C+S August 2018

August 2018 Vol. 5 Issue 5

C E L E B R AT I NG T H E D E S I GNE R S OF T H E WOR L D A ROUND U S

GIS TO THE RESCUE!

OPENING NEW BRANCHES GUIDE TO DIGITAL SIGNATURES PARKING INNOVATIONS BUILDING A BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE

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See for yourself. Request your free trial! www.bentley.com/STAAD

CONTENTS

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THE COVER New Jersey’s Water Quality Accountability Act is prompting municipalities to inventory and manage water distribution assets — story on page 58. Photo: Maser Consulting P.A. ON THE RISE 10 Awards, promotions, and new hires MANAGEMENT FILES 14 Branching out 16 Expansion plans 18 Civil and structural engineers’ guide to digital signatures CHANNELS SOFTWARE + TECH 22 Building a strong foundation with modeling PROJECT DELIVERY 24 Silk Road redo 27 Leaving a legacy: U.S. Olympic Museum STRUCTURES + BUILDINGS 30 Breaking convention with wood offices 32 Proving bridge connections in the earthquake lab 36 Designed for extreme weather 38 Fast-track facility WATER + STORMWATER 40 WEFTEC 2018 41 Recovering fresh water from power plants 42 Goodwill in Guatemala ENVIRONMENT + SUSTAINABILITY 45 New Champlain Bridge Corridor earns Envision Platinum 47 High-rise landscapes TRANSPORTATION

50 Parking designs showcase innovation 55 Building out a bicycle infrastructure UAV + SURVEYING 58 GIS to the rescue! 60 Unexpected business opportunities CONTINUING EDUCATION 63 College and career game departments 7 Civil + Structural Engineer Online

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©Tom Rossiter Photography

12 Events 64 Specify

65 Reader Index 66 Benchmarks Columns 06 From the Publisher: Social media holiday By Mark Zweig 08 Engineering Our Future: Leadership and surviving troubled times By Phil Keil

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Bernard Andre/Bernard Andre Photography

August 2018

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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5 csengineermag.com

publisher Mark C. Zweig | 508.380.0469 | mzweig@zweiggroup.com DIRECTOR OF SALES Beth Brooks | 479.502.2972 | bbrooks@zweiggroup.com Production & circulation manager Anna Finley | 479.435.6850 | afinley@zweiggroup.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bob Drake | 616.741.9852 | bdrake@zweiggroup.com EDITORial Chad Clinehens, P.E. | 501.551.2659 | cclinehens@zweiggroup.com H. Kit Miyamoto, PH.D., S.E. | miyamotointernational.com Will Swearingen | 479.435.6977 | wswearingen@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | 479.856.6122 | rmassey@zweiggroup.com ART director Donovan Brigham | 479.435.6978 | dbrigham@zweiggroup.com Design Maisie Johnson | 479.435.6978 | mjohnson@zweiggroup.com

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800-466-6275 1200 North College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703 PO BOX 1528, Fayetteville, AR 72702-1528

CIVIL+STRUCTURAL ENGINEER IS A ZWEIG GROUP PRODUCT

MARK C. ZWEIG, CHAIRMAN, ZWEIG GROUP LLC

Civil + Structural Engineer (ISSN 23726717) is published monthly by Zweig Group, 1200 North College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703. Telephone: 800.466.6275. Copyright© 2018, Zweig Group. Articles august not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Zweig Group. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Subscriptions: Annual domestic print subscription rate is $15 for 12 issues or $30 for 24 issues. Annual digital subscription is free. All print subscribers receive digital editions in addition to print subscription. Call or write for international rates. To subscribe or update your subscription information, please visit our website www.csengineermag.com/subscribe/; or mail subscription requests and changes to Circulation Dept, C + S Engineer, 1200 North College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703; or call 800.466.6275.

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August 2018

Get Your Tickets Today! ACI EXCELLENCE IN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AWARDS GALA Monday, October 15, 2018 • Las Vegas, NV, USA • The ACI Concrete Convention & Exposition

Tickets are now available for the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards Gala. This premier event will celebrate the concrete industry’s most prestigious and innovative projects from around the globe.

Tickets for this event have sold out in previous years. Those who wish to witness the best of the best should purchase tickets soon – tickets are available for purchase individually for $95, or as a table of 10 seats for $950. Tickets can be purchased through Convention registration, or through ACI’s online store. Student ticket pricing is also available for $25 through Convention registration.

