Predicted Service Life of Armor Stone: A Case History
Laboratory testing for determination of true rock quality in terms of expected performance is not clear-cut, may be misleading, and requires extensive interpretation by an expert. This...
Bell's Bridge Rehabilitation
Bell's Bridge carries Tidewater Drive, a major urban arterial in the City of Norfolk, Virginia, over Wayne Creek, a tributary of the Lafayette River. During a routine inspection in 1995,...
Benefits and Value of a Team Approach
Many still equate teamwork simply with feeling good or being the right thing to do. Yet leaders who have made the effort to develop teamwork in their work groups have noticed some interesting...
Differing Styles, Personalities and Cultures
It has been my privilege to assist many management groups that are highly multicultural and diverse in their membership. These groups have included minorities, women, and people of all...
Conflict: Handling Differences in Groups and Teams
Many group leaders and members say they have a terrible problem with conflict in their groups, meetings, and discussions. Conflict is indeed a significant problem in many types of organizations,...
Overcoming Separation in Time or Space
Groups such as project teams, practice networks, and marketing groups are becoming ever more dispersed and distributed. For example, on a current project for a major water utility, I'm...
Succession Planning Pays Off
If your company hasn't yet put a plan in place to transition from its current ownership and leadership to the next generation, now is the time to start. When planning to offer...
The Ethics of Contributions
Whether or not it is ethical for a consulting firm to contribute money to a political campaign or cause depends on the motive. If the purpose is to curry favor with a candidate and gain...
Return of the Master Builder
As projects become more complex and clients demand streamlined design and construction approaches, more consulting companies are attempting to add hard-dollar construction to their scope....
Transportation Planning and Air Quality IV
Persistent Problems and Promising Solutions
This proceedings,
Growing Pains
Most small firms want to increase their business, but there are hidden dangers that can dampen even the most encouraging outlook. Small engineering firm executives and business consultants...
Water, Water, Everywhere (Available in Geoenvironmental special issue only)
The discovery of extensive contamination just prior to construction of an underground library storage facility prompted engineers from the Minneapolis-based firms CNA Consulting Engineers...
Big-Firm Marketing Ideas That Can Work For You
Access to a large advertising and marketing budget may make it easier to attract clients, but bringing in new business doesn't have to be expensive. Marketing professionals...
Newsletters That Deliver
A newsletter consultant and business manager for a small engineering firm explains how to create an effective newsletter for new and potential clients. Among the necessary steps are establishing...
Consulting Engineering
A Guide for the Engagement of Engineering Services
A Merger Manual
Mergers and acquisition business deals continue to proliferate in the consulting engineer and construction industry. There are many important issues on both sides of the table, and the...
A Stockholder's Story
A former partner in an engineering consulting firm tells about what happens when a firm goes public. His view is that while it benefitted financially, the firm changed for the worse. The...
Out of Sight, Out of Time
A 10-year grace period for complying with an EPA regulation mandating that all underground storage tanks have spill, overfill and corrosion protection runs out on December 22, 1998. Hundreds...
Seismic Guidelines for Ports
Pulling Ahead
Instead of waiting for RFPs, the most aggressive design firms pursue business by getting to know potential clients ahead of time. Proactive consulting firms decide whom they want as clients,...
Return to search