Midlands Business Journal February 26, 2021 Vol. 47 No. 9 issue

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2021 Engineering Excellence Awards A section prepared by the staff of the Midlands Business Journal

Category H Winner

Client: Nebraska Department of Transportation Project: U.S. Highway 281 over Niobrara River Emergency Repairs

Grand Award

Olsson

In March 2019, a rare bomb cyclone hit Nebraska resulting in record snow fall, heavy rains, flooding, and massive ice build-up against Spencer Dam about five miles south of Spencer, Nebraska, causing a breach and severe flooding downstream. Floodwaters from the breached dam wreaked havoc on U.S. Highway 281 (US-281), an important highway maintained by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). Flooding also created a new river channel, washing away approximately 1,300 feet of the existing US-281 embankment. NDOT reached out to Olsson transportation professionals to help restore the roadway and bridge who began this emergency repair project March 22, 2019, within eight days of the destruction. Because access to the site was limited, Olsson used drones to photogrammetrically map the project area and collect the information needed to properly engineer corrective measures. Olsson’s in-house geomorphologist and hydraulics specialists analyzed the channel’s instability so bridge engineers could account for it in the designs of the temporary and permanent bridges. Olsson environmental professionals worked to ensure all proposed solutions would comply with the emergency Clean Water Act (CWA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ultimately, two bridge structures were designed to restore access to this area. By committing key senior design staff to this emergency project, Olsson’s final design plans went out for bid on May 1, 2019 — just six weeks after NDOT’s notice to proceed. A temporary, one-lane bridge restored traffic on US-281 within four months. The permanent bridge replacement, and associated roadway and approaches, opened on October 15, 2020.

Young Professional of the Year

Brittni Yates, a professional engineer with Olsson, has been named the 2021 Young Professional of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Nebraska. Yates, a technical leader on Olsson’s Nebraska Water/Wastewater team, earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from South Dakota State University. She has been with Olsson since 2018 and has extensive experience providing project management, planning, engineering design, and construction management services for water quality and water treatment projects. At Olsson, she is Yates responsible for managing and leading key client accounts, organizing technical resources for projects, directing team members on design approaches, and promoting efficiencies in producing quality work. “I believe in living life with purpose, passion, and inquisitiveness,” she said. “I value travel and global awareness, and I’m committed to learning as much as I can about water quality and treatment. These passions came together when I traveled to several countries as part of nonprofit organizations. Experiences like these helped me see how I could use my talents – my technical expertise and my ability to connect with people – to help others.” Yates’s industry involvement includes serving as president, past president, vice president, and board member of the Engineers Club of Omaha; serving on public communication and outreach committees with the Water Environment Federation; and leading committees for the Nebraska Water Environment Association. She is also actively involved with the Nebraska chapter of the American Water Works Association, Engineers Without Borders, and the Alpha Omega Epsilon Engineering Sorority at South Dakota State.

ACEC Awards — inside FEBRUARY 26, 2021

THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS

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VOL. 47 NO. 9

TotalWellness targets COVID-19 vaccinations to increase national presence

THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:

by Richard D. Brown

Dreamy Displays aims to elevate events with vibrant installations. – Page 2

40 er d Un 40 Ashley Rae Turner boosts brand recognition at North End Teleservices. – Page 4

En

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The projects that keep engineers busy remain as new approaches emerge. – Page 5

TotalWellness is a 23-yearold Omaha-based firm that partners with companies of all sizes throughout the country to provide customized wellness solutions for employees. Founder and President Alan Kohll, who said about 95% of his firm’s revenues have come from outside Nebraska, believes the changing pandemic response scene offers his nimble company an unprecedented opportunity to become a much larger national player. “By April and May, the COVID-19 vaccines will exceed demand, and this comes at a time of worsening fatigue among health care workers,” said Kohll, a 53-year-old Omaha entrepreneur with a business degree from Tulane. He noted that much of the infrastructure is in place with the growth of TotalWellness and multiple previous vaccination campaigns for companies all of all sizes. Kohll said TotalWellness Continued on page 24.

Founder and President Alan Kohll, left, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas J. Safranek in front of freezers full of COVID-19 vaccines ... The wellness solutions provider is set to offer key services in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. (Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)

Ambassador Title Services grows, embraces tech to meet demand by Becky McCarville

Ambassador Title Services is decidedly not “old school title,” said President Carrie Clure, who started the company 10 years ago after a career at a mortgage company and a background in computers. With growth averaging over 20% every year, Ambassador Title Services has embraced

technology, operating as a paperless office in an industry that still heavily relies on physical documents and paper trails. ATS is also growing into the commercial sector. ATS has five area offices that have opened in tandem with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate — Continued on page 24.

Partners Rod Smith, left, and Don Stavneak … Combination of technical capabilities, warm approach to delivering software services propels firm in its 14th year and in a dynamic, competitive pandemic environment.

Under new branding, Volano Software builds niche with small, medium-sized businesses by Michelle Leach

President Carrie Clure … Growing the business from three employees 10 years ago to nearly 50 today.

Volano shed 2020 with a fresh website, tagline, and name — Volano Software — as its team builds upon the characteristics that have enabled the custom development firm to partner with more than 100 clients, including some of the region’s most recognizable brands, over its 14-year history, and to retain its well-established niche among established small and medium-sized businesses as the developer space becomes

increasingly crowded. “We know from customer studies that our clients enjoy working with us for many reasons beyond our technical capabilities,” said Rod Smith, who founded the firm with Don Stavneak in 2007. “Quotes like, ‘friends,’ ‘approachable,’ ‘easy to work with,’ ‘easy to talk to’ came up repeatedly. Our previous website didn’t tell this side of the story; it was too technical and too transacContinued on page 26.


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