Learn more at www.ACIExcellence.org

FROM THE PUBLISHER

I decided a couple months ago to take a social media holiday. I had plenty of good reasons to do so. Those reasons included the tremendous amount of time I found myself spending on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, much of which, I concluded after some introspection, was a complete waste of time. Another good reason is the negativity that all that social media contains. Because a good part of my reliance on social media was for news, I got a lot of negative information on the political situation, environment, world threats, criminal behavior of people toward pets and children — and more. On top of it, I found myself posting way too much information about myself, my kids, and my stuff — much of which “the public” just doesn’t need to know. And finally, my attention span was becoming ridiculously short. Lately, I wouldn’t even pick up a magazine, much less a book. It was clearly time for a break! So I simply turned off Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and here’s what’s happened: Suddenly, I had all this time — Sure, I am still super busy with multiple businesses and being a college professor. And yes, it was hard to get away from my tremendous addiction of checking my phone every 15 seconds, but once I did I was rewarded with time. Time to interact with real people, listen, read, and think. My mental outlook immediately improved — Less negative and more positive — less depressed. Social media facilitates knowing too much about everyone, and that gives you reasons not to like them. A lot of what isn’t negative on social media is often sarcastic, which becomes tiresome, especially if it starts to creep into everything you do. I could think about my businesses — I came up with several new ideas that I think will be helpful. I called some people I hadn’t spoken with in too long. I talked with some others I should have been talking with more. I think a lot of good will come from freeing my time and mental energy. I became a better listener — Instead of halfway listening to other people, I could all-the- way listen. And I could give them my full attention, not my usual partial attention. I found right away that I enjoyed talking with people more. The benefit of that is people like you more. You seem like you care because you actually do care more because you are more tuned in and more empathetic. I became painfully aware of how much social media has been a platform for me to glorify my ego. All the posts showing my stuff, my kids, and my accomplishments were way too much. Showing off becomes addictive and it paints an unrealistic portrait of me and my real life. The social media holiday is going to make me less egocentric and humbler. People will With all of these benefits from my social media holiday, I’ve decided to extend it and make it a longer-term deal. And while, yes, I will need to seek out new sources of information to stay better informed and new ways to market our businesses and myself, I think the result will be more innovation, less conformity, and more authentic uniqueness. Time will tell if I’m right. So, turn off your phones and enjoy the August issue of Civil + Structural Engineer magazine — and thank you for reading! know less about me — and that’s OK. I bought a new book and read it.

Social media holiday Putting time previously spent on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to better use.

MARK C. ZWEIG mzweig@zweiggroup.com

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August 2018

C+S ENGINEER ONLINE

KEEP YOUR PROJECT COVERED WITH CLEARSPAN STRUCTURES

Civil + Structural Engineer provides news and articles online to supplement content in this print issue. Visit csengineermag.com daily for the latest news and check out the following articles posted online with the August 2018 issue:

Enterprise Risk Management in Infrastructure—Part 3

SATISFIES PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS

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SATISFIES PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS

By John Brown Miller, Ph.D.

F or nearly 40 years c lear s pan F aBrIc s tructures has been covering engineers with dependable structural solutions. I ndustry -l eadIng W arrantIes - ClearSpan structures are built to last. With triple-galvanized steel frames and durable covers, they can withstand corrosive environments and will compliment your business for decades to come. c ost -e FFectIve B uIldIng s olutIons - Drastically reduce construction costs, monthly utilities and maintenance requirements, with a structure that is superior in quality.

The third part in this three-part series on the emergence of enterprise risk management (ERM) in infrastructure describes a prototype application of the ERM methodology built by the author in Microsoft Excel. The prototype illustrates how ERM logic is used to build a straightforward Excel spreadsheet to apply modern asset management principles to public infrastructure networks. This logic applies to the local, regional, or state levels. ERM offers an outcomes-based approach to jointly manage capital and maintenance risks. ERM is linear, from bottom to top. Each piece stacks on top of the piece below it, unifying decision-making from the smallest activity to the network level. One set of Mission Targets, Likelihood, and Consequence goals are applied from the bottom to the top of the network. Yet, the flexibility of scenario analysis allows each element to be adjusted, at any level, at any time.

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V isit WWW . clearspan . com or call 1.866.643.1010 to find out how we can help with your structure needs

When you have marketing needs but you don’t have marketing time, and you want “out-of-the-box” thinking, outsource to a proven professional The Siben Consult, LLC for strategic planning, marketing processes, SOQ and proposal development, short-list presentation development, interview coaching, and other marketing needs

Read the entire article at http://tinyurl.com/erm-aug18.

Project Profitability: If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it

By Howard Birnberg, Association for Project Managers

“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” — This trite cliché is often used as a justification for inaction by firm management. Unfortunately, it is total nonsense. If we lived and worked in an unchanging world, there might be some logic to the concept; however, our world is very dynamic. The construction industry in particular is subject to the constant winds of change, such as building and office technology, regulations and codes, society, the marketplace, project financing and delivery, and the economics of running a business.

