WASHINGTON — On the heels of the announcement that a bipartisan agreement had been reached on infrastructure, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) released a new report analyzing how the proposal might benefit the engineering and design industry in terms of economic output and job creation.
“This is the first time we have taken a hard look at the numbers to see how a massive infrastructure investment would directly benefit America’s engineering industry,” said Linda Bauer Darr, president and CEO, ACEC. “If the package spurs growth in our industry of this magnitude, then the impact to the broader economy must be huge.”
Using a baseline for infrastructure spending established by the ACEC Research Institute in its 2021-2025 Engineering Industry Forecast, the study outlined scenarios for the president’s jobs plan and the initial Republican proposal and then compared those to the framework of the bipartisan Senate proposal.
The ACEC study estimates that the bipartisan agreement would create more than 82,000 full- and part-time jobs in engineering and design services, generate $62 billion in architectural/engineering industry wages, and add $75 billion to GDP. Overall, the proposal would lead to a 6% average annual increase in the engineering and design services sector activity over the next six years, pushing annual output from $352 billion in 2021 to $416 billion by 2026.
“The historic levels of investment in the bipartisan agreement will unleash the talent and ingenuity of America’s engineering industry to transform our built environment in ways that will benefit the nation for years to come,” Darr said.

COLUMBUS — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) released its monthly TRENDS report, showing the average sales performance by HARDI distributors increased 33.5% in May 2021. The average annual sales growth for the 12 months through May 2021 is 17.6%.
“The 33.5% gain reflects stimulus-driven demand being compared against a sales decline of 10.2% after the May 2020 COVID interruptions,” said Brian Loftus, market research and benchmarking analyst, HARDI. “The sales growth is nearly 20% versus May 2019 and about 11% if we adjust that for inflation. This is the end of the unusually weak shutdown-related sales comps.”
The days sales outstanding (DSO), a measure of how quickly customers pay their bills, was 40 days at the end of May 2021.
“The DSO has been faster than normal since June 2020 due to the aggressive policies to support the economy during the COVID-related disruptions,” said Loftus. “The normal rate of DSO for May is 46 to 47 days.”
The 17.6% average annual sales growth for the 12 months through May 2021 is a record for HARDI distributors.

HOUSTON — DCCM, a national provider of design, consulting, and program and construction management services, acquired R. G. Miller Engineers Inc.
R. G. Miller is a growing provider of a wide range of infrastructure services to both public and private sector clients. In acquiring the firm, DCCM is partnering with industry veteran Jack Miller, who will continue in his role as president of R. G. Miller.
“I’ve known and worked with Jack in the civil engineering industry for over 30 years and am thrilled to have him as a business partner and a member of the DCCM team,” said James F. Thompson, CEO, DCCM. “Jack has built R. G. Miller into an incredible business, and we plan to only compound this success. We’re looking to build on this momentum and aggressively expand our growth throughout Texas and the entirety of North America.”
Jack Miller, president of R. G. Miller, added, “We are looking forward to partnering with DCCM as we begin an exciting new chapter of our story. Having the opportunity to leverage our history and experiences with those of Jim’s within the Texas and U.S. marketplace will undoubtedly help accelerate our growth along with our breadth and depth of services.”

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Logical Systems LLC (LSI) is pleased to welcome Brett Ziehl as its newest Level V Lead Process Engineer. Ziehl is based out of LSI’s Ontario, Canada, office and is responsible for project management, process design, and business development. He will also oversee several of LSI's food and beverage endeavors, including the project management of a brownfield beverage plant project and craft brewery facility improvements.
Before joining LSI, Ziehl served as senior project manager of brewing at Molson Coors Canada. During his time at Molson Coors, he led many innovation-related projects and was a key player in managing the design and build of a new state-of-the-art brewery in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.
Ziehl has also performed advanced process engineering roles for other companies in Canada and South Africa, including Logen Corp., SABMiller Africa, Huppmann Process Africa, and South African Breweries. His extensive hands-on experience in process design and innovation supports LSI’s outcome-driven mindset and commitment to clients across multiple industries. Ziehl brings more than 25 years of brewing process and process control experience to LSI’s team.
“Brett’s leadership experience, process engineering background, and deep understanding of our industrial clients will be very beneficial,” said Nick Riggio, president, LSI. “He’s a welcome addition to our process team at LSI.”

FAIRFAX, Va. — Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, announced the acquisition of Edmonds Engineering. The 75-plus-person firm has five locations with offices in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee and its headquarters located in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Our immediate comradery and strategic alignment are two of the many reasons why Edmonds Engineering is excited to join Dewberry,” said Dan Blackman, P.E., CEO, Edmonds Engineering. “This will allow us to provide resources from a national firm with expertise across the U.S. and encompassing many markets and services. We anticipate business as normal with our leadership and project staff in place with outstanding opportunities for our staff to have improved access to training and development programs, an expanded knowledge base, and project diversity, which we will leverage in support of our clients and continue our culture of execution.”
“As a family-owned, client-centric, and community-driven firm, we believe that welcoming Edmonds Engineering into Dewberry is a strategic move that will allow us all to better serve our clients, given that both organizations have similar values and goals,” said Barry K. Dewberry, executive chairman of the board, Dewberry.

SAN FRANCISCO — International engineering firm Walter P Moore is leveraging tenured expertise within the firm’s structural engineering team further expanding its reach in the West Coast market.
Rafael Sabelli, P.E., S.E., accepted the role of managing director in the firm’s San Francisco office, continuing his role as director of seismic design. He is an award-winning industry leader in the development of seismic design solutions. Additionally, Sabelli is active in developing seismic design standards for steel systems and is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction Committee on Specifications, serving as vice-chair of the technical committee on seismic provisions. He is a past president of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC).
Sabelli is supported by Tanjeet Juneja, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, a senior associate and senior project manager with a focus on science, tech and research facilities, laboratories, education, health care, civic, and community spaces. Juneja specializes in seismic design and analysis of structures and has experience with a wide variety of construction materials and structural technologies.
“We are excited to recognize Rafael as the leader of our structural team in San Francisco,” said Blair Hanuschak, P.E., S.E., managing principal and executive director of Walter P Moore’s Structures Group. “Rafael’s leadership in seismic design contributes significantly to our firm and the broader structural engineering community. His role as seismic designer and engineer of record of the award-winning SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the Air Traffic Control Tower at San Francisco International Airport exemplify his technical expertise.”
As managing director in the Los Angeles office, Jeff Nixon, P.E., consistently delivers high-profile projects across various market sectors, including sports, aviation, commercial, entertainment, hospitality, convention centers, and education. Partnering with Sabelli is Ryan Anderson, S.E., DBIA, who is leading the San Diego office. He continues to leverage Walter P Moore’s expertise on the West Coast and internationally.