Hopeman at Concrete Conference
December 31, 2020 – Ryan Hopeman, PE, SE, principal and practice director of Meyer Borgman Johnson (MBJ) presented earlier this month at the 70th Annual Concrete Conference sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing and Professional Studies and Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, College of Science and Engineering.
Ryan presented with Luke Vollmer, PE from Ryan Companies on ELEVEN, the 43-story high-rise currently under construction in Minneapolis and slated to be Minnesota’s tallest residential building. Below is a presentation slide illustrating the structural complexities required to make the crown a reality of the Art Deco high-rise designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Ryan A+E. The Annual Concrete Conference offers educational and networking opportunities for practicing engineers, engineering faculty, consultants, contractors, and state and county agency employees.
Ryan has worked in structural engineering consulting for over 16 years and has specialized expertise with tall building design and buildings with complex programs. As Practice Director, Ryan’s experience with large projects and 3D digital software allows him to work collaboratively with the entire design team. His passion for engineering has led him to work with Engineers Without Borders in Honduras and as an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota.
MBJ AZ Office Moving!
November 2, 2020 – We’ve outgrown our office space in Arizona, so we’re moving to a new one! Please update your contact information, and as of November 2, you can post mail to us at 116 East University Drive, Suite 500, Tempe, AZ 85281. Please note that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of our staff are currently working from home. We hope to occupy our new office space in January of 2021. Our phone numbers remain the same.
MBJ Teaches at the U
August 25, 2020 – Passing on knowledge and mentoring others has been an integral part of MBJ’s culture since its inception. This school year we are again supplying the University of Minnesota with teachers from our staff. Seven of our engineers will be returning to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus this fall and spring to instruct undergraduate and graduate students in the Architecture and Construction Management Departments. Their teaching assignments are as follows:
Meghan Cronin, EIT – teaching ARCH 4571, Architectural Structures I, Fall 2020
Saura Jost, PE, – teaching ARCH 5561, Architectural Structures, Spring 2021
Kirk Davis, PE, and Cat Johnson, EIT – teaming up to teach ARCH 5564, Building Structural Systems, Fall 2020.
J.W. Murphy Curran, PE, and Ryan Hopeman, PE, SE – serving as structural studio advisors for ARCH 5564, Building Structural Systems, Fall 2020.
Cullen O’Neill, PE – teaching CMgt 4544, Materials and Structures I, Fall 2020.
Staff are shown below in the order mentioned above.
O’Neill and Schultz New Associates
July 1, 2020 – We are excited to announce our new firm Associates, Cullen O’Neill and Lindsey Schultz, and congratulate both of them on their professional achievements. MBJ Associates are leaders, managers, and ambassadors of MBJ’s mission both within our firm, and in the communities we serve.
Cullen O’Neill, P.E.
Organized, analytical, and dedicated to serving our clients, Cullen is a highly efficient project manager leading projects in numerous market sectors within MBJ including aviation, science and tech, higher education, and healthcare. In addition to new construction projects, Cullen has expertise in the renovation and retrofit of existing structures as well as unique knowledge of specialty structures, concrete anchorage, and axial shortening of tall buildings. Having played an integral role in the firm’s transition to cloud-based computing in 2019, Cullen continues oversight of the service and provides strong leadership for the firm’s software acquisitions, processes, and education. In the broader community, Cullen serves as a mentor to engineering students at St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota, where he earned his Master’s degree in Structural Engineering and currently teaches as an adjunct professor.
Lindsey Schultz, S.E.
Selected as one of Engineering News Record Southwest’s 2020 Top Young Professionals, Lindsey serves as structural engineer of record and project manager to lead some of MBJ’s largest and most complex projects in the Southwest, exhibiting an unwavering commitment to serving her clients. As Phoenix Office Leader, she coordinates project staffing and mentors co-workers, and was integral in developing MBJ’s integrated cold-formed steel practice. A frequent and informative speaker, she has made presentations for industry organizations, architectural clients, and universities. She has served as an ACE Mentor for 12 years in Phoenix, educating and supporting underrepresented youth who seek a career in architecture, construction, or engineering. Lindsey holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Southern Illinois University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.
Murphy featured in U of M Publication
May 6, 2020 — MBJ CEO Dan Murphy, PE, was recently profiled in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering Spring 2020 publication. More than a chronicle of Dan’s career, “Shaping A Positive Future” is a statement about his strong desire and commitment to mentoring the next generation of structural engineers, based on the positive experience of his early career mentoring relationship with firm founder John Meyer.
During Dan’s 46-year career at MBJ, he has accomplished a great deal for the firm, leading its growth from a single office to five U.S. offices with over 100 people, expediting the firm’s technological transition from paper and pencil to digital design, and expanding its reach nationally and internationally. His passion for passing on to younger engineers all he has learned is summed up in this statement from the article: “Structural engineers build our communities and supply what our communities need from healthcare to education, from business to historic preservation, from housing to hospitality. It is easy to develop a passion for our work because the outcomes are so rewarding and satisfying. I am passionate about our profession and sharing what I’ve learned with others.” Click here to read the entire “Shaping A Positive Future” article.
MBJ Phoenix Team Aces ACE
March 2, 2020 – Meyer Borgman Johnson (MBJ) has been involved with the ACE Mentor Program for more than a decade as well as with the founding of regional affiliate programs in Phoenix and Minneapolis, so it was with a joyous spirit that MBJ volunteer mentors Victoria Flys and Ivy Blumer celebrated their students, who took top honors for best project at the Phoenix Area ACE Mentorship Program Final Showcase last week (February 27). Congratulations to the winning students, who will apply to the national ACE showcase later this year to present their project!
Parents, faculty, and other members of the A/E/C community joined students and mentors at the event to acknowledge the 9 participating teams and their diligent work in developing their projects and presentations over the preceding months. MBJ volunteer Lindsey Schultz, who has been involved with ACE for more than 10 years, led the event as Program Chair. The evening saw a total of $30,000 in scholarships awarded to students.
Coming up on March 4, MBJ volunteer mentors in Minneapolis, Kate Ranade and Brittany Shotwell, will cheer their students on as they present their final projects in front of peers, mentors, and judges at a similar event. The ACE Twin Cities Student Competition will bring together 14 schools, 60 mentors, and 100 students. MBJ’s Saura Jost, longtime member, past mentor, and current executive board member, will be judging the competition. This year’s challenge for each of the 14 Twin Cities area teams was to design a hypothetical Gastronomic Center located near downtown St. Paul. We are looking forward to congratulating the winner!
Learn more about the national program and how to get involved.