TSC

Bernie Siben, CPSM Austin, Texas 559-901-9596 siben@sibenconsult.com www.sibenconsult.com

Read the entire article at http://tinyurl.com/projectprofit-aug18.

august 2018

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engineering our future

Although a lot of firms currently have more work than they can handle, and their biggest problem is recruiting quality individuals, many would argue that the next Great Recession, or worse, is just around the corner. Now is the time to begin contemplating how to position your firm to thrive in the next downturn. Firms that are successful in troubled times are market leaders, thought leaders, and experts in their fields that are responsive to clients and fulfill their needs. Being a leader is more about who you are than about what you do. It is your value set and principals that inform your actions which, in turn, attract talent and clients. Following are a few things that firms can do to become recognized leaders. Remove friction for clients — Solving problems for clients is what produces revenue. Being a leader is about listening to what your clients are trying to tell you. Do you have a process in place that solicits feedback from clients at various touchpoints in a project, or at the very least as part of project closeout? If you want clients to be passionate about your firm, the key is to remove obstacles in their lives. Keep it simple. Each step that makes your clients’ lives more difficult or time consuming — figuring out what you do or how to get in contact with you — leads to decreased motivation to do business with you. Further, what are the pain points they face from ideation through project completion?Are you responding to clients quickly and providing them answers that add value? In the age of instant gratification and connectedness, you cannot be unresponsive or competitors will eat your lunch. Identify these things and you will have passionate brand advocates for your firm. Align by market sector — This is all about determining how clients find the services they need. When times are tough, will health care systems be looking for the best health care firm to work on their project or an architect or engineer that has done a few hospitals in the past? It is a subtle difference. Market sector organization improves project expertise and provides additional leadership opportunities. It is a mindset shift that positions your firm to be thought of as the market leader or thought leader for the specific markets you serve. The first step is to identify the specificmarket sectors that make sense to establish as areas of differentiation. Once determined, the next step is to identify market sector leaders within your organization who will function as the “CEOs” of the markets they lead. They will be charged with creating business plans that will become retention, recruiting, and staff development tools as well as accountability tools. Practice discipline for greater freedom and flexibility — The best firms practice discipline at each level of the organization down to the individual. They develop values, standards, and procedures that they consistently follow and act upon. We only have so much time in the day. The best performers get up early, put in more hours, spend the extra time to market and network for their firms, and actively improve their skillset with or without the firm’s help. You need to make time for these activities. This is an intrinsic self-discipline, a matter of personal will. Discipline is paramount to success; it is not easy but results in increased freedom and flexibility of choices and actions. A firm that has disciplined standards and procedures can operate as a flatter organization and requires less centralized decision making. This frees up leaders to think more strategically and employees don’t feel micromanaged. But, maintain a careful balance to ensure that discipline does not impose artificial constraints or restrict thought. Implementing these ideas will position your firm as a recognized leader and differentiate you from competitors. They will help you survive troubled times and build a scalable organization.

Leadership and surviving troubled times Position your firm now to thrive in the next downturn.

PHIL KEIL is director of Strategy Consulting, Zweig Group. Contact him at pkeil@zweiggroup.com.

csengineermag.com

August 2018

The strength of the system

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SCN Smooth-Shank Connector Nails (HDG) LCE4 Post Cap (ZMAX ® )

SCNR Ring-Shank Connector Nails (SS) H2.5A Seismic/Hurricane Tie (SS)

The best partners for installing our connectors are our fasteners. Simpson Strong-Tie offers a complete line of structural screws and nails designed and tested for use with our connectors to help you build safe, strong wood-frame structures. And our complete connector and fastener system includes our high quality standard, customer-focused service and national distribution. To learn more, visit go.strongtie.com/products or call (800) 999-5099.

Awards, promotions, and new hires

on the rise

Brown and Caldwell promoted Wendy Broley, P.E. , to vice president and One Water leader. The One Wa- ter approach views all water as valued resources to be managed holistically and sustainably. Broley has 18 years’ experience in water and wastewater engineering and operations. Tom Mortensen, PLA , received a promotion to assistant director of the land development services division at raSmith. Mortensen’s career spans more than 30 years in the landscape architecture, planning, design, and construction professions. Michael P. Bauman, AIA , joined Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Inc. as an associate to the firm’s architectural department in Milford, Del. Carl Gibson III, P.E. , joined WMH Corporation, serving as one of the key transportation leaders in ex- panding WMH throughout California. His responsi- bilities include managing the new Sacramento office. Maggie Walsh , vice president at HDR, was ap- pointed as the new chair for the WTS International board of directors. As chair, Walsh’s responsibilities include overseeing the organization’s continued drive to open doors for personal and professional develop- ment for WTS members. CT Consultants, Inc. announced the addition of Jen- nifer Brown as a new shareholder. She has more than 16 years’ experience as an economic development strategist, including experience as an assistant city manager. Richard Hertzfeld joined CT Consultants as senior engineer in the firm’s Toledo, Ohio office. He has an extensive background in transportation, bridge design, construction administration, and envi- ronmental design. Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. promoted Mackrena L. Ramos, P.E. , to program manager of City of Houston’s Surface Water Transmission Pro- gram (SWTP). CTL|Thompson named a slate of new leaders. Prin- cipal Engineer Shawn Fitzhugh was named vice president and manager of the firm’s Denver division, its largest office. Principal Engineer Wyatt Knutson was named vice president and manager of the firm’s Wyoming division, which he also developed. Princi- pal Engineer Damon Thomas was named president

