by Patricia Tuso, PHR, SHRM-CP, PMP After pay and benefits, today’s employees say that tangible engagement and a clear path to advancement are the primary qualities they seek in a professional services firm. They want to feel integral to the organizations they join, that their contributions make a difference, and that their managers and employers… Read More
by Joseph Mizrahi, PE As the nation grapples with a growing number and increasing frequency of extreme weather events, designing and building resilient structures is more important than ever. Critical infrastructure like hospitals and other healthcare facilities must be designed and built to withstand natural disasters, remaining in operation and safely caring for patients around… Read More
by Jerry M. DiMondo, PE Infrastructure spending in the U.S. could get a much-needed jump-start later this year. Peter DeFazio, newly-elected head of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has promised to make infrastructure spending a top priority in 2019, and Congress is expected to begin grappling with the issue in the next six months…. Read More
by Derek Brown As our nation’s roadways become increasingly outdated and congested, public transit is more important than ever. According to the American Public Transportation Association, public transportation usage has risen by 30 percent since 1995, outpacing even U.S. population growth. To meet swelling demand, transit agencies are making system-wide improvements to better serve their… Read More
by David J. Smith At 12:55 PM on December 17, 2017, an electrical substation fire caused a major power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), the world’s busiest airport. Over the next few days, as operations returned to normal on the ground, and as the National Airspace System recovered from thousands of canceled or diverted… Read More
By Darryl Daniel, PMP & Jim Davis, PE, RCDD The anxiety of airport travel may be getting some relief through the promise of technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). The uncertainty of large crowds, long lines, confusion and delays when traversing the airport is not something most passengers look forward to. Imagine a smart,… Read More
By Patricia Tuso, PHR, SHRM-CP, PMP Organizational health is one of the most important factors that drives employee engagement, retention, client satisfaction and success in a service business. Unfortunately, many companies spend more time and attention creating additional policies and procedures than driving a healthy organizational culture – an approach that rarely leads to a… Read More
The infrastructure that provides today’s most essential services must be reliable, adaptive, efficient and resilient. In a word: smart. Aviation, Energy, Healthcare, Rail/Transit, and Water are high-consequence, critical infrastructure sectors in constant evolution. In these five sectors, disruption – whether natural or man-made – can be catastrophic to life and our economy, and drives our… Read More
by David Smith In an age of seemingly never-ending technology disruption – think iPhones, Uber, and driverless vehicles – “the grid”, that ubiquitous system of power lines, substations, switches, utility poles and transformers, has been conspicuously slow to evolve. Recently, however, some exciting changes in energy storage have entered the scene and are changing the… Read More
By Daren Petroski, PE Design and construction of complex infrastructure can be challenging. Why are some projects perceived as successes, while others are seen as troubled? Clearly defined expectations, and the proactive management of those expectations along the way, usually leads to success. For example, addressing initial project challenges, such as the diverse interests of… Read More