We’ve all seen paving crews out working at some time or another. But what are they doing – especially when the road seemed to be in fine shape? Hopefully, the city, county, or state is being proactive about preventive maintenance. The buzzword on this right now is called Pavement Preservation. It is more cost-effective to do preventive maintenance…
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Over the past few years at Sain Associates, we have developed a tradition of creating a fun Christmas video and unveiling our masterpiece at the annual company Christmas party. We hope this year’s video, Sain’s A Christmas Carol, brings you some holiday cheer as we enter a busy but joyous time of the year. Merry…
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One of my favorite things about working at Sain Associates is our commitment to community service. In the 20 years I’ve been with Sain, I’ve never been told “no” when I’ve asked to join a group, serve on a board, or even run for office. Not only have the leadership of Sain never discouraged me…
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As cities grow and land development expands, properly diverting water becomes crucial. Cities typically require the developer not to increase the amount of water discharging from the site after construction is complete. To control excess water after a storm, detention or retention ponds are used to prevent flooding, erosion, and runoff. As civil engineers and…
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Thanksgiving arrives a bit early at Sain Associates! Our Pulaski and Huntsville Branch offices celebrated on November 10th at Mildred’s Restaurant in Ardmore. Last week, our Birmingham office gathered for a potluck style lunch. The food was delicious, but the company was even better. We have so much to be thankful for with such excellent…
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Civil engineers are not typically wired to make intuitive decisions. We’re taught to make decisions based on empirical data. While the day-to-day brain functions associated with engineering may tend to crowd out our intuitive side, intuition becomes much more important in leadership roles. We all know what intuition is, but it’s challenging to define it….
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The Standards of Practice for Surveying in the State of Alabama defines a hydrographic survey as the determination of data relating to bodies of water, including depth of water and configuration of the bottom, directions and force of current, and location of fixed objects for survey and navigation purposes. Most hydrographic work is used to…
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If I had to give a single piece of advice on mentorship to young engineers it would be this – one mentor is not enough. We all have our weaknesses (or “areas of improvement” as Becky White taught me to frame it), and it would be rare to find one person that could be a fix-all…
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It’s October, so our team is busy counting their steps as part of Walktober, our annual wellness competition. Each participant sets personal goals, enjoys friendly competition, and participates in weekly challenges in the hopes of increasing step count and physical activity. This year’s overall theme is “Monopoly Madness.” In addition to shaking up the weekly…
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On October 11th, our Sain family gathered for the 6th annual Spirit of Lauren Award, an award given in memory of Lauren Nickles, our beloved friend and coworker. Lauren worked with Sain for thirteen years before she passed away in 2017 after a courageous battle with cancer. We celebrated her memory with a company-wide, old-fashioned breakfast, which…
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