of CTL|Thompson Materials Engineers, Inc., an af- filiate company that manages CTL’s materials testing. McLaren Engineering Group announced that Staff Engineer Jake Leventhal, P.E. , was given the Young Engineer of the Year award by the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) because his innovative, custom engineering solutions to complex projects across the New York metro re- gion. NYSSPE also awarded McLaren Engineering Group’s vice president and Entertainment Division chief, William Gorlin, P.E., SE. , the Engineer of the Year. His experience includes engineering some of the world’s largest live theaters, concert touring sets, and amusement attractions. Ryan Morson joined Stantec as an associate, transit stations design lead to support growth of the Transit Buildings practice in North America. Giffels Webster announced that Nancy McClain, P.E., F.MSPE, F.NSPE , senior engineer, was award- ed Engineer of the Year by the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers for her diverse resume of industry involvement during the last 30 years. David Tiberi, P.E., PMP, CCM , rejoined HNTB Corporation as construction program manager and vice president for its expanding West Division trans- portation infrastructure practice. The International Parking Institute (IPI) recognized Mary Smith, P.E. , senior director of Parking Con- sulting for Walker Consultants, with the 2018 IPI Lifetime Achievement Award. Smith’s expertise and creativity can be seen in thousands of parking proj- ects across the United States, Canada, Abu Dhabi, China, Dubai, Egypt, Indonesia, Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, and Turkey. Maser Consulting PA hired Brian E. Curtis, Esq. as corporate general counsel for the firm. Urban Engineers promoted Meredith Clark, PHR, SHRM-CP , to vice president. She serves as the firm’s director of human resources. Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. appointed Todd Snea- then, P.E. , vice president, to its board of directors. Sneathen will broaden the capacity of the board with his extensive background in the public works sector.

Wendy Broley, P.E.

Tom Mortensen, PLA

Michael P. Bauman, AIA

Carl Gibson III, P.E.

Maggie Walsh

Jennifer Brown

Richard Hertzfeld

Mackrena L. Ramos, P.E.

Shawn Fitzhugh

Wyatt Knutson

Damon Thomas

Jake Leventhal, P.E.

William Gorlin, P.E., SE.

Ryan Morson

Nancy McClain, P.E., F.MSPE, F.NSPE

Mary Smith, P.E.

csengineermag.com

august 2018

The Year in

2018 Conference

Join infrastructure leaders and executives in London to hear from industry thought leaders , engage in forums and discussions , and learn about technologies and best practices that will shape the future of infrastructure delivery and operations. Presented by Bentley Institute, the Year in Infrastructure Conference is a global gathering of leading executives in the world of infrastructure design, construction, and operations focused on best practices and technologies for going digital. The Year in Infrastructure Awards, formerly known as the Be Inspired Awards, is an exciting and well-regarded global competition that recognizes the “going digital” advancements in infrastructure. See presentations from award nominees and join us at the celebratory gala, recognizing the world’s most outstanding infrastructure projects in 2018.

October 15 – 18, 2018 I Hilton London Metropole

august 2018

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events

AUGUST 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018

2018 North Carolina Drone Summit and Flight Expo Aug. 5-7—Greensboro, N.C.

33rd Annual WateReuse Symposium Sept. 9-12—Austin, Texas

Keynote talks, panel discussions, and contributed presentations cover the spectrum of commercial and public safety UAS applications. A Flight Expo will showcase drone mission capabilities by flying demonstration missions onsite during the conference. www.ncdronesummit.com Low Impact Development Conference Aug. 12-15—Nashville, Tenn. Organized by the ASCE-Environmental & Water Resources Institute Urban Water Resources Research Council, the conference highlights interdisciplinary practice, research, and implementation of low-impact development, green infrastructure, sustainable urban drainage systems, and water-sensitive urban designs. www.lidconference.org StormCon Aug. 12-16—Denver Billed as the largest event in North America dedicated to stormwater and surface water quality professionals. Includes a technical program and an extensive exhibition. www.stormcon.com 2016 Disaster Resilience Grant Research Program recipients will present their research and findings from the first year of their award. Topics include Disaster and Failure Studies, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, Wind Impact Reduction, and Reduced Ignition of Building Components in Wildland-Urban Interface Fires Project. www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2018/08/disaster-resilience-symposium Successful Successor Roundtable Aug. 15-17—New Orleans Discuss the highest-level issues facing newcomers to the C-suite and individuals who are preparing to take on a CEO role in today’s AEC firm. www.zweiggroup.com/seminars/successful-successor-seminar Wetland Construction: Principles, Planning, and Design Aug. 22-24—Hillsborough, N.J. Introduction to the fundamentals of functional design, including the means to rapidly assess the distribution of hydrology on a site and create useable hydrographs for presentation of a wetland design. www.cpe.rutgers.edu/courses/current/eh0604ca.html NIST Disaster Resilience Symposium Aug. 14-15—Gaithersburg, Md.

