News

Shannon McGrath joins WSB as director of asset management planning

McGrath will focus on development and implementation of asset management programs.

Design and consulting firm WSB announced today that Shannon McGrath joined the organization as director of asset management planning. McGrath joins the firms Minneapolis office where she will lead WSB’s development and implementation of infrastructure asset management for government and commercial clients.

McGrath has over 11 years of experience in the transportation industry. In her new role, she will develop and recommend asset management planning and strategy to minimize total cost of ownership, manage risk, increase reliability and resiliency, and meet performance standards throughout WSB divisions. McGrath’s expertise will allow her to communicate the asset management framework to key team members, field personnel and WSB clients.

“Shannon’s expertise, relationships and experience delivering strategic and innovative solutions will be key for both our staff and clients,” said WSB vice president of technology John Mackiewicz. “She will lead initiatives and deliver solutions that drive real results. We identified adding asset management planning as a key need moving forward at WSB and Shannon is the perfect person to lead this service.”

Prior to joining WSB, McGrath was the asset management planning director for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). In this role, she directed MnDOT’s agency-wide asset management planning including projects, research, policy, innovation, strategic planning and implementation in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders at the agency. She has also served various roles to aid in advancing asset management statewide and nationally.

“WSB is a leader in the infrastructure engineering industry and the way they deliver for their clients,” said McGrath. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to partner with an innovative and collaborative team to advance asset management goals and objectives for clients of this fast-growing firm.”

McGrath joins the firm’s technology division but will work across the firm’s broad services areas across the United States.

WSB promotes Ben Barker to director of Right of Way

Ben Barker has been promoted to WSB’s Director of Right of Way. Barker has been with WSB for over seven years as a Right of Way Specialist. He has over 15 years of experience in real estate and 10 years in acquisitions and relocations. He has extensive experience in land rights for government entities, renewable energy companies and utility companies. He is an active member of the International Right of Way Association and serves on the Executive Board for Chapter 20.

Since joining WSB in 2014, Barker has managed a variety of complex projects, including Rice Street, I-694, Minnesota Southwest Light Rail Transit, and White Bear Ave Reconstruction. He has proven himself as an effective negotiator, strong leader, and consistently helps clients, design staff, and landowners to reach fair settlements for all parties.

In his role as Director of Right of Way, Barker will lead the Minneapolis Right of Way team and continue oversight of WSB’s Right of Way services across the United States. His focus will remain on supporting WSB’s Right of Way clients across the firm’s government, commercial and energy markets.

WSB’s Right of Way team works with closely with clients in the government, commercial and energy markets throughout the United States. The staff of real estate specialists and surveyors specialize in right-of-way issues and services including project scoping, cost estimates, relocation, eminent domain, appraisals and acquisitions.

A Message from our CEO on our 26th Anniversary

In honor of WSB’s 26^th year in business, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on our past and share the history of why our anniversary is so important.

In October 1995, the founders of WSB made the decision to leave the firm we were with after they stopped investing in technology, staff and clients. When you remove the tools that are necessary for your team and client success, the impacts are significant. For us, it was the push we needed. We came together to create a new type of firm, one that is centered on passion, optimism, and a bold vision to be the most authentic firm we can be. We have spent the last 26 years developing that mission, focusing on solid client relationships, encouraging staff to be curious and determined, and consistently pushing to be at the forefront of our industry.

When I look back, WSB has become much more than the firm we originally set out to build, and that is because of each staff member, client and partner we have worked with over the years. We believe in delivering what’s next for our clients. We live our mission and we work together during good and more challenging times to support our communities. I am grateful for how our relationships have stayed consistent and have helped us work together to navigate the past 18 challenging months.

Every year on our anniversary, we celebrate all we have accomplished, and look forward to the future. We have built a supportive culture that puts clients and people first – and that’s important to celebrate. WSB will continue to invest in our staff, our clients, and cutting-edge tools, because that is the commitment we made nearly three decades ago. I want to take today to celebrate, and I look forward to finishing 2021 strong, and welcoming new opportunities for partnership and new connections in 2022.

WSB promotes Jim Mill to director, civil site development.

Design and consulting firm WSB announced today the promotion of Jim Mill to director of civil site development. In his new role, Jim will lead operations and oversee business development efforts for the firm’s development work throughout Colorado and the western U.S.

Jim joined WSB in 2018 after 15 years of running his own business and has been instrumental in the firm’s growth in Colorado. His office, based in Denver, CO, currently has staff supporting work in land development, water resources, traffic, survey, and environmental compliance. 

