Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019 - 32

vice president of Architectural Engineers.
"We have an aging electrical infrastructure, but rather than going in and
replacing it in its existing location, the
state is saying, 'We need to upgrade
the infrastructure but also design the
new installation to be resilient against
storm damage.' So instead of replacing
switch gear inside a power plant, we
are constructing a separate building
just for the switch gear on the second
floor," Goodmonson says. "It brings the
importance of the MEP [mechanical,
electrical, and plumbing] infrastructure
to the fore, which is something that used
to be an afterthought."
TECHNOLOGY
BOLSTERING FUTURES

Technology disruption continues to blur
the lines between technical and physical

"We want to show them that times
are changing," says Jay Wolverton,
chairman, Land Development
Coalition (LDC) and president of

Wolverton & Associates. "There are
so many things to be aware of that
require keeping up with the pace of
infrastructure and technology changes,"

"The pipeline looks
strong in both public and
private sides in a lot of
segments."
KEVIN PETERSON
ACEC COALITION LEADERS
STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
PRESIDENT AND CEO
P2S, INC.

of American Structural Engineers
(CASE) and chairman and CEO at

Degenkolb Engineers. "We are seeing
that in commercially available software,
but some companies are developing
their own software for their own niche
markets."
Small firms are embracing cloudbased services to better meet project
owners' growing demands for expedited
project delivery. "This trend has led
to an increase in alternative delivery
projects that require continual
communication with clients and
contractors," says Bill Lloyd, chairelect, Small Firm Council (SFC) and
president at Great West Engineering.
"Cloud-based services facilitate
collaboration at all stages of the project
and allow for real-time project reviews
at key milestones."

Chuck Gemayel

Joel Goodmonson

Jay Wolverton

realms in major disciplines. "Soon,
buildings will be talking to mobility
solutions, which will be talking to the
power grid," Kelly says. "This area of
technology disruption also creates great
opportunities for engineers."
The Land Development Coalition
(LDC) keeps its member firms apprised
of industry-changing technology that
can create opportunities. A recent
presentation to LDC members on
smart cities showed how urban areas use
sensors as part of the internet of things
to collect data that monitor and manage
traffic and transportation systems, power
plants, water supply networks, and waste
management.

he says. "LDC also advises its coalition
member firms to diversify, not only the
number of clients but the market sectors
they are serving, to position themselves
to get through any hard time that might
lay ahead."
Inside the business, new technology
is positioning firms to add greater value
to projects, speed completion times, and
attract young engineers.
"It is exciting particularly for
younger staff to be involved in what is
happening with technology on both the
delivery of projects and the software
that is being used to share information,
modeling, analysis, and design," says

INCREASED STATE GAS TAXES

32

ENGINEERING INC.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019

Stacy Bartoletti, chairman, Council

Surveyors are anticipating a jump-start
in new projects from 2019 state gas tax
increases in Alabama, Ohio, Arkansas,
and Illinois. In total, 31 states have
raised or reformed gas taxes this decade.
"Here in California, we have a lot
of infrastructure work going on right
now," says Larry Truman, chairman,
Coalition of Professional Surveyors
(COPS) and vice president of Michael

Baker International. "The gas tax
passed in California in November
2017 is producing a lot of survey
work, as well as site data, monument
preservation, road maintenance, and
asset management projects." Survey
Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019

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