Learn what’s working, what’s new, and what’s next in water reuse at the nation’s only conference dedicated solely to advancing the policy, technology, innovation, and public acceptance of water reuse. https://watereuse.org/news-events/conferences/annual-watereuse-symposium 2018 Zweig Group Hot Firm + A/E Industry Awards Conference Sept. 20-21—Dallas Comprehensive business conference for leaders and aspiring leaders of AEC firms in the U.S. includes topics on technology, leadership challenges, business planning, marketing methods, recruiting and retention, and growth strategies, as well as success stories of Zweig Group award winners. https://zweiggroup.com/2018-hot-firm-conference Plastic Pipes XIX Sept. 24-26—Las Vegas Organized in collaboration with the PE 100+ Association, Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc., and The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association, a technical program will cover emerging innovations, case studies, key industry research, environmental aspects of the industry, processing, standards development, testing, and regional/country updates. www.ppxix.com WEFTEC Sept. 29-Oct. 3—New Orleans Water Environment Federation annual water quality technical conference and exhibition, providing extensive educational opportunities and access to the field’s most cutting-edge technologies and services. www.weftec.org

OCTOBER 2018

Designing Cities 2018 Oct. 1-4—Los Angeles An expected 800 officials, planners, and practitioners will meet to advance the state of transportation in cities. https://nacto.org/conference/designing-cities-2018-los-angeles Newforma World User Conference Oct. 2-4—Tucson, Ariz. General and customer-led sessions include Project Center V12, alternative ways to use workflow, document control vs. document sets, techniques to drive user adoption, mobile apps, and more. www.newformaworld.com Resilience Innovations Summit and Exchange (RISE) Oct. 9-10—Denver Managing the impact of natural andman-made disasters on infrastructure,

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august 2018

bringing together transportation leaders from around the country. http://transportationrisesummit.com ASCE Convention Oct. 12-15—Denver Annual American Society of Civil Engineers flagship membership event offers a state of the industry and profession, professional development, multidisciplinary technical education, strategic issues/public policy discussion, and significant projects. www.asceconvention.org ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition Oct. 14-18—Las Vegas Attendees collaborate on concrete codes, specifications, and practices. Technical and educational sessions provide the latest research, case studies, best practices, and the opportunity to earn Professional Development Hours. www.aciconvention.org The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference Oct. 15-18—London Bentley Systems’ annual event featuring industry specific forums, keynotes, and technology updates. Plus, The Year in Infrastructure Awards finalist presentations showcasing more than 50 infrastructure projects worldwide and an awards banquet. https://yii.bentley.com WE 18 Oct. 18-20—Minneapolis Organized by the Society of Women Engineers, the largest gathering of women engineers across all major engineering disciplines features the theme, Let’s Break Boundaries. Tracks include career management, entrepreneurship, leadership, and more. https://we18.swe.org ICC Annual Conference, Code Hearings, and Expo Oct. 21-31—Richmond, Va. Education programs for building safety professionals at all levels of their career that cover the I-Codes, disaster response, leadership, new technologies, and more. www.iccsafe.org/conference The Principals Academy Oct. 25-26—Charleston, S.C. Intensive course in all aspects of managing a professional service firm, including business planning, marketing/business development, accounting, financial management, project management, leadership, mergers and acquisitions, ownership transition planning, and recruitment and retention. https://zweiggroup.com/seminars/the-principals-academy Water Infrastructure Conference Oct. 28-31—Atlanta Program topics include asset management practices, aging and inadequate infrastructure, resiliency to climate events, emergency

preparedness, cybersecurity, protecting critical infrastructure, controlling water loss, new technology, intelligent water systems, and more. www.awwa.org/conferences-education/conferences/water-infrastructure.aspx National Coastal Conference Oct. 30-Nov. 2—Galveston Island, Texas The theme of the 2018 conference, Resilient Shorelines for Rising Tides, focuses across the entire physical coastal and estuarine system to promote best management practices, while learning the latest science, engineering, and policy needed to maintain and improve the health of beach-front and estuarine shorelines and ecosystems. http://asbpa.org/conferences/future-meetings

NovemBER 2018

Vectorworks Design Summit Nov. 4-6—Phoenix One-on-one sessions with Vectorworks software experts and breakout sessions exploring detailed workflows and best practices. www.vectorworks.net/design-summit Trimble Dimensions International User Conference Nov. 5-7—Las Vegas Learn how Trimble hardware, software, and service solutions maximize productivity and boost profitability across agriculture, construction, geospatial solutions, transportation and logistics, and multiple emerging industries. https://trimbledimensions.com CEO Roundtable Bourbon Experience Nov. 7-9—Louisville, Ky. Exclusive event for top leaders to discuss the highest-level issues facing CEOs and the C-suite of today’s AEC firms. https://zweiggroup.com/seminars/ceo-roundtable DBIA Design-Build Conference and Expo 2018 Nov. 7-9—New Orleans Workshops, panel discussions, and keynotes by industry leaders addressing the real-world challenges that America’s design-build teams and owners face across all sectors. www.designbuildexpo.com

august 2018

csengineermag.com

Branching out Eyeing opportunities in new states? Timing is key. By Christian Haring

