Long before construction begins, critical decisions are already shaping a project. A site must be evaluated for access, grading, drainage, utilities, permitting, and development potential. Each of those factors can influence cost, schedule, and the final design. That is why civil engineering starts well before the first dirt moves. At Sain, our team helps clients…
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As a senior project manager at Sain Associates, I’ve had the privilege of working on projects that will make a difference in a community. One recent example is the Irondale Civic Center in Irondale, Alabama. The building itself has quite a backstory. Originally constructed in the mid-1980s by the Shriners as a meeting space, the…
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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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In April 2020, Carvana, a cutting-edge leader in online automotive sales, contracted Sain Associates to perform surveying, civil, and traffic engineering services for a distribution facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Although non-disclosure agreements required the project to be known as “Project Otto,” it was later announced as Carvana. Commonly known as an online car dealership and…
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When Sain Associates opened its doors in 1972, the business consisted of consulting engineering services and land surveying. Many projects included site engineering for enclosed shopping malls across the southeast. Believe it or not, some of the mall projects from the 1970s are still in operation today, including the Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther,…
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Sain Associates is honored to have won Excellence in Construction awards for our work at the Valley Hotel in Homewood, Alabama. The project received first place for Civil Engineering from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama and an Award of Excellence (Engineering) from the Associated Builders and Contractors of North Alabama. Sain Associates was initially contacted by…
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Before working at Sain, I was a career counselor at a law school. During that time, I helped students prepare for interviews, supported them when they didn’t land their dream job, and watched them shape their career paths with internships. Here are a few things that a past career counselor would say to encourage you….
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This past May, I celebrated my fourth “Sainiversary” in working a full-time position at Sain Associates. My Sain journey began with an internship in 2016 where I worked with our Infrastructure, Site, and Traffic teams. Little did I know, I would become a member of the Site team just one short year later. In the…
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A few weeks ago, we happily announced the addition of Stefan Graeber, P.E., to our Civil/Site Team. Before joining Sain, he worked as a professional civil engineer in the public and private sectors. His project experience spans all phases of project design, bidding, construction, and project closeout. But did you know that Stefan is a…
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Birmingham has experienced a wave of redevelopment in urban space within recent years. With multiple incentive programs in play and the millennial desire to live and work in the City, it is unlikely that redevelopment will slow down (pending any paradigm shift caused by the COVID-19 pandemic). Sain Associates has been fortunate to team with…
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