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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At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrian injuries and fatalities remain high. In 2020, a pedestrian was killed every 81 minutes in traffic crashes. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) designates October as Pedestrian Safety Month. Pedestrian safety is a two-way street that involves equal…
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Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something. -Winnie the Pooh The great scholar, Winnie the Pooh, knew a thing or two about what we need to be fulfilled each day. At Sain, we improve road safety, are a part of bringing a new industry to a city, and positively impact our communities….
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Most historians agree that the first unit of measurement was the cubit. Developed by the ancient Egyptians, the cubit was the arm length between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger. In fact, most earlier units of measure were based on the human body. An inch was based on the width of a…
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Railway safety is a topic that cannot be emphasized enough for both the public and those working on the railway. According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics, 236 highway-rail grade crossing fatalities occurred in 2021, with nine in Alabama. There are two types of protection at an at-grade rail crossing: passive and active. Passive protection consists of pavement…
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Ethics is an important topic for all of us, and when issues arise, it is a serious matter. If I were to have an ethical violation in one state, all the other states where I am licensed would be notified, and there might be penalties to face in multiple locations. Over the past several years,…
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What is the most enjoyable part of your job? For me, I would say teamwork. In my more than 20 years at Sain, I have been on many teams, including work teams, external project teams, professional society boards, and charity event boards. As I reflect on my participation with various groups, several questions come to…
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Yesterday marked our official 50th year in business. Charles “Hack” Sain founded our firm with a goal to do what no others were doing – uniting engineers, architects, and contractors in seamless communication, planning, and execution. In 1972, Sain Associates began with two employees and now has over 70 employees among our Birmingham headquarters and…
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