and licensing process. The following summarizes the key aspects to consider when evaluating the regulatory hurdles in a new jurisdiction and the time required to clear them. Non-COA states The simplest scenario is states that don’t require certificates of authori- zation (COAs), covered in detail in a previous article on firm licensing (Don’t ignore firm licensing, Civil + Structural Engineer, April 2018, page 16, https://csengineermag.com/article/dont-ignore-firm-licensing). Where COAs aren’t required, firms may be able to meet their require- ments by having engineers who are licensed within the state and avail- able to complete the work. This requires having sufficient licensed staff to deploy to the new location, at a minimum, and potentially more substantial investments such as establishing branch offices. Foreign qualification Most states require a COA application, which also generally requires foreign qualification with the secretary of state. When handled effi- ciently, this can be a reasonably quick process in many states. But miss a step or make an error in your paperwork, and the timeline can very quickly stretch into twice as long or longer. For example, foreign qualification generally takes from one to six weeks when applications are correct as submitted. Unfortunately, in

Selecting the right mix of opportunities to pursue is key to sustain- able, profitable growth, but getting there can be a costly endeavor for engineering firms of all sizes. The average firm pours a lot of staff hours into vetting and preparing proposals and wins only 30 to 40 percent of the opportunities. When evaluating requests for proposals and qualifications in new jurisdictions, additional variables come into play. What regulatory obstacles must be overcome before the firm can submit a response? How long will the process take? By understanding the licensing process and knowing what to look for in a new state, firms can build realistic timelines into the go/no-go process and widen their business development horizons. When it comes to regulatory requirements, all states are not created equal. In some states, a firm may merely need to have the right licensed staff available to begin offering services; in others, they may be look- ing at forming a new entity and navigating a four-month registration

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august 2018

some states, as many as half of applications are rejected due to er- rors. Errors do not have to be significant to derail an otherwise sound application. In New York, for example, the Office of the Professions publishes a list of 23 errors that can lead to return of an application, including leaving the periods out of the corporate designations P.C. or D.P.C. When errors are discovered, state officials don’t have time to write, explain the deficiency, and invite a response. They merely reject the application and your staff has to figure out where they went wrong and then start the process all over again. Fees for foreign qualification range from as little as $50 to $775. The process also entails designating a registered agent to receive service of process and other critical documents, registering for taxes, and in some cases filing an initial report. These tasks are concurrent with the rest, however, and don’t affect the timeline for offering services. COAs The COA application takes longer, typically from four to eight weeks, although in a few states it is currently taking as long as 12 weeks. One important aspect to remember is that COAs are approved at board meetings, which generally run monthly or quarterly. Depending on the timing of the meetings, this can extend the turnaround considerably. Some jurisdictions request that applications be submitted a week or longer before the meeting. With this longer timeline to consider, errors in the COA application can be particularly damaging to your plans. Because of the complexity of the documents and steps, in tough jurisdictions such as Illinois and New York, multiple rejections are not uncommon, leading to licens- ing efforts that run well over six months with no relief in sight for frustrated staff. One common source of rejections is missing prerequisites or work- ing out of step with the state’s established procedures. For example, foreign qualification usually comes first, but in at least seven states the order is reversed. Wisconsin is the friendliest state in this regard, allowing firms to apply for the COA and foreign qualify concurrently if desired. It’s also important to note that just because a state doesn’t require a COA does not mean the process of qualifying to practice will be fast or easy. California, for example, requires firms to submit an “organiza- tion record” and appoint for every branch office an owner, partner, or officer in responsible charge who is licensed within the state and who is “physically present at the branch office… on a regular basis.” Licensing staff Where COAs are required, firms must appoint an engineer in respon- sible charge — generally one who is licensed in that state — to provide direct supervision of all related services. In some states, a separate responsible engineer may be required for each specialty. Each state further defines the level of supervision required to meet the standard of “responsible charge” differently. In some states, the firm will need an engineer in charge working full-time in each office location; in others, the standard is “regularly employed,” and some supervision may be provided remotely or split among locations.

In some states — including Arizona, New Hampshire, and Virginia — a separate COA is required for each branch office.

All of these variables affect the number and placement of licensed staff required to work in a given jurisdiction. When your firm lacks a licensed professional to fill one of these requirements, the licensing timeline grows dramatically, since individual licensure can be every bit as time-consuming as firm licensure in many states. Because individual licensure plays such an important role in the firm’s ability to enter new states, it pays to invest early in individual licensure of your principals, engineers in responsible charge, and other engineers on staff. Identify your top three states for expansion and conduct a thorough analysis of what expansion would require. Use the results to inform future licensing research and planning in your business devel- opment efforts. Evaluating a new state: Items to review When you’re considering geographic expansion, to get an accurate view of the steps and timing, research state requirements in all of the following areas: • certificates of authorization through the state engineering board; • licensing for principals, engineers in responsible charge, and other staff; • registration (foreign qualification) with the secretary of state; • firm names, management, ownership, and corporate structure; • order of steps required by both the secretary of state and the engineer- ing licensing board; and • licensed specialties and allied professions that the firm currently pro- vides or may provide in the future. Licensing ROI At both the individual and firm levels, licensing is a relatively small investment that unlocks massive opportunities. When you’re in the midst of a challenging application, the process can seem designed to discourage and deny, but once the paperwork is complete, every new state broadens your firm’s opportunities and capabilities dramatically. By approaching the regulatory aspects of growth methodically and proactively, you can take control of your firm’s destiny and help ensure that those hours invested in the proposal process pay off. CHRISTIAN HARING is an account executive at Harbor Compliance (www.harborcompliance.com), specializing in professional licensing for engineering, architecture, and construction firms. With a focus on mid-sized and large firms, Haring understands the need for precision and clarity in managing multi-jurisdictional licensing. Contact Haring at 717-298-8128 or charing@harborcompliance.com. Note: Harbor Compliance is not an account- ing or law firm and does not provide tax, financial, or legal advice.

