HWS Opens Kansas City Metro Office
HWS Adds Two More PEs!
HWS’ Morong Earns Master of Special Inspection Certification
HWS Earns First Annual Golden Friend Award!
Employee announcements
 

HWS Opens Kansas City Metro Office

 
HWS has opened a new office in the Overland Park, KS – a milestone that is the result of a new key hire and a strategic alliance with a firm that has strong ties in the Kansas City Metro area.

Mike McKenna, PE, PTOE, will be HWS’ Kansas City Office Manager and Regional Manager of Traffic and Transportation Planning. Mike has been working since 2001 as a Senior Traffic Engineer and Client Manager for an engineering firm in Kansas City and Springfield, MO. He also has nine years of experience with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

HWS has formed a strategic alliance with Affinis Corp. to benefit our clients in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This alliance enhances the capabilities of both firms with added expertise and a broader range of engineering services including:
• Roadway Design
• Bridge Design
• Traffic Engineering
• ITS Engineering
• Transportation Planning
• Surveying
• Railroad Design
• Airport Planning & Design
• Environmental Consulting
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Land Development
• GIS

HWS is a 64-year-old engineering, environmental and geotechnical firm with nearly 200 employees and offices in Manhattan, KS; Lincoln and Omaha, NE; Ames, IA; Denver, CO; and most recently – Overland Park.

Affinis is a consulting engineering firm focused on building long-lasting client relationships. With more than 30 employees, they serve the Kansas City area from offices in Overland Park, KS, and Lee’s Summit, MO.

HWS - Overland Park
7401 W. 129th St., Suite 110
Overland Park, KS 66213
Phone: 913-239-2280
Direct: 913-239-2281
Fax: 913-239-1111
mckenna@hws.com

 
 

HWS Adds Two More PEs!

 
Congratulations to Melissa Egelhoff and Ben Dey for passing the exam to become licensed Professional Engineers (PE’s) in the state of Nebraska. This makes seven new PE's for HWS this year!

In order to become a PE, Melissa and Ben needed graduate from an accredited civil engineering program, and then take and pass the fundamental exam. They then needed gain four years of professional experience working under a registered Professional Engineer before being eligible to take the PE exam.

Congratulations to the both of you!

 
 

HWS’ Morong Earns Master of Special Inspection Certification

 
Ken Morong, an Engineering Associate at HWS Consulting Group’s Omaha, Nebraska location, recently received certification by the International Code Council (ICC) as a Master of Special Inspection. He is now one of only 12 individuals in the country that have earned this certification.

Earning the Master of Special Inspection designation illustrates Ken’s knowledge and commitment to the industry, and places him among the leaders in the fields of structural welding, structural steel and bolting, structural masonry and reinforced concrete special inspection. Ken has over 22 years of professional experience and has been with HWS since 2004. Ken currently serves as Chairman on the ICC Reinforced/Prestressed Concrete Exam Development Committee.

 
 

HWS Earns First Annual Golden Friend Award!

 
HWS was recently notified by the Lincoln Parks Foundation that it has been selected as a recipient of their first annual Golden Friend Award. This Award is for the “company’s ongoing commitment to the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department”. The presentation will be made at the Annual Celebration Luncheon in Lincoln on Thursday, April 17, 2008. While the Foundation has not specified details at this point, the Award is obviously tied to our annual tree planting program on Arbor Day and our support of the Foundation’s fund-raisers over the past 15 years. Thanks to all the HWS employees who have participated in these events!

 
 

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employee announcements

Chase Holien
Engineering Intern
cholien@hws.com

Chase Holien recently joined the HWS Transportation Group in the Ames office where he provides site development and transportation engineering services. Chasen is currently working towards his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University.
 

Garret Reeder
Engineering Intern
greeder@hws.com

We would like to welcome Garret Reeder to the HWS Transportation Group in the Ames office where he provides site development and transportation engineering services. Garret is currently working towards his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa Sate University.
 

Aaron Swanson
Engineering Associate
aswanson@hws.com

HWS welcomes Aaron Swanson. Aaron recently joined the HWS Ames office as an Engineering Associate. He will be assisting with design, drafting and other tasks associated with roadway and traffic projects. Aaron will also offer his expertise and knowledge with such software as AutoCAD and MicroStation.
 

