SPARK

Discoveries, innovations, and insights that illuminate the future of the built environment

Joining the McKinstry family

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By Sarah Moore, Senior Mechanical Engineer

Seeking a new environment to learn and grow, I joined McKinstry about six months ago as a Senior Mechanical Engineer.

From the outside looking in, McKinstry had a reputation for quality and integrity. Beyond that, I found myself drawn to the diversity of work McKinstry has to offer: It’s uniquely positioned to solve some of the biggest challenges the built environment and construction industry faces. McKinstry is equipped to consult on, design, build, operate, or measure a building at any phase of its lifecycle—hence the motto “For the Life of Your Building.”

In interviewing with Michael Frank, Vice President of Design and Engineering, he confirmed all these benefits, but also emphasized how exceptional he thought McKinstry’s people were—the engineering department in particular. His enthusiasm inspired me to take the leap and find out more for myself!

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National Safety Month Spotlight: Client Praises Bill Leistiko and Troy Zimdars

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Safety is core to McKinstry’s mission, values and ongoing success. Join us in recognizing June as National Safety Month as we spotlight efforts to keep each other safe 24/7/365.

McKinstry continues to gain attention for our safety efforts. Bill Leistiko and Troy Zimdars were recently recognized by Mared Mechanical. Here’s what Project Manager Ben Bickler had to say:

“Working with Bill Leistiko and Troy Zimdars on several projects over the last few years has been a pleasure, both from an operational standpoint and, more importantly, a safety one. Mared Mechanical prides itself on its safety record and culture. Too often, we find ourselves needing to drive this culture at a jobsite rather than participate in one that already exists. With McKinstry projects, it is McKinstry taking the lead.

We find working with Bill and Troy most enjoyable because we are able to plan and coordinate ahead of time. This allows us to prepare the site, our tooling and our team with safety at the forefront of the discussion.

Bill and Troy are always stressing the culture of safety promoted at McKinstry. This culture is in lock step with that of Mared’s. It assists us in not only reinforcing our own safety plan, but gives our workers confidence about the safety of the job site as a whole.

We at Mared value our partnership with McKinstry. Safety is a cornerstone of that partnership. And I personally value my relationship with Bill and Troy.”

Nice work, Bill and Troy!

National Safety Month Spotlight: Clients Praise McKinstry’s Safety Focus

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By Jason Engelbrecht, Safety Director

Safety is core to McKinstry’s mission, values and ongoing success. Join us in recognizing June as National Safety Month as we spotlight efforts to keep each other safe 24/7/365.

Safety is fundamental to serving our clients with excellence. As part of National Safety Month, several client teams shared praise and gratitude for our efforts to keep everyone safe 24/7/365.

“McKinstry has set the safety standard far above other contractors. We see their foreman getting their guys engaged and making a real effort.” – Skanska EHS Team

“McKinstry leads the pack when it comes to safety. They’re always on top of their safety documents.” Hensel Phelps Safety Team

“I am very encouraged that McKinstry has the leadership and initiative to recognize an opportunity to support the safety of our project team on and off the site.” –  Hoffman Project Team at Roosevelt Sound Transit Project

Keep up the fantastic work! #No1GetsHurt

Passion and creativity collide at Carson City School District

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Two hundred students, parents, teachers and school administrators from Carson City School District (CCSD) gathered at the Nevada Governor’s Mansion on May 24 to celebrate students taking part in McKinstry’s powerED program and Project ReCharge, a STEM-focused energy and sustainability curriculum program led by Envirolution.

CCSD hired McKinstry in May 2016 to conduct a comprehensive facility audit in search of energy savings. Dozens of potential improvements were identified, kicking off a $6.1 million contract spanning LED lighting retrofits, water conservation measures, heat pump replacements, improved HVAC systems and more.

McKinstry introduced powerED to CCSD students in October 2017. The program augments the district’s sustainability and STEM education initiatives by engaging students, staff and faculty in energy, water and waste conservation efforts. Ten CCSD schools are participating.