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“I want it, too,” you agree, “but all those cranes represent buildings already designed by other firms. How do the next few years shape up there for design work? Please tell me about your research.” “Well, the VP and I had a conversation about this. We think the local economy is solid and should hold that way for the immediate future, if that’s what you’re asking. What other research did you have in mind?” he asks. “Well,” you say, “here are the first questions that come to my mind when you say you want to open a new office.” You start rattling off a series of questions, such as: • How much local work could there be for us over the next one to three years? • Should we perhaps win a job there first and then open the office? • How many other architects, engineers, and full-service firms like ours already have offices there? • How do those other firms compare with us on quality and reputation? • Have we been in direct contact with the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, and Scottsdale, as well as Maricopa County? • Have we been in contact with any private firms in the area? • Will we take our total current service mix or just a part of it? • What kind of staff will we need to start and where will they come from? Will we transfer people from our other offices or will they be new/local hires? • What are the anticipated start-up costs for office space, salaries, equip- ment and supplies, utilities, and others? By this point, the CEO has loosened his tie, mopped his brow twice, and acquired a “deer-in-the-headlights” look on his face. He says, “Well, we didn’t get quite that far in our discussions. Do we really need to answer all those questions before we make a move?” You look directly into his eyes and ask, “Do you want to still be in business a year from now?” You stare at each other for 30 seconds. “Look, I don’t want to scare you,” you say, “but with office space, a few staff people, and the necessary equipment, utilities, printing, public relations, and other things you need for a new office, we could be investing $500,000 or more just for the first year. It could be six months to a year before we land our first project, and another three to six months until we get the Notice to Proceed. I want to make sure that we’ve considered everything before we make that kind of com- mitment.” “You’re right. Thanks,” he says. “OK, get back to me by the end of the day and tell me what we need to know, how you plan to find the information, and how quickly you think we can move on this.” You type up the questions you just asked the CEO and print copies. You

Expansion plans There has to be a better reason than great weather for golf. By Bernie Siben, CPSM

Marketing research is “the process of systematically gathering, recording, and analyzing data about customers, competitors, and the market… to help create a business plan, launch a new product or ser- vice, fine tune an existing product or service… and expand into new markets” (www.wikipedia.com). That 41-word definition could very well cover every strategic market- ing decision made by any firm operating in the AEC, planning, and environmental arena. I bet most marketers often look up when their firm announces a new strategic initiative, scratch their heads and won- der, “Who made this decision with no marketing research?” Here’s a “hypothetical” situation similar to one I went through with one of my earliest clients. Imagine: You’re an A/E firm marketing manager. Your CEO walks into your office and says, “We’re going to open a Phoenix office. Please get your folks started on an announcement card, a press release, and new letterhead.” You ask, “Really? A new office? Why Phoenix?” He laughs and says, “Phoenix has a really long golf season!” But there has to be more to the decision to open a new branch office than the frequency of great weather for golf, tennis, or skiing. “Yes,” you reply, smiling, “but is there any work for us in the area? Golf is a great marketing tool, but it won’t keep our folks billable if there’s no work.” “Well, every time I go there, I see a bunch of cranes in the skyline,” he says. “I want a share of that activity for us.”

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print the department’s work schedule for the next three weeks. Then you grab your pad and coffee cup and assemble the marketing staff in the conference room. You tell them about your recent conversation with the CEO, pass out your list of questions, and ask, “What else do we need to know?” After a quick “greenlight” session, the consensus is that it will require: • some primary research — telephone interviews with city and county folks, owners, and construction firms; and • a lot of secondary research — business journal “top 25” lists, business sections of local newspapers, city and county websites, the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce website and publications, almanacs, atlases, and other compilations of data on regional growth, etc. Once you have figured out the questions and how long the research will take, and compare that with your current workload, you may have to decide about outsourcing the market research, a very common practice. Once the research is complete, you’ll need a day or two to review, analyze, and prepare recommendations and supporting information for the CEO. “Too far-fetched even to be hypothetical,” you think? Absolutely not! In fact, it happens all the time: People throughout the firm make strate- gic marketing decisions without involving the marketing staff or even knowing, much less asking, the questions that need to be asked.

