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Nikki Mendinsky Recognized Among Women Making a Difference
Congratulations to our land development practice area leader Nikki Mendinsky, who has been recognized by PA Business Central as a Woman Making a Difference. Anyone who works with Nikki knows her drive to make a positive impact with her work as a planner, landscape architect, and certified parks and recreation professional. She believes strongly in the power of place to improve people’s lives, and you believe it, too, once you’ve had the chance to talk with her or work alongside her. We’re so happy to see her recognized with a very talented and influential group of leaders in Central Pennsylvania. (Read Nikki’s full bio here.)
Bob Grubic to Be Honored as ICON by Central Penn Business Journal
We’re so happy to share that our CEO Bob Grubic is being recognized as an ICON by the Central Penn Business Journal. His name appears in an ad in this week’s edition featuring all of the 2021 honorees, and he’ll be formally recognized at the award ceremony next month.
Bob has played an instrumental role in making HRG the company it is today, and his work has significantly shaped the landscape of Central Pennsylvania and beyond. He took the baton handed to him by HRG’s founders and built on their standard of professionalism, excellence, and care (for our team, our clients, and our community). We congratulate him on this recognition.
ENR Names Liz Lackey Top Young Professional in Mid-Atlantic Region
Congratulations to Liz Lackey, who has been named one of the Top Young Professionals in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Engineering News-Record magazine (ENR)! She is one of just 20 professionals selected in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
At only 32 years of age, Liz has already built an impressive resume of experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining HRG, she worked as an environmental engineer at IBM Microelectronics and as a water treatment process specialist for the City of Thornton in Colorado. She is a talented engineer with a passion for data analytics, an innovative thinker who continually improves processes, and a trusted mentor to her fellow team members. She’s also actively involved in the industry (as a member of the young professionals and communications committees at the Western Pennsylvania Water Pollution Control Association) and an avid supporter of her community (contributing time and money to numerous conservation groups).
We are lucky to have her on our team and so happy to see her being recognized alongside such talented, accomplished professionals on this list.
You can read the full list of this year’s honorees on ENR’s website.
(Liz is the most recent in a long line of HRG employee-owners who have been recognized by ENR. Read about our other honorees here )
Liz Lackey Recognized as Top Young Pro by Water & Wastes Digest
Our team leader Liz Lackey is one of only 10 water and wastewater professionals across the United States chosen by Water & Wastes Digest for its 2021 Young Pros list. This list is published annually to recognize rising stars in the water and wastewater industry for their role as leaders, influencers, and advocates.
Liz and the other honorees are featured in the May issue of the magazine. (Read the Water & Wastes Digest Young Pros profile here.) Liz is also featured in a video interview on the magazine’s social media channels. (View Liz’s video interview with Water & Wastes Digest here)
At just 32 years of age, Liz has already built an impressive resume of experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining HRG, she worked as an environmental engineer at IBM Microelectronics and as a water treatment process specialist for the City of Thornton in Colorado. She is a talented engineer with a passion for data analytics and a trusted mentor to her fellow team members. She’s also a member of the Western Pennsylvania Water Pollution Control Association, where she chairs the young professionals’ committee and serves as a member of the communications committee.
We want to congratulate Liz and all of the other men and women on this list for this well-deserved honor.
HRG Named ENR MidAtlantic’s Design Firm of the Year
(Updated with photos in November 2021)
Engineering News-Record has named Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) the MidAtlantic Design Firm of the Year for 2021. This award is given to firms operating in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia who demonstrate exceptional leadership in revenue earnings, innovation, creativity, and community service. HRG was featured in the June edition of the ENR MidAtlantic newsletter and was recognized at an awards celebration in October.
Company president Jason Fralick said:
This is a special honor because it recognizes the contributions and hard work of our entire team as a unified group. Over the past several years, we have strived to erase any barriers between offices and departments and become One Company. That helped us thrive in spite of the physical distance and challenges of remote operations last year, and I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished together. This is an awesome group of people who care about each other and their clients’ success, and they are doing great work.
Great Work in the Office
HRG’s talented professionals deliver creative—and often innovative – solutions to our client’s problems every day. Our wastewater design team recently received an experimental water quality management permit for the first aerobic granular sludge treatment facility in Pennsylvania. This continues a long tradition of bringing new technologies like water reuse and the conversion of wastewater to energy to this region. Our stormwater management professionals pioneered the state’s first regional collaborations on MS4 compliance and Pollutant Reduction Plans, and our financial services team has created new approaches to project funding that have won national recognition. As much as we enjoy exciting, industry-advancing challenges, we are just as dedicated to the day-to-day work of municipal engineering that has been the backbone of our service since 1962: plan reviews and ordinance development, pavement rehabilitation, water main rehabilitation, local roadway improvements, and bridge replacements. This work doesn’t always gain recognition, but it makes a real difference in the lives of our neighbors on a daily basis and that is our primary motivation as a firm: making a positive impact.
Good Works in the Community
HRG has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past several years to organizations supporting education, health and human services, economic development, and environmental protection. We regularly invest in community sponsorships, supporting local parks and recreation programs, festivals and events, youth sports organizations, arts, and culture, and this continued with virtual events in 2020. However, our primary charitable focus is the United Way. Each year, we match employee donations in a month-long fundraising drive that has collected more than $300,000 for United Way over the past 20 years.