Randy Walker
Engineering Intern
rwalker@hws.com

Please help us welcome Randy Walker to the Omaha Construction Observation Group. Randy assists with construction observation and materials testing activities related to HWS projects.
 

Grady Hastings
Engineering Intern
ghastings@hws.com

Grady Hastings recently joined our Construction Observation Group in the Omaha office. Randy assists with construction observation and materials testing activities related to HWS projects.
 

Connie Laughlin
Human Resource Specialist
claughlin@hws.com

HWS is pleased to announce Connie Laughlin as HWS’s Human Resource Specialist.
Connie has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska and has over 20 years of professional human resource experience with Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) of Chicago, IL as a Senior HR Manager, IQ4Hire, Inc. of Chicago, IL as Vice President, Human Capital, and Cherry Hill Companies of Lincoln, NE as Director of Human Resources.
 

Steve Jorgensen
Senior Geologist/Senior Engineer
sjorgensen@hws.com

HWS welcomes Steve Jorgensen, Senior Geologist/Senior Engineer, to the Environmental Services Division. Steve is based in the Denver office and provides environmental services including assessments, investigation and remedial design for soil and groundwater contamination, permitting, wetlands consulting, air quality and other related activities.
 

Cole Kinderknecht
Engineering Intern
ckinderknecht@hws.com

HWS is excited to announce Cole Kinderknecht as a new member of the Field Services Group in the HWS Manhattan office. Cole assists with construction observation and materials testing activities related to HWS projects.
 

Daniel Allen
Engineering Intern
dallen@hws.com

HWS is excited to announce Daniel Allen as a new member of the Field Services Group in the HWS Manhattan office. Daniel's responsibilities include concrete, aggregate, asphalt and soil testing and inspection work.
 

Jesse Ahrens
Engineering Intern
jahrens@hws.com

HWS welcomes Jesse Ahrens! Jesse is a new member of the Ames office and assists with conducting and coordinating surveying services for transportation, site development and other engineering projects.
 

Ivan Bowling
Engineering Field Technician

HWS is excited to announce Ivan Bowling as a new member of the Geotechnical Division in the HWS Manhattan office. Ivan's responsibilities include concrete, aggregate, asphalt, and soil testing and inspection work.
 

Mike Sexton, PE
Omaha Land Development Manager
msexton@hws.com

Michael Sexton, PE, has joined our Omaha office as Land Development Manager with more than 20 years of professional engineering experience. He has served in various capacities on airport design and flood control projects as well as drainage studies. More recently, he was the Senior Project Manager on projects for the largest residential developer in the Omaha Metro. Sexton is adept at implementing new procedures and managing large-scale projects.

Mr. Sexton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Nevada – Las Vegas, and has completed Advanced and Basic Courses as an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO.
 

Adam Wilmes, EI
Land Development Project Manager
awilmes@hws.com

Adam Wilmes, EI, is joining Omaha’s office as a Project Manager. He is experienced in residential and commercial land development, surveying, drafting and project management. He has served as design engineer for projects involving design of residential and commercial subdivisions, site plan preparation, erosion control plans, SWPPP preparation, sanitary and storm sewer design and hydrologic modeling.

Mr. Wilmes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University, and also participated in a Civil Engineering Exchange program at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a member of SIE and an associate member of ASCE.
 

Crystal Baldwin
Crystal is an Engineering Associate
cbaldwin@hws.com

Crystal Baldwin joins Omaha’s workforce as an Engineering Associate. She has experience preparing plans, exhibits and drawings for land development projects using AutoCAD, ESRI ArcGIS, county websites, and MAPA information. She has also assisted in preparing and organizing preliminary plats and final plat packages.

Ms. Baldwin holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree from ITT Technical Institute in Omaha.
 

Dennis Bliss
Engineering Associate
dbliss@hws.com

Dennis Bliss comes to the Omaha office as an Engineering Associate with 36 years of experience in land development. He is skilled in the technical aspects of planning and design and is competent with AutoCAD and Civil 3D software applications. His professional experience includes preparing legal descriptions, grading and erosion control plans, SWPPP plans, preliminary and final plats, utility and paving construction plans and land title surveys.

Mr. Bliss earned an Associate Degree in Construction Engineering Technology from University of Nebraska – Omaha.
 

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Mike McKenna, PE, PTOE
 
Melissa Egelhoff, PE
 
Ben Dey, PE
 
Ken Morong

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