“Jim has the ability to take an idea and make it a reality,” said Monica Heil, WSB’s vice president of municipal services.  “Our clients continually leverage Jim for his skills and abilities in design, master project coordination and value engineering. He has a passion for building the correct teams to support our clients and deliver the best value, budget, and timeline for all his projects.”

Jim has over 35 years of experience in development. Prior to his time at WSB, he was president of Legacy Engineering, Inc. He started his career as an Engineer in Training (EIT) with a local Denver engineering firm.

“Over the last three and a half years, WSB has been an exceptional place to exercise and grow my skills in business while establishing a strong foundation in Colorado,” said Jim.  “I am excited to take on additional responsibilities and build off of this foundation to expand in all facets of our business.”

Beyond his responsibilities in development, Jim will help lead and mentor staff throughout the region from the Denver office.

Newsletter | Volume 3 | Issue 2 | 2021

WSB ranks #47 on the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal’s Fast 50 list

On Thursday, October 28, the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ) announced their 2021 Fast 50 List, an exclusive ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities. This marks the first year that WSB was included on the list with a revenue growth of 24%. WSB is the only engineering firm to make the list landing at #47.

The Fast 50 awards recognize the region’s 50 fastest-growing, privately held, for profit companies. To be eligible for the Fast 50, companies must show year-over-year revenue growth for each of the past three completed fiscal years, be headquartered in the Twin Cities 24-county metro area and have revenue of at least $1 million in the first fiscal year.

Read our Fast 50 Profile.

WSB Promotes Val Brennan to Director of Marketing

Design and consulting firm WSB announced today that Val Brennan has been promoted to director of marketing. In her new role, Val will oversee the WSB brand, all brand assets and will support both internal and external content development.

Val joined WSB in 2017 and has over a decade of experience executing and developing strategic marketing and communications plans. She will focus on telling WSB’s story by developing and directing marketing efforts, focused on increasing the value and performance of WSB’s brand and services.

“Val has been with WSB for four years, and has helped us transform our marketing efforts,” said Ben Maurer, WSB’s vice president of marketing and communications. “She has done an incredible job building out our brand and helping to set a new bar for our industry. I am excited to see what she has in store for us.”

Val approaches projects with the audience in mind and understands the importance of small details. She will drive marketing efforts through corporate collateral, advertising, media relations and overall messaging.

“I believe strongly in authentic marketing and communications tactics,” said Val. “I am excited to continue to collaborate with my team to find successful solutions that focus on the end user, and the experiential aspects of our brand.”  

An Expansion Story: WSB in Texas

Planting our roots in the Lone Star State

In 2017, we began expanding our operations into Texas. Since then, we’ve gained momentum and have been working closely with our clients to provide engineering, planning, environmental and construction services throughout the state to both the public and private sectors. In the four years since we first entered the Lone Star State, we’ve focused on establishing strong client and partner relationships, and learning how to best support their infrastructure needs.

THE FIRST STEPS

We set our sights on the Austin metro area to begin building a solid foundation. Our early-stage plan included three key factors: hiring talented staff, arming ourselves with local knowledge and taking a bold approach to how we position ourselves in a new, fast-growing market.

THE ACQUISITIONS

To help build our staff and gain local knowledge, we made two acquisitions: Austin-based Rogers Design Services and Houston-based Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc. Both acquisitions progressed our strategic growth goals and added to our momentum.

ROGERS DESIGN SERVICES (RDS)
WSB acquired Rogers Design Services in early 2018. In operation since 2007, the firm provided engineering services for infrastructure improvement projects for the state, county and local level in central Texas. Dan Rogers, founder and President of RDS, joined WSB as the Director of Transportation Design – Texas.

NATHELYNE A. KENNEDY & ASSOCIATES, INC. (NAK)
NAK was founded in 1981 by Nathelyne A. Kennedy. Since then, Nathelyne has built an impressive operation in Houston serving government, institutional and commercial clients with a suite of comprehensive civil engineering design services that cover all aspects of infrastructure. NAK maintains operations in Houston as WSB, supporting clients and projects throughout the market.

OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS

Our culture drives our results, and our staff are vital in shaping our success. We’ve made several strategic hires since first entering the Texas market. These new team members have helped share the WSB story and support the infrastructure needs of our clients throughout the state. Recently, we welcomed four new members to our leadership team in Texas.

ROB BAILEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Rob has over three decades of engineering experience. In his role at WSB, he will oversee our transportation growth, support business development efforts and manage strategic transportation pursuits.

BRYAN HODGES, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION DESIGN – TEXAS
Bryan is known throughout the Texas transportation industry for his planning, design and project management experience. As Director of Transportation, he will lead project management activities for TxDOT projects and support business development efforts in the Tyler, Texas area.

