Midlands Business Journal • DECEMBER 18, 2020 •
Engineering Profession A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal
Trevor Larsen, structural engineer at TD2 Engineering.
Education to aviation, diverse projects keep firms busy in environment unlike anything we’ve seen by Michelle Leach
From one-of-a-kind aviation projects to educational projects with an eye on readying tomorrow’s business, veterinary science, and engineering leaders, the pandemic hasn’t stopped activity for essential services providers in the local engineering space. “We continue to see a consistent workload,” said Brian Chaffin, Nebraska region leader at Olsson. “Currently, signs seem to indicate that the economic effects within large portions of our footprint won’t be as bad as we feared on day one.” In fact, initially, the year was incredibly promising; Chaffin said there was a sigh of
relief — no repeat of the flooding from March 2019. So, there was time to finish up with repairs and every economic indicator seemed to be pointing up. “We had a fairly seamless transition,” Chaffin recalled. “All the credit for that goes to our IT department. They gave us the tools to [work from home], and our people just made it work. We’ve never been put in a full-scale situation like this before. So, it was all brand-new to everyone.” For the first time, the industry as a whole is broadly and widely accepting working from home. “We have proven during this pandemic
19
Lincoln Business Journal Pages
December 18, 2020
that it can work in our industry,” he said. “It remains to be seen if this will have a longterm effect.” While Chaffin acknowledged some learning curves and adjustments, he said most of the firm’s employees are working from home. “The remote work hasn’t been as challenging as we thought it would be,” said Anthony Dirks, SVP-Lincoln Division Manager with Alfred Benesch & Co. “By and large, we’ve been very successful, though it certainly looks different this year.” To specific projects, Dirks highlighted the firm’s work on the largest active transportation project in the state: the Lincoln South Beltway. Reportedly, the Chaffin $350 million project spans two system interchanges, three service interchanges, 43 miles of roadway alignments, 23 bridges and 11 roundabouts. “It’s been under construction since this spring,” he said. “When we were working on the final design, we had close to 100 staff involved.” Benesch served as the lead consultant for the Department of Transportation related to the final design and was reportedly responsible for around 75% of the design effort and the environmental permitting. “It is truly changing the landscape of south Lincoln,” Dirks said. The project completes the transportation network, which has existed only on the north and west sides — moving traffic around the city’s congested areas and improving flow and interstate connectivity.
VP and Senior Project Manager Andrew W. Beil, also with Alfred Benesch & Co., and his team have worked on unique features associated with Offutt Air Force Base’s relocation to the Lincoln Airport. Beil noted the project was driven by the reconstruction of the runway at the base in Bellevue. “They’re going to tear up the runway and reconstruct it, so they have to relocate the mission because the aircraft can’t fly out of Offutt,” Beil explained. They looked at various bases to relocate to. “It was a no-brainer to come down to Lincoln,” he said. To p r e p a r e , though, required Dirks $24.5 million in upgrades to accommodate the mission’s needs. Benesch partnered with Denver-based Jacobs, overseeing construction and completing quality assurance material testing. Notable upgrades included bringing an old Goodyear hangar up to current standards, and the construction of a temporary fabric hangar structure to house USAF aircraft during maintenance operations. “Crews are scheduled to relocate the first of February,” Beil said. “To put it in perspective, approximately 500 to 600 employees will be moving from and reporting from Offutt every day. And it’s a 24/6 operation … it’s good for the local economy.” In Lincoln, TD2’s work revolves around the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. According to Structural Engineer Trevor Continued on page 21.
LBJ Engineering Profession — inside DECEMBER 18, 2020
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
$2.00
VOL. 46 NO. 51
Lincoln’s Pratt Industries seeks to enhance market presence
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
by Richard D. Brown
JAN-PRO of Omaha leverages customized cleaning services to meet demand amid pandemic. – Page 2
40 er d Un 40 Beresford brings compassionate dental care to community at Bluffs Family Dentistry. – Page 4
c
Te
y
log
o hn
2020 brought new opportunities in tech, put spotlight on representation in workforce. – Page 5
Most Nebraskans, including many Lincoln residents, don’t know what goes on between two buildings located at 6600 Fletcher Ave., each with 40,000 square feet of space, 20 employees and technologically updated. With a rebranding initiative, Pratt Industries is positioned to play a greater role in meeting the regional needs for the design and production of corrugated mailing packaging. “We’re probably the best-kept secret in Nebraska,” said Chuck Gregg, general manager of Pratt Industries’ production facility. The building was opened in 1963 and has received more than $1 million in upgrades over the past two years. It’s augmented by a second facility at 48th & Superior streets, which was added about 15 years ago. Gregg, an Illinois native and ‘81 Grinnell College graduate who joined Pratt Industries in 2007, directs operations in Lincoln, which consistently have increased annual Continued on page 9.
General Manager Chuck Gregg … Rebranding and tech updates have helped boost reach with diverse corrugated mailing products.
NEDCO helps bolster statewide lending capacity; shatters loan volume records by Michelle Leach
Persistent low interest rates and the need to support financial institutions during the pandemic are driving record partnerships with banks and record loan volume for NEDCO, the Nebraska Economic Development Corp., which has facilitated financing in the state for more than three decades. “Our total projects are up to
$73 million in a pandemic,” said President Scott Sailors. “This would be a high-volume year; we’re at 50 projects. To put that in perspective, in an average year we have between 35 to 40 projects.” At the time of this writing, the Lincoln-based certified development company that administers the SBA 504 Loan Program Continued on page 8.
Co-founders Kellee Mikuls and Richard Tom … Like an Uber for scheduling babysitters, the “fam-tech” app is growing up in Silicon Prairie, with buy-in from parent-aged investors.
Swishboom meets child care need during the pandemic and beyond by Becky McCarville
President Scott Sailors … Diverse project types, from auto repair to lawn care, and partnerships with banks drive demand for SBA 504 program even as pandemic puts brakes on historically strong hospitality projects.
When co-founders Kellee Mikuls and brother-in-law Richard Tom set out to build an app that makes scheduling babysitters faster and easier while relying on personal networks, they had no idea that a looming global infectious disease would spotlight the difficulties of finding quality child care. In fact, the original impetus for Swishboom was so that Mikuls and her sister, who have six kids between them, could spend time together and with
their spouses. Swishboom is a platform that leverages users’ connections to find trusted babysitters, a differentiator from other platforms where parents might not have a personal connection to the sitter. The app builds on what many parents do naturally, which is asking friends/family for referrals or suggestions. “Swishboom, at the end of the day — when COVID opens up — will be used for date nights Continued on page 10.