The Build+Revitalize podcast is back with a look at the importance of environmental due diligence prior to property transactions, and the value that experienced environmental and legal consultants bring to the process. We are happy to be joined by Dave Guevara and Arthur Siegal from Taft Law. Together with our host, Jason Cheney, CHMM, and Bret Stu…

Jason Cheney, Bret Stuntz, Dave Guevara, and Arthur Siegal are back on the Build+Revitalize podcast series on the importance of environmental due diligence. In our last episode, they covered the basics - What is environmental liability? Where did it come from? And, why due diligence is important. They are picking up where they left off, with a conv…

The past two episodes of the Build+Revitalize podcast have provided helpful insight on the importance of environmental due diligence. In our third episode, Jason Cheney, Dave Guevara and Bret Stuntz are back to tackle insurance recovery and alternative funding methods for brownfields projects.By SME

For this year's WIC Week 2023, we took the best moments from our Gender Inclusion in the AEC Industry podcast series and put them into one episode. Ali Frye returns as the host, outlining why gender inclusion is important in our industry.By SME

This is the final episode of the building materials group careers series. Up to now you've heard more than one interesting story about what life is like in the building materials group sandbox. Today's guests have a whole new perspective. I'm happy to be joined by landscape architect and roofing consultant Lloyd Dubisky. And SMEs own architect, Dar…

Project Engineer Nate Sexton returns to the podcast today, but this time as a guest. He's joined by lead technician Tyler Gendron. Nate and Tyler started their careers as co-ops at SME and after trying their hands at a few different services, they each decided the building materials group was the best fit for them.…

In the first episode of this series, Charley Ireland and Eric Murrell talked about their differing experiences as an engineer and an architect, beginning our second act as professional consultants. Today, Tom Bane and Jessica Thiebout join. Like Charley and Eric, Tom and Jessica are an engineer and an architect respectively. But that's where the si…

In our newest series, "Consultants Aren't Born, They're Made", we welcome several members of SME's Building Materials Group to share their unique journeys as professionals, and what they found when discovering consulting as the destination . In the first episode, Nate Sexton, a Project Engineer, makes a special appearance as host and is joined by E…

Our three-part series on the value of a Co-Op experience for students pursuing engineering careers starts with Dr. Steven Sachs and Tyler Kimmel from the University of Pittsburgh. Steve is an Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Academic Coordinator in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Tyler is an Engineering and Professio…

In part two of our three-part series on the value of a Co-Op experience for students pursuing engineering careers, Aaron talks with Case Vanderheide and Danielle Rand. Both Case and Dani were Co-Ops at SME in 2021, and are back for the summer of 2022 as interns to pick up where they left off. Each of them has had unique Co-Op experiences and share …

We wrap up our series on the value of a Co-Op experience for students pursuing engineering careers with a conversation about the transition from Co-Op to a professional engineer. Alex Fischer, an Assistant Project Manager at The Christman Company, and Alex Frazier, PE, a civil engineer with Hurley & Stewart, are both former SME Co-Ops and tell us h…

Welcome to the Build+Revitalize podcast series Leaving a Legacy. Throughout the series, we will explore SME's past, present, and future. Through interviews with our CEO, veteran staff, and even some up and comers, we will share how our rich history has built a foundation that will carry SME through many more generations of success. We begin with a …

In part two of our Leaving a Legacy episode with SME CEO Mark Kramer and guest host Randy Wilburn, we hear how Mark led the company through the financial meltdowns of 2008 and 2009, and finally, to the 2010s, when the company started growing beyond the confines of Michigan, and picking up steam, not wanting to sit on the sidelines, Mark continued t…

Wondering just how these large distributors choose the right community for their next project? Kevin Hegg joins the podcast to help us understand just that. Kevin is a vice president of Ashley Capital, a real estate development company that specializes in renovating distressed properties into state-of-the art facilities that add value to the market…

In this episode, Ali talks to Jason Salazar, Vice President of estimating with Oliver Hatcher Construction, about what it takes to actually build these large facilities. When single buildings approach a million square feet, there are numerous construction challenges to consider.By SME/Jason Salazar

We will wrap up our series on the warehousing and logistics market with with a conversation on financing. We have touched on available incentives in previous episodes, and Bret Stuntz, a senior consultant in SME’s environmental services group is here to help us understand these options a bit better. With 20 years of environmental consulting and rea…

We begin our series on gender inclusion in the AEC industry with resident expert on inclusion, Lauline Mitchell. She shares some great insight into why gender inclusion is important in the AEC industry. With more than 20 years of experience as a client development and project manager, she has served locally, regionally and nationally on the Nationa…

In this episode, Ali keeps the conversation on gender inclusion in the AEC industry going with Mark Kramer, SME’s CEO. He has been a leader in our industry for 30 years, and is active in GBA and Harvard Business School. Mark was a key player in bringing about SME’s internal inclusion initiative, the Women’s Resource Network. He shares his perspecti…

Our series on gender inclusion in the AEC industry wraps up with a conversation on how companies can implement inclusion initiatives in their own firms. Ali is joined by Tamara Chism, a project manager and SME’s construction materials testing group; Sara Bals, a project manager in SME’s Environmental Services Group, and Tiffany Vorhies, the group l…

To kick off our series on the recent boom in the warehousing and logistics market, Ali talks to Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges, the Executive Vice President of Economic Development and Investment Services for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation on the impact logistics warehousing facilities have on the community.…

The Build+Revitalize podcast is a direct reflection of SME’s passion and commitment to solving problems and building better communities around us. We are proud to be your go-to source for insights on challenges and emerging trends in the AEC industry. In each episode, we will be joined by our partners and friends for conversations about the issues …