P.E

TSEC 67: What Structural Engineers Should Know About the Evolving Construction Economy

December 23, 2021 By EMI

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In this episode, we talk to Joseph (Joe) Dardis, P.E., a Senior Structural Steel Specialist with the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) in Chicago, about what structural engineers should know about the evolving construction economy.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Joe About the Evolving Construction Economy:

Can you provide more insights about what the building construction economy is looking like right now, the types of projects being built, and how it has evolved?
Do you think any project types will bounce back to the level of growth they were in 2019?
How did the sizes of projects evolve over the past few years?
What forces in the overall economy drive the evolution of what we build and how can a structural engineer prepare and adapt to these changes?
What do you predict the building market will look like in the future?
How are building materials used to address the evolving building market?
What can structural engineers do to help improve the construction industry?
How do you measure US economic health and how does this relate to the construction economy?
Are there any resources available that can help engineers understand more about the evolving building market?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Evolving Construction Economy:

How to Succeed with Your Strategic Plans and Initiatives

December 9, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest post by Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

There’s no question that strategic planning is essential for individual, team, and organizational success. Yet despite this, the vast majority of strategic plans and major strategic initiatives fail or fail to be fully or successfully implemented.

Why is this the case and, more importantly, what can we do to ensure that we, our teams, and our organizations are on the winning side?

From my perspective as both a strategic planning participant at manager, principal, and firm owner levels and now as a strategic planning facilitator and execution consultant, here are the top 10 reasons most strategic plans and major strategic initiatives either languish or fail:

5 Steps to Building and Maintaining Client Relationships

November 8, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest post by Zane Pucylowski , P.E.

Customers want to work with engineers who provide excellent service by respecting their time and needs. However, manufacturing challenges, constant innovations, and changes to the industry can be a barrier to excellent customer service. Without great customer service and relationship building, new innovations and investments may never happen. Keeping a steady pipeline of existing clients will be beneficial to your firm. Existing clients keep your project board full and can recommend your firm to new clientele. However, closing on a new lead can take time, so it helps your firm to re-engage with existing clients. As the President and Principal Engineer at Phoenix Engineering and Consulting, I have seen the importance of maintaining solid client relationships. Here are five ways we work with clients to make sure we keep these relationships strong.

1. Maintain an Open Mind

TCEP 153: Concrete Trends and Career Development Strategies for Civil Engineering Professionals

September 23, 2020 By EMI

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In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Ron Burg, P.E., the Executive Vice President of the American Concrete Institute, also known as ACI. Ron discusses some interesting trends in the world of concrete, but also provides some important strategies for career development for civil engineering professionals based on his long and successful career journey.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Ron:

People Disappointment Management 101

August 10, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Kristi Hoke Mirambell, P.E

As I sit to write a blog about People Disappointment Management 101, I hear the song “God Is Great, Beer Is Good, and People Are Crazy” playing on the radio. At first, the song was nothing more than a typical country song about life with a country play on word humor. I heard this song many times, but it wasn’t until this time in my life, which is filled with an abundance of fear and unknowns, that I heard this song differently. I believe this song represents the best way to explain People Disappointment Management 101.

What makes us disappointed in another person?

I believe that our disappointments lie within our expectations of an event or person. When our expectations are not met, we create a narrative that validates that we are “right” and the event/person is “wrong.”

I am an engineer who lives for data points. This model works great for me because I continuously find data to prove my disappointment as accurate. From an ego standpoint, this works very well because all the narratives that I’ve lived by or believed made me “right.” However, what I learned through my 20-plus years of living according to a spreadsheet is that many past relationships ended in my life with the other person walking away defeated. Hey, but I won — or did I?

There was a time in my life that I knew I needed to change the way that I lived — that it no longer served me and I was ready for a “Cool Change” (another great song!). I started on this journey into uncharted territory and found that there was a whole new way of living, and it could help me to create the life I was desperately searching for.

For me, it started with being able to manage my disappointments in people. There are three key standards specific to personal relationships that we choose to live our lives in, and they tie right back to “God Is Great, Beer Is Good, and People Are Crazy.”

TCEP 128: Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional

October 9, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 128 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, which is our third episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I visit with Michelle Briehof, P.E. who is a project manager at Maser Consulting.

Michelle talks about some of the non-technical aspects and actions you can take as a civil engineering professional to build confidence and equip yourself as a well rounded civil engineering professional. She walks us through her career journey, from the beginning of her career up to where she is now and the experiences that have helped her to attain her position. She also tells us about the Maser Women’s Organization and how it has helped all employees at Maser, men and women, to build confidence and get the necessary exposure needed to become well-rounded engineering professionals.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michelle:

Tell us more about the Maser Women’s Organization
How has the Maser Women’s Organization impacted you?
How does being a mother impact your career?
Tell us about your involvement in the different disciplines at your firm?
Have you found that developing knowledge in different civil engineering disciplines has been helpful in your efforts?
How important is it to have confidence as a manager?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional:

TECC 183: Career Reflection: 5 Actions a Young Engineer Took to Realize Success

August 28, 2018 By EMI

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In this episode, you’re going to listen in on a conversation between me and Fernando A. Ceballos, P.E. Fernando will share some strategies that he’s used to realize success in his career at such a young age. He will also talk about how being a member of our Engineering Management Institute has helped him in his career.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are the 5 actions Fernando took to realize success in his career:

How to Begin your Speech Planning and Design

March 27, 2018 By EMI

How to begin your speech planning and design is a guest post by Shoots Veis, P.E.

A long time ago in a conference room far, far away, speakers used to give their presentations using a slide projector. Before computers were easy to move around, the slide projector was the all-in-one machine used to put graphics on the screen during a presentation. You may have heard of the Kodak Slide Carousel. You may have even used one in a presentation or two. To use the carousel, the graphics the speaker wanted to show during the presentation were made into slides. Those slides were loaded into a wheel and as the wheel advanced, a new slide was projected on the screen.

TCEP 077: How to Handle Career Transitions Confidently as a Civil Engineering Professional

February 14, 2018 By EMI

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In episode 077 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP, who has hosted several episodes of this podcast. Chris provided a framework that he has used to make many career transitions, and also talked about building the confidence needed to make engineering career transitions.

Here are some of the questions I ask Chris on career transitions:

Tell us about some of the career transitions you had to deal with?
What are some of the skills and strategic approaches one should take when transitioning in their career?
How can engineers build their confidence and adopt a mindset towards taking risks in their careers?
Tell us about the planning and preparation you did when you transitioned in your career?

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

TCEP 076: Two Professionals in the Civil Engineering Industry who are Impacting the World Beyond their Engineering Projects

January 31, 2018 By EMI

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In episode 76 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I interview two guests that work in the Civil Engineering world and have worked on very special projects that are helping our community and the world as a whole. They are Alan Lloyd, CIH, CSP, Associate Vice President and Corporate Health and Safety Officer from Pennoni, and Menzer Pehlivan, Ph.D., P.E., from CH2M who was one of the stars in the Dream Big Movie.

P.E

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Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Joe About the Evolving Construction Economy:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the Evolving Construction Economy:

This is a guest post by Peter C. Atherton, P.E.

This is a guest post by Zane Pucylowski , P.E.

1. Maintain an Open Mind

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Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Ron:

This is a guest blog by Kristi Hoke Mirambell, P.E

What makes us disappointed in another person?

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michelle:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional:

Engineering Quotes:

Here are the 5 actions Fernando took to realize success in his career:

Here are some of the questions I ask Chris on career transitions:

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

Here are some of the questions I ask our guests on impacting the world through these special projects:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed