We caught up with Ұ����Ƶapp’ Chief Growth Officer Harshal Desai to learn how Ұ����Ƶapp is celebrating Engineers Week. He shares what inspired him to pursue an engineering career and why he feels passionate about encouraging students to consider a career in engineering.

was founded more than half a century ago by the to honor the important role engineering plays in our lives, as well as inspire the next generation of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) professionals. And now, this special week gives us an opportunity to recognize the people behind the iconic projects that are transforming our communities and the world.

This year, Engineers Week is being celebrated February 22-28, and Ұ����Ƶapp is excited to participate by shining a light on some of the individuals who are making a difference in our company and the communities where they live and work. The theme, “Transform Your Future,” highlights how engineering not only shapes our world, but also new opportunities, our communities and the futures we imagine for ourselves and for future generations.

We’re kicking off the week by highlighting how since joining Ұ����Ƶapp, Harshal has mentored young minds to help them conceptualize and model cities of the future, using engineering as a tool to spark curiosity, creativity and problem-solving.

Alongside the engineering excellence that has been central to your success, you also understand the importance of developing best-in-class talent, which includes inspiring future engineering leaders. In your spare time, how are you inspiring students to love engineering?

For years, I have volunteered with middle schools, helping students with the , an educational program that brings STEAM to life for students in grades 6 through 12. The competition challenges students to envision ways they can make the world a better place by designing a city 100 years in the future.

This year’s competition challenged students to design a city that eliminates food waste from farm to table and keeps citizens healthy and safe. I see so much value from this competition because it goes beyond just engineering. It fosters imagination, societal problem-solving and multidisciplinary thinking. The students gain experience with engineering, but also hone their writing, presentation, math, science, art, history and geography skills too. A couple of years ago, my daughter’s team made it to the national competition in Washington, D.C. Schools from across the country, as well as international students, participated. It was an energetic environment and gave the students an opportunity to not only explore all the educational museums the city offers, but a great venue to socialize and learn from the other contenders.

Mentoring students has been incredibly rewarding to me, and it reinforces the importance of encouraging curiosity and interest in engineering early on.

What advice can you offer aspiring engineers or young engineers looking to advance their career?

Early in your career, focus on building credibility through strong technical skills by working on multi-disciplinary, complex projects and consistently do what you say you will do. As you advance, soft skills—working with others, connecting the dots and learning from different perspectives—can help open new opportunities. Stay curious, meet people and absorb as much as you can.

Why did you want to become an engineer? Did you have a special mentor that you emulated your career on?

Both of my parents were doctors, and while I was not interested in pursuing a medical degree, I was interested in science. Engineering was a good fit for me because it provides strong analytical skills that can be applied in a variety of careers.

How does your engineering background support your current role in business development?

My civil engineering background gives me a practical lens for business management. It helps me understand problems at their root, ask better questions and engage credibly with both clients and project teams. Having worked across all phases of projects—from planning to construction—has helped me focus on solutions that are practical, technically sound and aligned with client goals. That foundation builds trust and keeps conversations centered on outcomes, not just opportunities or sales.

How do you see engineers making a difference at Ұ����Ƶapp?

What stands out to me about engineers at Ұ����Ƶapp is how hungry and humble they are. They’re committed to learning, put the customer first and bring strong practical experience to everything they do. Many of our engineers have deep construction and field backgrounds, so they understand how things get built—not just how they’re designed. In addition, we provide several mission‑critical services, including environmental, materials and geotechnical engineering. These capabilities are highly transferable across markets—from transportation and water to data centers—creating meaningful growth opportunities for Ұ����Ƶapp and our A‑Team, while continuing to deliver real value to our clients and communities.

Q&A: We caught up with Ұ����Ƶapp’ Quality Manager Slava Kurkov to learn more about Seattle’s latest transit system upgrade – Sound Transit’s F200 Federal Way Link Extension project—and how the upgrade positively impacts the Pacific Northwest by improving connectivity for local communities.��

On Saturday, December 6, celebrated a major milestone with the completion of its largest design-build project, the (FWLE) project. To prepare for the grand opening, Sound Transit spent months testing the new light rail vehicles without passengers onboard to help ensure operations run smoothly on opening day and beyond. This pre-revenue testing is essential to flawless opening operations, as well as minimizing downtime for both equipment and personnel.

Hundreds of people participated in the grand opening celebrations, attending the cultural activities, exhibits, and entertainment at each of the new stations. In partnership with Sound Transit, Ұ����Ƶapp is proud to have had a hand in delivering the F200 link extension, which is part of Sound Transit’s larger commitment to build a 252-mile regional light rail network that will connect communities across the three counties.

Q: What is the FWLE project?

The FWLE is a new light rail line that extends the transit service 7.8 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s existing Angle Lake Station (a project Ұ����Ƶapp helped deliver in September 2016) to Federal Way. The extension connects the South Puget Sound communities, alleviates congestion on Interstate 5 (I-5), increases regional connectivity and provides reliable, rapid and efficient transportation services—giving Seattle residents a better way to get to the airport, work, restaurants, shopping districts and more.

Additionally, the project adds three new stations—Kent Des Moines, Star Lake and Downtown Federal Way—as well as a combined 3,200 parking spaces and connections to other transit services.

Q: How will the FWLE benefit the community?

Light rail and transit projects are all about connectivity, so by expanding Seattle’s light rail network south, we are helping connect residential and economic centers. The new line will decrease the amount of time it takes for residents to get around, all while reducing windshield time and the stresses of Seattle’s well known daily commute.

Q: Tell us about your role in the FWLE project.

I served as Ұ����Ƶapp’ Quality Manager, entrusted to help Kiewit deliver another successful Sound Transit project for the Northwest. ��My involvement in the project began in 2019—about a year before the Notice to Proceed, with the relocation of Highline Water District’s main waterline near 211^th Street. In early 2025, I took over as the Project Quality Assurance Manager to help get us to the milestone we have today.

For 14 years, I have worked alongside Kiewit and other regional partners to deliver massive infrastructure projects, including the FWLE. I appreciate Ұ����Ƶapp’ and Kiewit’s shared commitment to quality standards. I feel so honored to spend my career helping deliver projects of this caliber, and no matter how many projects I have seen completed throughout my career, it still amazes me to see how city landscapes change and drawings come to life. In my day-to-day role, I oversee the small individual project elements, making certain all materials, processes, building and structural components stay within contract plan and specification tolerances, so it is always fulfilling to see how Ұ����Ƶapp and our A- team impact finished projects that bring tremendous value to communities.

Q: What was Ұ����Ƶapp’ role in the project?

Together with Sound Transit, Ұ����Ƶapp is pleased to help bring Seattle’s vision of connectivity to reality through our multidisciplinary professional services, including quality, environmental, engineering, and survey support.

Throughout the project, Ұ����Ƶapp’ team completed an estimated 40,000 inspections. On one of our busiest days, we completed 65 hold point inspections, including 14 separate concrete placements—supported by 17 inspectors and 5 technicians. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance team oversaw work completed by more than 35 contractors and subcontractors, which required close coordination with more than 10 major entities and jurisdictions, including Sound Transit, WSDOT, the Cities of SeaTac, Des Moines, Kent and Federal Way, as well as King County Metro, Highline Water District, Midway Sanitary District and Lakehaven Water and Sewer.

In addition to the thousands of inspections completed, Ұ����Ƶapp’ team oversaw the concrete work required to get the job done. We poured approximately 163,000 cubic yards of concrete. To put that into perspective, consider filling up16,300 concrete mixers, which would be enough concrete to fill 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools or pave a standard 4-foot-wide sidewalk for 625 miles (the distance from Seattle to Sacramento). Our technicians also cast 37,562 concrete cylinders for strength testing, which is enough concrete to fill approximately 8 truckloads of concrete or 81 cubic yards—all to make 4”x 8” cylinders. We are talking about a lot of concrete work to say the least!

Q: What was one of the biggest challenges you faced on the FWLE project and how did you overcome it?

One of the biggest challenges we faced on the FWLE project was the unexpected redesign of the Structure C bridge near South 259^th Place and I-5, where unstable and liquefiable soil in a wetland area posed construction challenges. Due to a potential landslide in the area and existing soil type, the design-build team had to completely redesign the bridge; however, while this engineering challenge presented a hurdle for the team, the resulting innovative bridge design by Kiewit Infrastructure Engineering and the talented group of craftsmen makes the light rail more resilient to seismic events and environmental elements for generations to come.��Ұ����Ƶapp’ A-team jumped in quickly to complete the 1,100-ft-long structure located on a 50-ft-high embankment, to keep the project on schedule, with zero quality concerns.

Q: What was one of the lessons you learned working on this project that you will be able to take to the next big project you work on?

At Ұ����Ƶapp, we value people, and as a result, I’ve always said that we are first and foremost a people company with a desire and capability to oversee and solve complex technical challenges. I strive to lead by empowering our team to not only understand our role in the industry, but to look at challenges, identify a solution and keep looking for the next opportunity—this is what makes Ұ����Ƶapp great. We genuinely believe that our people are the difference.