STEVE LINDSEY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION DESIGN – TEXAS
Steve’s experience extends through all phases of project development from feasibility studies to maintenance. Steve will lead project management activities with TxDOT and support business development efforts in the Austin, Texas area.

CHRISTIE SAENZ, DIRECTOR OF RIGHT OF WAY
Christie leads WSB’s right of way projects in Texas by providing project management, acquisition and relocation services. She has over 25 years of experience in the right of way industry and has managed the acquisition of over 1,000 parcels throughout her career.

MELVIN HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Melvin joins WSB with over 10 years of experience working on high-profile construction projects throughout Texas. In this role, Melvin works with our clients in the heavy civil construction market and supports construction inspection growth throughout Texas.

BUILDING WHAT’S NEXT IN INFRASTRUCTURE

We’ve welcomed the opportunity to support cities, counties, the Texas Department of Transportation, utility companies, contractors and energy clients since we began operations. We value strong relationships, collaboration and forward-thinking ideas and we’re looking forward to discovering thoughtful and creative solutions with our clients in the future.

CR 272 AT CROSSING OF BRUSHY CREEK
CITY OF CEDAR PARK
For years, the low water crossing at Bushy Creek had been closed due to flooding over half of the year. Frequent flooding prevented traffic flow for emergency vehicles, Cedar Park residents and also caused dangerous algae build up resulting in safety issues. To combat the flood prone bridge, WSB designed a low water, bridge class box crossing that channels high water under the bridge rather than over and removes the requirement for standard bridge railings. This innovative plan mitigated the street’s flooding issues, will keep the bridge open nearly all year and has ensured public safety.

SAM RAYBURN TOLLWAY SIGN REPLACEMENT PROJECT
NORTH TEXAS TOLLWAY AUTHORITY
The North Texas Tollway Authority needed to replace all ground mounted and selected overhead signs along main lanes, frontage roads, ramps and interchanges on a 16-mile stretch of the Sam Rayburn Tollway. Most of these signs were installed nearly 10 years ago and several panels had faded over time. WSB was contracted to review existing sign placement, appearance, and foundations. Using WSB 360, our team visually gathered data for each sign, creating significant cost savings and efficiencies.

THE FUTURE OF WSB IN TEXAS

The outlook in Texas is bright. It is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S., and WSB is well positioned to grow with it. We will continue to invest in the Texas region. We’ve been intentional about our hires, acquisitions and brand building – all have which led us to grow smarter. At WSB, we work differently. We are leading the industry in digital delivery methods, using cutting edge tools and hiring the industry’s best and brightest. We are well-positioned to support the infrastructure needs of our clients across our markets throughout Texas. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas and it’s the perfect time to partner with our clients to build what’s next.

“To take a risk and double down on growth, you need to have heart. I think every new hire, acquisition and client in Texas has understood that. We set our sights on supporting Texas’ infrastructure needs and we’re not letting our foot off the gas,” said Jay Kennedy, vice president of Texas operations. “We truly believe in the work we’re doing. Our communities understand this commitment and that’s what will continue to differentiate us in this market.”

Nathelyne A. Kennedy Receives Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award

The national award is given by the Zweig Group each year to someone working in the AEC industry who has made tremendous impacts through courageous leadership

Engineering and consulting firm WSB announced today that Nathelyne A. Kennedy was awarded the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award by the Zweig Group. The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given annually to one individual working in the architecture, engineering, planning or environmental industry who has made a tremendous impact on their firm through courageous leadership.

Kennedy is the founder, President and CEO of Nathelyne A. Kennedy & Associates, Inc (NAK), a Houston-based civil engineering firm. She was the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a college or university in Texas in 1959. WSB acquired NAK in 2019, and today, Nathelyne continues to audit drawings for the firm’s most complex projects.

“Nathelyne treats her staff with a lot of respect,” said WSB President and CEO Bret Weiss. “She invests in people of color to advance them in our industry, an area that is severely lacking and is continuing to work hard and show how important leadership is in our industry, regardless of who you are. I am so proud that she has been recognized by our industry for her extraordinary accomplishments.”

Nathelyne was named Houston’s Engineer of the Year in 2016 and remains the only female to ever receive the award. She has also been previously named Minority Business Woman of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“The most rewarding part is the people,” said Kennedy. “Knowing that we have been successful, not knowing if we could do it, and then we proved we could. It has given meaning to my life and I am so proud of what we have accomplished.

Nathelyne accepted the prestigious award in Denver, Colorado earlier this month, during the Zweig ElevateAEC Conference Awards Gala. The Zweig Group is the leading research, publishing, and advisory services resource for firms in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.  

Newsletter | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | 2021