News

Fallon Avenue Overpass receives APWA Honorable Mention

The Fallon Avenue Overpass project recently received an honorable mention for this year’s 2019 Minnesota Chapter APWA Project of the Year Awards. The APWA Awards program recognizes excellence in public works. We were honored to partner with the city of Monticello on a project that connects the community.

Newsletter | Issue 2 | 2019

WSB assists City of Sandstone to secure $900,000 grant

The City of Sandstone has received a $900,000 grant from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission.

The grant funding will be used to implement the first phase of the Robinson Park master plan. Robinson Park is a 65-acre city owned, historic park in Sandstone, Minnesota. Phase one of development will focus on building infrastructure with improved circulation and amenities, preserving historical elements and future development planning. The Robinson Park master plan strengthens the connectivity of the City of Sandstone, and highlights the unique traits and recreational activities that support its regional significance. 

WSB named a 2019 Top Workplace in Minnesota

WSB is honored to be named one of the Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune – ranking #7 on the top Midsize Employers list.  For seven consecutive years, we have received this prestigious honor, recognizing the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction.

We are extremely thankful to have the industry’s best and brightest on our team.  Together, we think big and take the lead to inspire change.  We are a collective of curious and creative thinkers that are proud to work together to build what’s next in infrastructure.  We want to take a moment to publicly thank our staff for continuing to strengthen our culture.

As we look to the future, we remain committed to creating an environment where our staff feel valued, have fulfilling work and feel like they belong.

WSB opens Austin office to expand engineering, design and consulting services for local clients

June 17, 2019

Austin, Texas – Fast-growing Minneapolis-based engineering firm WSB has cemented its entrance into the Austin market by opening a new office this week at 1221 S. Mopac Expressway in the Barton Hills neighborhood. WSB, which provides engineering, planning, environmental and construction services for the public and private sectors, has been active in the Austin area for the past two years.

“The Austin market has been a great fit for the culture of our company, and we’re very excited to establish a new office here so that we can continue to grow our team and expand the services available to our Austin area clients,” said WSB President and CEO Bret Weiss.

WSB entered the Austin market in 2017. In 2018, the firm acquired Austin-based Rogers Design Services (RDS), a well-respected local engineering firm. Now, WSB has six employees including the original staff from RDS and has immediate plans to increase staffing in Austin by more than 50 percent in the next year. The firm has worked with Hays County, Williamson County, the City of Cedar Park and the City of Georgetown on roadway and utility design projects as well as land-use planning.

“Like Minneapolis-St. Paul, Austin is a progressive capital city,” said Jay Kennedy, vice president of Texas Operations for WSB. “The region is growing rapidly and making smart investments in infrastructure. This is the type of environment where we can provide valuable insight and smart solutions to the challenges ahead.”

Headquartered in Minneapolis, WSB is the fourth-largest engineering firm in the Twin Cities. When it was founded in 1995, the company had five staff, one office and three different services areas. Today, the company offers services in more than 25 areas, employs more than 450 people and has expanded its markets beyond Minnesota with 12 offices across four different states.

WSB expands C-suite, opens Austin, Texas office to accommodate recent growth

June 17, 2019

Minneapolis, Minn. – Fast-growing Minneapolis engineering firm WSB has expanded its leadership team and opened an office in Austin, Texas this week, to accommodate significant growth in recent years. The company has grown 38 percent since 2015, and has added a chief financial officer, vice president of marketing and communications, and corporate counsel in the last year. Most recently, WSB named Jon Chiglo the company’s first-ever chief operating officer (COO). Chiglo, who also leads WSB’s transportation division, will help grow the business through new efficiencies and opportunities.

“WSB’s impressive growth is a testament to our commitment to our clients’ success, and our bold vision for the future,” said Chiglo. “I’m looking forward to taking on this role as we move into this new chapter.”

WSB is now the fourth-largest engineering firm in the Twin Cities. When it was founded in 1995, the company had five staff, one office and three different services areas. Today, the company offers services in more than 25 areas, employs more than 450 people and has expanded its markets beyond Minnesota with 12 offices across four different states. The firm opened its newest office this week in Austin, Texas, where they’ve been working with municipal clients for the past two years. Plans to open a new office in Denver later this year are underway as well.

“As we’re growing our roster of clients in the public and private sectors and building expertise in new practice areas, we felt it was important to grow our leadership team as well as our brick and mortar space to support better experiences for our clients,” said Bret Weiss, WSB President and CEO. “Since our inception in 1995, we’ve had a startup mentality. Now, we’ve reached a place where we can be more strategic about our future.”