By working on complex projects, we provide value to our staff, who then pay it forward in the work they do for our clients and their communities. No matter the problem or situation at hand, there is always a competent, qualified and eager individual within the organization ready to tackle our clients’ biggest challenges. This is the Ұ����Ƶapp difference and working on Sound Transit’s FWLE project gave our team of 55 inspectors and testers, who made an impact on the project, gain the experience and confidence required to continue making a difference.

Q: Can you share a bit about your background and what initially drew you to construction quality management?

As a teen, I began working in my family’s business, specializing in custom home building and tenant improvement projects in the South Puget Sound area. Understanding and delivering on clients’ needs is something I learned from an early age. Staying busy, staying engaged and focusing on results are lessons I learned early in life and continue to implement today, at home and at work.

I studied Construction Management at Central Washington University, and following graduation, I contributed to upgrading WWII-era company operations facilities and barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. However, driven by a passion for solving complex problems, I leaned into the heavy civil side of construction, and each day has been rewarding in its own ways.

Throughout my career, I’ve taken on pivotal quality roles in several high-profile projects, including the I-405/SR520 expansion in Bellevue, Washington and the construction of the new SR 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington. These mega projects solidified my love for delivering quality work because they require a strong understanding of the plans and specifications. I thoroughly enjoy working closely with our clients and teams to build a culture that values quality too, so when Sound Transit rolled out their East Link Expansion program in 2016, I was eager to take part and enjoyed the challenges and problem solving it has brought every day.

One of the things I love most about my job and the region I work in is knowing that when one project ends, there’s always another coming down the pipeline. Each project and challenge are new opportunities to understand and grow personally and professionally. I will undoubtfully apply lessons I learned from this project to future work and continue developing a team focused on quality and doing the right thing. I look forward to partnering with Sound Transit on additional expansions and helping them fulfill its mission to extend transit systems to West Seattle and Ballard, as well as the Tacoma Dome Link Extensions, in the near future and beyond.

Ұ����Ƶapp has partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to improve mobility and manage traffic congestion in Austin. Our latest endeavor will help ease congestion along .

On October 28, TxDOT crews on the $58.5 million project, and Ұ����Ƶapp was there to help turn the dirt. The project includes a new overpass bridge on SH 71 over the existing signalized intersection at Tucker Hill Lane, new one-way frontage roads, and improved and expanded pedestrian and bicycle lanes. This work is among several projects to enhance travel from Bastrop to Austin as part of TxDOT’s more extensive Hwy. 71 East Corridor plan—a plan that will eliminate all traffic signals on SH 71 between Austin and Houston.

Providing construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services for the Tucker Hill Lane intersection project, Ұ����Ƶapp is helping improve the intersection, which serves as a major corridor for motorists traveling to and from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the city of Bastrop and other central Texas communities. With more than 50,000 vehicles traversing these roads daily, this project will enhance safety and better manage congestion on one of the city’s busiest roadways.

“With growing communities comes a need to improve mobility and make communities more accessible to pedestrians and motorists,” said Joe Fiello, Ұ����Ƶapp Central Texas Sector Lead, Infrastructure. “Ұ����Ƶapp’ work with TxDOT is helping enhance safety not only for kids walking to school and people biking to work but is also improving mobility and reducing congestion on highly traveled roads.”

The project is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2028.

Source SFGate | Geary Boulevard intersection in San Francisco.

Source Eugene V. Debs Hall | The transformed tavern in Buffalo, NY now a community hub.

An Ұ����Ƶapp project of a former mall in Burlington, VT that is underway for CityPlace Burlington.

Source world-architects.com | Tower at Eagle + West in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

As someone passionate about urban development and its impact on the environment, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Bike to Work Day has always been one of my favorite events in San Diego, CA.

Why participate in Bike to Work Day?�� The reasons are endless, but mainly, it —

• Supports climate and sustainability action plans by providing an alternative to using cars such as cycling and public transportation
• Provides the opportunity for us to see and experience new public transportation infrastructure
• Creates awareness of cyclists and the need to share the road
• Connects us to our communities! We are far more likely to chat with a neighbor while on a bike at a light than in a car with the windows rolled up and radio on
• Supports our need to start the day with fresh air, sunshine, and smiles before work.

This year was particularly special because my partner and I decided to test our new electric bicycle (e-bike) by riding 15 miles tandem from our home to work. We knew it would be an adventure, but it was important to me to see the progress San Diego has made for bike infrastructure, and I was impressed!

Our ride was magical and fun! We took the newly completed Rose Creek Bikeway (as of 2021) which connects key areas for businesses, students, and tourists with green bike paths, protected lanes, and private bikeways made to keep us safe. Connectivity is still an issue, but I am seeing progress every year. There are unfinished areas where bike lanes would disappear, putting us in dangerous zones with cars whizzing by at high speeds.�� I am hopeful that with more awareness, meaningful environmental action will follow.

Author:

Amanda Barbagallo | Digital Marketing Manager | ATLAS

This is what is sitting in our wetlands! Beautiful green space for us to cherish. The lush greenery helps to clean the air, gives natural purifiers for our water, and provides a natural habitat for many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals which are essential to our ecosystem. But this is what lives there.

Last month, I joined a team of my colleagues from Ұ����Ƶapp along with other volunteers in a clean-up effort for the Great Gwinnett Wetlands. We cleaned up trash from the floodplain and wetlands bordering a section of Sweetwater Creek. There were times that I had to pause to just look at and touch the variety of plants growing, the water lilies that thrive and the colors that are so vibrant and alive there. It was simply breathtaking beauty.

Our work area was located on the right bank of Sweetwater Creek on the property of Bethesda Park, but cut-off from the Park by the creek itself. The area has a sewer easement running through it, which provided excellent access to the wetlands, and is surrounded by residential development. In just three hours, a crew of 17 volunteers cleaned approximately eight acres of wetlands along a 2,300ft. section of the creek. In the end, an estimated 1,800 pounds of trash were collected in 94 bags, 15 tires, a mattress, and water heater, and a bicycle.

As I walked along picking up garbage, there were two things that struck me. How does all this trash end up in these wetlands? Second, there are so many simple things that can be done to keep these life-giving spaces safe, healthy and beautiful for generations to come.

To answer the first question – trash thrown in parking lots, roadways, ball fields, restaurants, on the streets gets swept up with floodwaters and back into rivers and creeks, and then into these wetland areas. Wetlands across the US provide many important services to the environment and to the public. They offer critical habitats for fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife; they purify polluted waters; and they help check the destructive power of floods and storms. Wetlands act as natural water purifiers, filtering sediment and absorbing many pollutants in surface waters. In some wetland systems, this cleansing function also enhances the quality of groundwater supplies. I am fascinated by the fact that wetlands present along rivers and streams absorb energy and store water during storms, which reduces downstream flood damage and lessens the risk of flash floods. The slow release of this stored water over time can help keep streams flowing during periods of drought. As a foodie, I love that wetlands provide food, cover, spawning, and nursery grounds for freshwater and marine life including trout, striped bass, pike, sunfish, crappie, crab, and shrimp. And, they are particularly vital to many migratory bird species. Nearly 7000 plant species live in U.S. wetlands, many of which can only survive in these wet environments.*

Wetlands are a productive and valuable resource that is worthy of protection and restoration. But all this beauty and value to our environment is at risk – simply because we are careless about how we dispose of our trash. And talk about TRASH! There were mattresses, a water heater, tires, children’s toys, soccer balls, and tennis balls! But the overwhelming item discarded in this wetland area was plastic bottles.

Just google plastic bottles and the impact on the environment, and you can spend hours reading about the ravaging effects that it has on the ocean, marine life, wetlands, the ecosystem, and it goes on and on. I am not an environmental scientist, nor do I claim to be an expert on the impact of BPA or plastic on our bodies, but what I saw and picked up was enough for me to make a change.

Driving home from that cleanup effort, my overriding thought was, I HAVE TO DO BETTER! Here’s what I plan to do moving forward.

First, I must apologize to my daughter who has consistently encouraged me to stop buying plastic water bottles at home. I have stopped! And here are some other simple things that I am doing:

1. Carry an eco-friendly reusable water bottle
2. Reduce my use of plastics, and if I can’t, then reuse and recycle all plastic
3. Use the water filter at home—I already have one in my refrigerator
4. Working with my office to implement a water purifying system
5. Carry reusable grocery bags to the store
6. Skip the straw and lid at the restaurant
7. Get educated, volunteer, and contribute in any other way that I can.

And I hope you will consider doing just one, or however many more meaningful steps you can take to protect our wetlands…our environment.

As we were cleaning up, John Butler, Gwinnett County’s Water Resources Outreach Manager, mentioned that this type of event is not just about getting all the trash from the Wetland area. A trash cleanup helps, but it is only a short-term solution. This effort is about raising the awareness of the volunteers so they can talk about it to someone else, and hopefully influence change.

I am certainly more aware, and I will work to make a change. I hope you will too.

Author:

Karlene Baron | Director of Communications | Ұ����Ƶapp