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. Design professionals and guests gathered virtually to recognize Michigan engineering and surveying projects from the past year, as well as engineering professionals who have significantly contributed to the profession.

“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 Engineering Eminent Conceptor Award went to Quandel Consultants, Inc. for the Michigan Accelerated Rail Project, which enhances mobility in Michigan through rail infrastructure improvements between Dearborn and Kalamazoo. Quandel Consultants served as a program management consultant for the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) Office of Rail.

Six firms were honored with an Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award for their work on the following:

• AECOM (Traverse City) and Inter-Fluve (Lodi, Wisconsin) – Boardman River Dams Ecosystem Restoration in Traverse City
• Bergmann (Lansing) – Allen Creek Berm Opening in Ann Arbor
• SME (Plymouth) – Frank Rewold & Sons, Inc. Headquarters in Rochester
• SmithGroup (Detroit) – First Automotive Works Group Research & Development Campus in China
• SmithGroup – Zeiss Regional Headquarters in Wixom
• Wade Trim (Detroit) – Ford Dearborn Central Energy Plant Site in Dearborn

Engineering Merit Awards were presented to:

• C&S Companies (Livonia) – Terminal Apron Reconstruction and Expansion in Grand Rapids for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority
• Fleis & VandenBrink (Grand Rapids) – Clean Water A Flush Away for West Shore Community College in Scottville
• Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. (Bloomfield Hills) – DTW Emergency Retaining Wall Repairs in Romulus for the Wayne County Airport Authority
• Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. – Innovation Hills project for the City of Rochester Hills
• NTH Consultants, Ltd. (Northville) – Livernois “Avenue of Fashion” Make-Over for the City of Detroit, Department of Public Works
• OHM Advisors (Livonia) – Auburn Road Reconstruction & Streetscape in Rochester Hills
• OHM Advisors – Utility Restructuring for Long-Term Success project in Taylor for the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority
• Progressive AE (Grand Rapids), Moore + Bruggink (Grand Rapids) and Speck & Associates (Brookline, Massachusetts) – Envision Ada project for Ada Township
• Spicer Group, Inc. (Saginaw) – Universal Pump Station in Carrollton for the Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner
• Tetra Tech (Ann Arbor) – WRRF Headworks and Interceptor Improvements for the City of East Lansing
• Wightman (Kalamazoo) – Halbert Road Culvert in Battle Creek for the Calhoun County Road Department

This year’s Surveying Eminent Conceptor Award went to Fishbeck (Grand Rapids) and Tetra Tech for their 8-1/2 Mile Relief Drain In-System Storage Scan project, which included scan and survey of a 4.5-mile municipal pipe to identify its location and elevation, determine invert elevation, and establish the size of taps and leads entering the pipe.

A Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award was presented to Spalding DeDecker (Rochester Hills) for the US-31 Bascule Bridge Design Survey in Manistee for MDOT.

Surveying Merit Awards were presented to:

• Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, Inc. (Shelby Township) – UAW Solidarity House Terrestrial & Aerial Scanning project in Detroit
• Surveying Solutions, Inc. (Standish) – UAV LiDAR: Expansive Topographic Monitoring project in Ontonagan County for MDOT

The Board Design Award went to AECOM and Inter-Fluve for their board designed to ‘tell the story’ of the Boardman River Dams Ecosystem Restoration in Traverse City.

This year’s ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award was presented to Keith M. Swaffar, PE, of NTH Consultants, Ltd. to honor his leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations. The ACEC/M Felix A. Anderson Image Award was presented to Kimberly K. Nowack, PE, of the Mackinac Bridge Authority for her actions and contributions to enhance the image of the profession.