WSB is ranked #7 on the Star Tribune’s 2019 Top Workplaces list, making its seventh consecutive appearance. The engineering firm was also recently named #66 on the Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List, the firm’s sixth consecutive appearance. Zweig’s Hot Firm list honors the fastest growing firms in the AEC industry.  Firms are ranked based on three-year revenue growth. Additionally, WSB received a number of prominent awards in the past year for work on projects such as Afton’s Old Village preservation and the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Corridors of Commerce project.

WSB, Brooklyn Park & Brooklyn Center secure $150,000 grant

WSB assisted Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center in securing a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Youth at Work Competitive Grant for a combined $150,000 in funding. The funding will be used for the cities’ collaborative workforce development program BrookLynk in 2020 and 2021. Directed by Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, BrookLynk is a youth employment program dedicated to addressing the regional talent and workforce needs of the communities through a strategy that explicitly supports and invests in young people facing barriers to employment. The grant funding will assist in scaling the program to help train more youth to join the future workforce and build the talent pipeline.

Eight WSB staff members pass Professional Engineer exam

June 27, 2019

Minneapolis, Minn. – WSB is pleased to congratulate eight team members who recently passed their Professional Engineer exam. The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam is an examination required to become a Professional Engineer in the United States. To become licensed, engineers must complete a four-year college degree, have at least four years of relevant work experience and pass two intensive competency exams.

According to the Society of Women Engineers, only 13 percent of engineers in the workforce today are women. In recent years, WSB has been working on diversity and inclusion efforts both inside the company and throughout the AEC industry. Four of the eight new Professional Engineers are women.

Meet our newest Professional Engineers:

Dylan Casey, PE
Dylan Casey recently joined WSB from the Montana Department of Transportation where he worked as a civil engineering specialist. At WSB, Dylan will specialize in field and construction engineering.

Chris Bunders, PE
Chris Bunders is a lead design engineer who specializes in planning and civil engineering for transportation, transit and municipal projects in Minnesota.

Lydia Ener, PE
Lydia Ener is a municipal engineer who specializes in feasibility reports, utility design, drafting, community engagement and construction observation and has partnered with many cities throughout the Twin Cities metro.

Alex Miller, PE
Alex Miller is a municipal engineer who works closely with cities in Minnesota to help solve their infrastructure problems. Alex specializes in residential construction projects and she was recently named the Young Engineer of the Year by the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers in 2018.

Veronica Kubicek, PE
Veronica Kubicek is a professional engineer in WSB’s Bismarck office who specializes in inspection, sign data collection, utility coordination, roadway design and plan development. Veronica takes a tech-forward approach to design work and relies on several digital design programs to bring projects to life.

Evan Schnitker, PE
Evan Schnitker is a professional engineer who specializes in the design and completion of transportation infrastructure projects. Evan’s experience extends from preliminary design through final design and construction administration.

Stephanie Hatten, PE
Stephanie Hatten is a professional engineer with experience in water resource planning and engineering including surface water plan updates, long-range planning and stormwater best management practices. Stephanie is also a Certified Floodplain Manager and assists with floodplain management and agency permitting.

WSB announces vice president promotions

July 1, 2019

Environmental services, corporate development and technology divisions get new leadership

Minneapolis, Minn. – Local engineering firm WSB today announced the promotions of Brian Bourassa and John Mackiewicz to vice president positions in the environmental services, corporate development and technology divisions, respectively. In their new roles, Bourassa and Mackiewicz will be responsible for their divisions’ revenue targets and new business goals; growing markets and service areas; and improving the use of technology solutions – all while focusing on attracting and retaining talented staff.

“I am incredibly excited about the expanded roles and responsibilities that all three of these leaders are taking on at WSB,” said Bret Weiss, WSB president and CEO. “Andi, Brian and John have made impressive impacts to our firm’s success, and I am thrilled that they will continue to help drive our results as we grow our business.”

The promotions come on the heels of significant growth at WSB, as well as the expansion of the executive team with the creation of chief financial officer and chief operating officer positions. As the fourth-largest engineering firm in the Twin Cities, WSB has 12 offices in four states, with its newest office opening recently in Austin, Texas.

To view the resumes and headshots of the two new vice presidents, click on the links below:

• Brian Bourassa, Vice President of Corporate Development
• John Mackiewicz, Vice President of Technology

Downtown Afton Revitalization awarded 2019 Project of the Year

WSB was recently selected as a 2019 Small Cities/Rural Communities Projects of the Year recipient for the Downtown Afton Revitalization by the American Public Works Association’s (APWA). The revitalization project was featured in the Historical Restoration/Preservation award category. The award recognizes excellence in project management, administration, and coordination of public works projects. Winners are selected based on six project categories.

The APWA is a nonprofit organization that provides support to public works personnel through educational and networking opportunities. The Public Works Project of the Year winners will be recognized at the 2019 APWA Public Works Expo in September.

See the complete list of winners in this month’s issue of the APWA Reporter.