Young: Construction Engineer Turned Tech Startup CEO Delivers Digital Plans and an $875M Payoff

rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin) — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 11:15:00 -0500

Tracy Young had enough project smarts and technology vision to create PlanGrid, a now widely used cloud-based platform that has transformed field-document handling and brought an eye-popping buyout price from software giant Autodesk.

Michael Feigin: Multifamily Builder Launches Fire-Elimination Strategy for Wood Frames

Sat, 12 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

After fire destroyed AvalonBay’s four-story, 235-unit apartment project in Maplewood, N.J., in 2017, Michael Feigin decided that conventional industry standards and approaches designed to minimize the risks of these relatively rare, yet costly construction-phase fires were not enough.

Alla Weinstein: Offshore Wind Pioneer Gets in Deep in Burgeoning US Market

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:26:00 -0500

Alla Weinstein is described as “tenacious and focused” in her push to have lots of floating turbines generating power, and revenue, in deep water off California—and elsewhere.

Leo Sveikauskas: Federal Economist Leads Design of a More Reliable Construction Productivity Measure

zevina@enr.com (Alisa Zevin) — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Leo Sveikauskas, research economist in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Division of Productivity Research and Program Development, had been thinking about issues in measuring construction productivity after a discussion with peers in that unit of BLS, part of the U.S. Labor Dept.

ENR's Top 25 Newsmakers of 2018 Advanced the Industry

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:10:00 -0500

Astute leaders. Risk takers. Clever problem solvers. Passionate community servants. The 2018 class of ENR Newsmakers embodies qualities that enable members to improve the construction industry and benefit the public.

John Aho: Engineer Pushed for Seismic Safety in Alaska Ahead of 2018 Earthquake

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:10:00 -0500

The son of a pioneer bush pilot in Alaska, structural engineer John Aho spent decades working toward earthquake preparedness.

Kevin Bagnall: Pavement Entrepreneur Uses Recycled Tires to Protect Environment in Yellowstone National Park

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:09:00 -0500

Growing up in the South Yorkshire mining village of Grimethorpe, England, Kevin Bagnall saw firsthand the effect humans can have on the environment.

Gary H. Baker: Guiding the Team on a Tough Tunneling Job

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:08:00 -0500

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is managing one of the largest transportation construction programs in the country.

Mark Bryant: Bringing Smarter Technology to Jobsite Monitoring, One Cloud-Linked Sensor at a Time

rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:07:00 -0500

Frustrated by the state of sensor platforms for tracking jobsite conditions, Mark Bryant set out to build his own.

Kris Caldwell: Getting Power Back to the People in Puerto Rico

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:06:00 -0500

If Kris Caldwell has a mantra, it’s “we have to do more.”

Joel Cesare: Breaking Down Official Resistance to Exotic Green-Building Systems

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:05:00 -0500

Trash heaps. Ocean trips. Rocks for jocks. Nurture, nature—and even football—informed Joel Cesare’s pursuit of planetary sustainability.

Ginger Evans: Aviation Construction Veteran and Former Award of Excellence Winner Revs Up O'Hare Overhaul

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:04:00 -0500

When Ginger Evans became commissioner of the Chicago Dept. of Aviation in 2015, airlines that serve O’Hare International Airport were not talking to the agency because of a failed earlier expansion plan that had to be mediated by then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Carlette Walker: Manager Shined a Light on Failed Nuclear Project's Problems

judys@enr.com (Scott Judy) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

As hearings into South Carolina’s failed nuclear project began last November, it was uncertain whether potential star witness Carlette Walker would even testify.

Stacy Smedley: Paradise Lost in Childhood Inspires a Devotion to Making Better Buildings

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Oprah fans may only know of Stacy Smedley as a sperm-donor baby who met her DNA half-brother in 2008, thanks to the talk show.

Russell Poppe: Unique Public Meetings Drive Strong Support for $2.5B Post-Hurricane Harvey Bond Issue

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

After Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damage to Harris County, Texas, in 2017, discussions at Harris County Flood Control District turned to recovery and building resilience against future storms.

Gregory Penza: Finding the Competitive Advantage in Applied Construction Robotics

sawyert@enr.com (Tom Sawyer) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Growing up in heavy construction, and running projects for his dad during summers, one thing Gregory Penza says he learned is that the only way to compete in construction is to come up with new and better ways to do things.

Todd Orbus: Navigating a Complex Spillway Reconstruction in California From Pre-Bidding to Early Completion

blairs@enr.com (Scott Blair) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Replacing flood-ravaged spillways at Oroville Dam in just 18 months over two brief construction seasons required the focus and tenacity of many.

Vicki O’Leary: Preventing Harassment to Make Jobsites a Safer and More Productive Environment for Workers

rubind@enr.com (Debra K. Rubin) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

On a dare from her ironworker brother in 1985, 21-year-old Vicki O’Leary took the ironworkers union apprenticeship test.

Paul Murdoch: Architect Guides Vision for 'Tower of Voices' at Flight 93 9/11 Memorial

jriceenr@gmail.com (Justin Rice) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Envisioning a 93-ft-tall precast concrete wind chime for the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa., architects Paul and Milena Murdoch couldn’t imitate the more familiar approach featuring a single external chime striker surrounded by chimes.

Ehab Meselhe: Scientist and Engineer Works to Break Down Barriers Between Disciplines and Communities

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

In 2018, Ehab Meselhe and a team at the Water Institute of the Gulf, a Louisiana nonprofit research group, sat for hours with residents of St. Bernard and other coastal parishes in Louisiana, modeling their potential solutions to coastal land loss.

John Matyasovszky: Successfully Keeping Seattle's Looming Tower From Becoming a Leaning Tower

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

A project with the name “5th and Union” blends in with the 89 other shoring and drilling jobs on John Matyasovszky’s chronological list of work since 2005—when the Malcolm Drilling Co. senior superintendent began as a laborer.

Ron Lewis: Being the Critical Link at One of Nation's Fastest-Growing Transit Agencies

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Sound Transit opened its first light rail operation in the Seattle area in 2009.

Andres Lepage: Laying the Foundation for Historic Code Changes to Reduce Rebar Congestion

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Raised in Venezuela, U.S. citizen Andres Lepage considers his adopted homeland the “best country in the world.”

Megan Kreiger: Engineer Scales Up 3D-Printed Concrete Structures

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Last month, Megan Kreiger spent more than a week at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, 3D printing a 32-ft-long reinforced concrete footbridge.

Lighting a Fire Under the AIA in a Crusade Against All Types of Workplace Abuse

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

While attending the Juilliard School’s pre-college music division, Frances Halsband had an epiphany.