Our caring employee-owners also give generously of their time. They regularly participate in tree plantings, organize Adopt-a-Highway clean-ups, and support STEM education by volunteering in the classroom. Last year, we instituted a new community service program called HRG Volunteers. Each employee-owner receives eight hours of paid time off to volunteer with the charitable organization of their choice.
We are grateful to our clients for their continued loyalty. Last year was our sixth straight year of revenue growth, averaging 9% per year. Many of our clients have been working with us for decades, but we continue to outpace strategic planning goals for developing new client relationships, as well. We believe this is because we focus on our client’s long-term success, not an individual project. We are building much more than roads, bridges, and water systems; we’re building relationships.
To learn more about why HRG has been named the ENR MidAtlantic Design Firm of the Year, read our interview in the ENR MidAtlantic newsletter in June 2021 on ENR’s website.
Jason Hinz Honored as One of Engineering’s Top Young Professionals
Jason Hinz is being honored by Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine as one of the Top Young Professionals in the construction and design industry. He is profiled alongside the other honorees in the February issue of ENR’s Mid-Atlantic edition.
Hinz is a civil group manager at Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG). He oversees a team of almost 30 professionals who primarily provide municipal engineering support to local communities and also assist with water quality and stormwater management needs.
He is also committed to serving his community. Hinz is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and volunteers his time planting trees and cleaning up litter.
HRG’s civil practice area leader Matt Bonanno says, “Jason inspires and motivates his team with a calm and thoughtful demeanor, and he regularly receives glowing reviews of his work from his clients. We are grateful to have him on the HRG team, and we’re happy to see him recognized by ENR alongside a very talented group of industry peers.”
ABOUT ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD’S TOP YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM
Engineering News-Record is a weekly magazine with more than 60,000 paid subscribers that covers news in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. In addition to its national publication, it also publishes several regional editions.
Each year, the regional editions recognize 20 industry professionals as the “best of the best.” Applicants are evaluated on their education, industry experience, leadership, and community service.
The Mid-Atlantic edition focuses on Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
ABOUT HRG
Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) is a nationally ranked design firm providing civil engineering, surveying, and environmental services. The firm was founded in Harrisburg in 1962 and has grown to employ more than 250 people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. For more information, please visit the website at www.hrg-inc.com.
Pennsylvania Business Central Honors Fralick, Threet, and Mendinsky
Jason Fralick, Nichole Mendinsky, and Erin Threet have each been named one of Pennsylvania Business Central’s Top 100 People for 2021. They are featured in the January 29 edition of the publication, alongside other accomplished leaders who are making a significant impact in business and in the local community.
Jason Fralick
Jason is the president of Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG). Over the past two years, he has led the development of HRG’s strategic business plan and is driving initiatives related to employee engagement, professional development, innovation, and modernization. He is also an active member of many local organizations and serves as a board member and coach for the Centre Soccer Association.
Nichole Mendinsky
Nichole is practice area leader for the land development group at HRG. This group provides engineering services for the construction of commercial and industrial facilities, higher education campuses, healthcare facilities, and senior living communities. Nichole is responsible for the group’s vision and strategy as well as the development of its staff. As a registered landscape architect, certified park and recreation professional, certified planner, and LEED accredited professional, her work is wide-ranging, but the common theme that ties it together is social impact. She also volunteers for the Nittany Valley Joint Recreation Authority in Bellefonte Borough.
Erin Threet
Erin is an assistant vice president and project manager at HRG. She oversees day-to-day operations and business development for the firm’s Lewisburg office while continuing to provide technical guidance to utility and municipal clients throughout the region. She is an active member of various water and wastewater industry organizations and the Bucknell Engineering Alumni Association. She also regularly volunteers her time for local charitable events.
ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS CENTRAL’s TOP 100 PEOPLE
Pennsylvania Business Central is the premier B2B publication in central Pennsylvania. It is distributed to more than 35,000 readers in a 23-county service. Each January, their Top 100 People issue honors area leaders who exemplify a strong work ethic, who move their company forward, and who give back to the community through volunteering and mentoring.
ABOUT HRG
Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) is a nationally ranked design firm providing civil engineering, surveying, and environmental services. The firm was founded in Harrisburg in 1962 and has grown to employ more than 200 people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. For more information, please visit the website at www.hrg-inc.com.
Route 39 Intersection Improvements Honored with Road & Bridge Safety Award
West Hanover Township received a Road & Bridge Safety Award Friday for improvements that HRG designed at the intersection of Route 39 with Douglas and Devonshire Heights Roads. This location had been the site of several rear-end and angle accidents due to poor intersection alignment and sight distance deficiencies. HRG realigned the intersection, installed a northbound right turn lane along Route 39, enhanced advance signing and pavement markings, and installed a flashing yellow control beacon. We also increased the separation between this intersection and a second intersection where Douglas Road met Devonshire Heights Road. This second intersection had been less than 100 feet away from the Route 39 intersection, creating the opportunity for confusion and conflict between drivers.
Our civil practice area leader Matt Bonanno and our traffic team leader Eric Stump attended a brief ceremony at the intersection where West Hanover Township received their award from the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA) and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. You can view the ceremony below:
You can also see photos of the project by clicking through this slideshow:
ABOUT THE ROAD & BRIDGE SAFETY AWARD
The Road & Bridge Safety Award is given annually to townships that have completed road or bridge improvements in the prior year that increased public safety. It is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association, and PennDOT.