2021

ENR's Top 25 Newsmakers 2021

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

There’s a lot we can learn from this year’s Newsmakers, chosen by the editors of ENR. One led the construction of hospitals in Haiti; another built a bridge to connect Turkey’s two-continent expanse.

Michael Williams: Leading the Team to Bring the $4.5B Salt Lake City International Airport in on Time, Under Budget

shawm@enr.com (Mark Shaw) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Mike Williams loves it when a plan comes together, especially on megaprojects such as the new $4.5-billion Salt Lake City International Airport.

Kyle Wiens: Advocating for Independent Repair and Restoration of Devices and Equipment

rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

When Kyle Wiens first posted a step-by-step repair guide online for his college laptop back in 2003, he didn’t think he’d one day be submitting filings to state legislatures on device owners’ rights to repair and maintain anything they own, from smartphones to farm tractors.

Robert Wholey: Ex-Banker Takes Risk to Build First US Power Plant to Burn Cleaner Hydrogen Fuel

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Ex-investment banker took a risk in 2019 on $500M Long Ridge project, betting that tech sector customers and others will embrace the new fuel as a draw to locate in a struggling Ohio region; as the energy transition unfolds, he says the gamble is set to pay off.

Sally Spencer-Thomas: Developing Training Program to Build Network of Jobsite Mental Health Champions

blairs@enr.com (Scott Blair) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

In 2004, as a 16-year veteran in the mental health field, clinical psychologist Sally Spencer-Thomas thought she knew a lot about how the mind works.

Col. Estee S. Pinchasin: Highlighting Corps of Engineers Under Pressure in Afghan Evacuee Operation

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

With thousands of Afghan evacuees arriving in the U.S. daily in late August as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the federal government was faced with several major logistical questions.

Bob Clark: Clayco Founder Turned Activist Working on Pandemic Response and Against Vaccine Confusion

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0500

Whether campaigning for President Obama or supporting stem cell research, Bob Clark, founder and executive chairman of contractor Clayco has never shied away from speaking his mind.

Khaled Naja: Fostering Modular Innovations for First-of-Its-Kind Maneuver at US Airports

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

When Khaled Naja was a kid, his favorite toys were Legos—but he didn’t like following instructions on how to use them.

Harold Mitchell Jr.: Rising to Become a Leader in Equitable Redevelopment in South Carolina

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

When the clock struck midnight, ringing in New Year’s Day 2022, it signaled a heartrending moment for Harold Mitchell Jr.—the anniversary of his father’s death from lymphoma.

Sigmund Reinsborg Log: Taking the Reins at a Major Public Agency to Advance 100% Model-based Bridges

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Gabriel Neves, Tekla bridge structures manager, recalls meeting Sigmund Reinsborg Log, head of section/head of verification and approval for the Department of Structures, an authoritative body of Norway’s Directorate of Public Roads.

Marc L. Levitan: Spearheading the New Standard for Tornado-Resistant Design

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Marc L. Levitan recalls being at first enthralled by the sound and light show of the thunderstorms and then traumatized by the flooding in his neighborhood in Bucks County, Pa., during 1972’s Hurricane Agnes. He was 10.

Shawn M. LaTourette: State Leader Seeks Balance to Deploy NJ's Pioneering Environmental Justice Law

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

New Jersey’s small size has not meant less impact to communities from pollution and climate change, but short travel distances allow the state's environment chief to see effects up close in a mission to prevent further harm to residents and state growth

Lorna Kenna: Managing the Groundwork at Kennedy Space Center for the Next Mission to the Moon

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Lorna Kenna’s day job is helping Americans return to the moon. As vice president and general manager of the Jacobs Space Operations Group at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., she leads the team working past logistical and COVID-19-related challenges to assemble the Artemis 1 rocket in the space agency’s vehicle assembly building for a scheduled launch in March.

Scott Harrigan: Subcontractor Guides His Company Through a Complex Precast Concrete Project

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Beauty and beastly strength: Concrete made by Fort Miller Group, which precast the giant concrete flowerpot-like structures for Manhattan’s Little Island park on the Hudson River, boasts this traditionally unlikely combination.

Matthew R. Hallowell: Civil Engineering Professor Challenges Conventional Wisdom on Measuring Jobsite Safety

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Matthew Hallowell isn’t afraid to disrupt the established thinking in construction safety measurement.

John A. Gambatese: Engineering Professor Asks Why Known Jobsite Hazards Can't Be Removed

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Freed from the limitations and demands of construction design work, engineering professors can champion causes in the industry’s best interest.

Chris Frieberg: Leading A Major Collaboration For Fast Fix of Cracked Tie Beam on Key I-40 Bridge

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Teamwork and trust would prove as critical as technical skill and logistical resourcefulness to repair the crack traced to a weld defect on the Hernando de Soto Bridge between Tennessee and Arkansas in just three months.

Brian Earle: Steering the Team Drastically Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Amazon's 2.1-Million-Sq-Ft MetPark Development

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Growing up, Brian Earle’s family moved every couple of years. He was born in Heidelberg, Germany; relocated several times to U.S. cities; and attended high school in Seoul, where he lived within artillery range of the North Korean border.

Donald O. Dusenberry: Leading the Creation of the Nation's First Standard on Disproportionate Collapse

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Last year marked two milestones for forensic structural engineer Donald O. Dusenberry. He retired from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. after 45 years and he celebrated the completion of the draft of the nation’s first building standard on disproportionate collapse mitigation.

Russ Brotnov: Persevering To Erect PAE Living Building's Timber Frame After Wildfires Razed His House

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

For third generation carpenter Russ Brotnov and his tight-knit Carpentry Plus Inc. team, it’s long been a family affair.

Todd S. Bridges: Advocate Of Working With, Not Against, Nature in Civil Infrastructure

mcfarlandp@enr.com (Pam McFarland) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Army’s senior research scientist for environmental science, believes that engineering is on the brink of a new paradigm, with more federal funds and industry acceptance reflecting his energy and passion.

Ali Asmari: Roboticist Challenges Construction to Rethink Its Processes With Roadway Excavation and Repair Robot

rubenstonej@enr.com (Jeff Rubenstone) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Many have tried to adapt the exacting precision and consistency of factory-floor robots to construction sites and work zones, but there are always compromises and problems.

Ersin Arıoğlu: Building Partnerships to Make Record-Setting Dardenelles Bridge Possible

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Freshly armed in 1963 with a master’s degree in civil engineering from Istanbul Technical University, a young Ersin Arıoğlu and a partner had a daunting task: reinforce, upgrade and make an iconic contribution to Istanbul’s silhouette out of the Galata Tower, a building dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

Dave Argus: Contractor Provides a Lifeline to Addicts Through Innovative Support Program

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

While the construction industry continues to contend with the opioid crisis, Dave Argus found that offering a helping hand to recovering addicts is not only an act of compassion, it’s good business.

Jim Ansara: Builds High-Quality Medical Infrastructure in Resource-Starved Settings

postn@enr.com (Nadine M. Post) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

A shortage of life-saving medical oxygen at many hospitals in poor regions of the globe is of growing concern, thanks to increased demand caused by COVID-19, disrupted supply chains and many broken oxygen-generating plants at hospitals.

Chris Andrews: Veteran Software Engineer Helps Create the Connections between BIM and GIS

yodersj@enr.com (Jeff Yoders) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Chris Andrews has been working with computer-aided drafting and geographic information systems data nearly as long as they’ve been used in construction, “including mapping indoor facilities on the web, starting from work in startups in the late 90’s,” he says.