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Keeping Each Other Safe, 24/7/365

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Safety is core to McKinstry’s mission, values and ongoing success. Join us in recognizing June as National Safety Month as we spotlight efforts to keep each other safe 24/7/365.

McKinstry is a family of phenomenal people with common values and a shared purpose – delivering excellence for our clients and our communities. We cannot fulfill that purpose if we do not ensure each other’s wellbeing. This is no small task as our work can be dangerous.

June is National Safety Month, an annual campaign led by the National Safety Council. It’s an important topic that deserves a national spotlight.

There is no more sacred responsibility or greater priority than the safety of our 2,100 family members across the country. In conjunction with National Safety Month, I’m excited to introduce McKinstry’s new safety video, featuring our people sharing why safety matters to them personally.

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Artificial Intelligence: Transforming delivery in the built environment

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Photo via Flickr.

The following is the third in a series of posts providing insights into how trends on display at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will drive innovation in the built environment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a buzzword that gets bandied about in all sorts of platforms these days. At its simplest, AI is a series of algorithms that allows a machine to mine incredibly large amounts of data, recognize patterns, assess and return relevant results—and in many cases, act on those results. Advances in quantum computing, deep learning, evolving human-to-machine interfaces, deep neural networks, cloud computing and many other technologies are making what was once a dream quickly turn into reality.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured thousands of variations on how companies are currently employing AI. Think about robots that fold laundry, drones controlled by hand gestures and assistants that respond to your voice and complete tasks—not to mention the cameras that detect people and record what each person looks at, how long they are present, who they are with and demographics.  The list of current technologies using some form of AI goes on and on.

It’s clear the ability to apply AI in the business world is real and becoming increasingly accessible. If you have data, then AI can help you slice and dice it to create more than you could ever dream of doing on your own. It’s taking extreme datasets and creating simple and useful outputs.

When we think about AI for McKinstry and the clients we serve, several application opportunities rise to the top.

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5G is coming

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The following is the second in a series of posts providing insights into how trends on display at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will drive innovation in the built environment.

The next few years will be full of discussions about Smart Buildings, Smart Cities and how the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will transform business and society in ways we haven’t yet realized. Sensors will be everywhere and in everything, gathering data to be analyzed and providing a deeper look into virtually everything. Most cars will have the ability to drive themselves. People will have six or more connected devices at any given time. And how we interact with the built environment will change.

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The jobsite of tomorrow

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The following is the first in a series of posts providing insights into how trends on display at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will drive innovation in the built environment.

The evolution of technology continues to accelerate, and with it the impact it has on how we design and construct the built environment. McKinstry is already using many newer technologies. We use building information modeling (BIM) for 3-D modelling and detailing, digitally enhanced pre-fabrication and kitting in our state-of-the-art shop. On the job site, our use of collaboration software and on-site data vaults—and even moving to handheld devices for reviewing specs, plans and creating as-builts—means we never need to go back to the job trailer. Technology has dramatically improved how we deliver work and there is no end in sight.

CES 2018 showcased several emerging technologies that portend the future of construction and will be implemented on the jobsite of tomorrow.

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Our leaders drive excellence

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As we close out the week and our celebration of Women in Construction Week, we’ll end by focusing on some of the women in leadership at McKinstry. From running businesses to developing new markets to mastering financials, these women are critical to driving excellence within McKinstry. As leaders, these women are making strides and driving impact in their careers, the industry and our communities every day.

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Innovation is thriving at McKinstry

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Whether you’re talking about technology, systems, hiring or even building materials, the answer is the same: The construction industry is ripe for innovation. As our computers and phones have gotten more and more sophisticated, our buildings haven’t always kept up. However, this won’t be the case for much longer! As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week, we spoke with three women at McKinstry who are on the front lines of innovation in the built environment:

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