LANSING, MI – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) recently honored firms for engineering and surveying excellence during the association’s annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala. On March 7, design professionals and guests gathered at 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids to recognize outstanding Michigan engineering and surveying projects from the past year, as well as engineering professionals who have significantly contributed to the profession. The ACEC/M Awards Program recognizes outstanding efforts of professional design firms to solve clients’ needs through exceptional projects and offers the opportunity to showcase the year’s best engineering and surveying achievements to an audience of peers, clients and decision makers at all levels.
“The knowledge and expertise that filled the room on Saturday was astounding! The projects engineered by private sector firms have a profound effect on the quality of life for all Michigan residents. Their efforts result in quality roads and bridges, safe drinking water, and a clean environment for people to live, work and play,” said Ronald Brenke, PE, ACEC/M Executive Director.
This year’s most prestigious award – the Engineering Eminent Conceptor Award – went to Tetra Tech, Inc. for the I-696 Innovative Design Project in Macomb County. The I-696 Dequindre to Nieman project involved the design of 8 miles of depressed interstate freeway including 8 urban interchanges including ramps. The project design consisted of concrete inlay construction including a recently developed specification for cement treated open graded drainage course (OGDC). Several innovative concepts were utilized, including a corridor-wide project PDF, contractual 3D line strings, and a PQS spreadsheet in lieu of quantity breakdown displays. Design was on an accelerated schedule and completed in less than 4 months.
Five firms were honored with an Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award for their work on the following:
• AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (Chicago) – High-Rate Clarification Plant in Columbiaville
• Fishbeck (Grand Rapids) – Water Treatment Plant Improvements in Ludington
• Prein&Newhof (Grand Rapids) – Water Treatment Pilot Study for PFAS Removal project in Plainfield Charter Township.
• Ruby+Associates, Inc. (Bingham Farms) – Mackinac Bridge Paint Platforms project in Mackinaw City
• The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc.. (Canton) – Ford Flat Rock Facility in Flat Rock
Engineering Merit Awards were presented to:
• C2AE (Gaylord) – Four Mile Road Municipal Water and Wastewater project in Grayling
• Gourdie-Fraser, Inc. (Traverse City) – 8th Street Reconstruction in Traverse City
• Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. (Bloomfield Hills) – Groundbreaking Trenchless Technology project for the City of Royal Oak
• NTH Consultants, Ltd. (Northville) – Auburn Treatment Plant Pipeline Rehabilitation in Pontiac
• Parsons Transportation Group, Inc. (Troy) – I-75 Concrete Inlay Project in Detroit
• SmithGroup (Detroit) – Biological Sciences Building at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
• SmithGroup (Detroit) – Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University in Detroit
• Spicer Group, Inc. (St. Johns) – Smith Consolidated Drain project in Okemos
• Tyme Consulting Engineers, Inc. (Livonia) – I-75 ITS Fiber Network Backbone Design in Wayne County
• Wade Trim (Taylor) – Wilson Road Extension project at Michigan State University in East Lansing
This year’s Surveying Eminent Conceptor Award went to Spicer Group, Inc. (Saginaw), for its MDOT Railway Scanning project. Spicer Group, Inc. completed a network-wide data collection project for MDOT’s Office of Rail for approximately 665 miles of railroad corridor. Various data collection technologies were used including Mobile Terrestrial LiDAR and rail-view imagery, Airborne LiDAR and ortho-imagery, UAV acquired ortho-imagery and traditional RTK GNSS surveying. Using advanced techniques, all data was fused together to create a network-wide geospatial dataset of all MDOT-owned railroad assets.
A Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award was presented to Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering, Inc. (Grand Rapids) for its Taming the Wildcat Drain project in Three Rivers.
Surveying Merit Awards were presented to:
• Nowak & Fraus Engineers (Pontiac) – Ford Field Surveying and Scanning in Detroit
• Spalding DeDecker (Rochester Hills) – Michigan Central Station project in Detroit
The Board Design Award went to Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. (Bloomfield Hills) for the board designed to ‘tell the story’ of the Boost to the Booster Station in Rochester Hills.
This year’s ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award was presented to Jay Shah, PE, of Jay Shah Associates, LLC to honor his outstanding leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations. The ACEC/M Felix A. Anderson Image Award was presented to Larry Fleis, PE, of Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering, Inc., for his actions and contributions to enhance the image of the profession.
The Eminent and Honorable Conceptor award winners are eligible to compete at the National ACEC engineering competition in Washington, D.C. For more information on the projects and award winners, please contact ACEC/M at 517.332.2066 or visit their web site at www.acecmi.org.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan is the voice of Michigan's engineering industry. Council members – numbering over 100 firms throughout the state – are engaged in a wide range of engineering/architectural/surveying works that propel the state's economy, and enhance and safeguard Michigan's quality of life. These works allow people to drink clean water, enjoy a healthy life, take advantage of new technologies, and travel safely and efficiently. The Council's mission is to contribute to Michigan's prosperity and welfare by advancing the business interests of member firms.