You need more? How many firms do you know that operate without a business plan based on real research and hard numbers (or without any plan at all)? How many firms make strategic decisions about long-term survival based on “gut feelings” rather than real data based on research and actual experience? As marketing professionals, one of our critical skill sets is market research. But all too often, firm leaders view us simply as “the folks who do proposals,” or as graphic designers. So they make strategic decisions about the future without even involving marketing leaders. Well, the world changes — and as markets change, marketing also changes. And marketing professionals change, too. Today’s market- ing is also about data collection and management, synthesis, and use. We don’t just list the facts anymore; we recognize that big purchasing decisions always have an emotional component, so we use data and personal experience to write compelling narratives. Opening a new branch office has equal possibilities for great success and unmitigated disaster. It can be a bold step, but only when properly and fully thought out. If any assumptions are allowed into the decision equation, you must make sure those assumptions are correct, and not just wishful thinking. As author David Weber observed in his 2013 novel, Like AMighty Army, “…while audacity was the handmaiden of success, overconfidence was the handmaiden of disaster.”

RECORDS

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management files

The internet has opened up amazing possibilities for research con- ducted right from our desks, research that can benefit our firms by minimizing risk if they give us the right training and support and then set us free to find and analyze the data. But we then must make our firm leaders aware of our new skills and the benefits that can result when we are allowed to put them to work. The typical firm leader never has the currently unallocated time to do the research necessary for a new branch office decision. Marketing staff are often overcommitted, which makes it hard to find the time for solid research. Outsourcing the market research is often the answer, and there are plenty of small firms with experience doing market research

for AE and related firms. More important than who does the research is the question of who analyzes the results and helps make the decisions. The more competitive the industry gets, the more vital it is that firms engage in proper research before committing their resources and risk- ing their survival — and the more those firms need to recognize that marketing professionals have valuable strategic information, perspec- tives, and insights to bring to the table. BERNIE SIBEN, CPSM, is owner and principal consultant at The Siben Consult, LLC, an independent AE strategic and marketing consultant located in Austin, Texas. Contact him at siben@sibenconsult.com or at 559-901-9596.

Figure 1: Digital signatures verify document authenticity of the signer and document integrity by providing proof of tampering.

Civil and structural engineers’ guide to digital signatures Understand common uses and the security they provide. By Lila Kee

Most people are familiar with “electronic signatures” and “digital sig- natures,” but not everyone understands the difference between the two terms. While the term electronic signature is broad and unstandardized, a digital signature refers to a very specific kind of electronic signa- ture based on public key cryptography. This underlying cryptography provides greater security and assurance regarding the signer’s identity, validity of the signature, and integrity of the document contents. By using digital signatures, civil and structural engineers can reap benefits such as faster time-to-market, meeting the regulatory requirements of departments of transportation (DOTs), and even protection against litigation.

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Today, more than a dozen states allow digital signatures for signing a wide variety of engineering documents as a replacement for wet ink signatures, seals, and stamps. For those civil and structural engineers who haven’t yet used digital signatures, it’s likely it won’t be very long before you do. Because of this, it will be important to understand the “ins and outs” of how digital signatures are most commonly used by professional engineers. What does a digital signature do? — Not only does a digital sig- nature vastly improve security versus an electronic signature, it also verifies document authenticity of the signer and document integrity by providing proof of tampering (see Figure 1). How does a digital signature get applied? —Avoiding the complicated math associated with public key cryptography, the most important point to understand is that your digital ID will be tied to a public and private key pair (www.ssl2buy.com/wiki/what-is-a-public-and-private-key-pair) that although related are distinctly different (asymmetric). Your public key is widely distributed along with your digital certificate that identifies you and perhaps your company to all who receive your signed docu- ments. The associated private key is never shared since it’s the key that is used to apply your signature. The security of your private key is of the utmost of importance since a stolen or compromised private key is the equivalent of losing control of your driver’s license. Although digital certificates can be self-generated, publicly trusted digital signatures have several additional attributes. The certificate

issuer (e.g., GlobalSign) and user (e.g., professional engineer) must follow strict measures on how the certificate and associated private key is issued and maintained. The Certificate Authority (CA; https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/ definition/certificate-authority) must: • comply with strict governance established by major browser and docu- ment work-flow providers such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Mozilla; • adhere to periodic audits to assure compliance; and • meet third-party (e.g., Adobe) policy and technical requirements. Policy and technical requirements identify verification (both the engi- neer and optionally his/her organization), detail how the signer’s pri- vate key is protected, and provide a mechanism to revoke certificates that are deemed compromised. The end user (professional engineer) must protect their private key, whether stored locally on a USB token or other approved security de- vice, or credential to invoke cloud signatures held by the CA. While these collective obligations provide engineers a bit of extra bur- den initially, the benefits compared with basic electronic signatures or non-public trusted certificates are wide reaching: • Recipients of signed documents are provided high assurances that the identity associated with the signature is authentic. • Instant interoperability — Default settings in Adobe Acrobat, Reader, Cloud Signature Consortium, Microsoft Office, and many other docu-

Research & Development Tax Credits Section 179D Energy Incentives Cost Segregation Studies

FROM INNOVATION TO INCENTIVE corporatetaxadvisors.com

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