Monthly InsidAR - April 2025

2025 STEM Expo - Growlers Education Day

A team from AR Engineering participated in 2025 STEM Expo - Growlers Education Day at Homer Stryker Field, with Erik Dingemans, Thom Carpenter , and Jason Raleigh arriving early to set-up for the day! Students from local school districts arrived eager to explore various hands-on exhibits and were excited about building sandcastles, which demonstrated mechanically stabilized earth (MSE). Students were encouraged to build a non-MSE sandcastle and an MSE sandcastle, and then drop the hammer on both to see the difference in strength provided by the fabric reinforcement.  The morning activities wrapped up at 11 AM with everyone invited to attend the Growler’s game.

WMU Engineering Senior Design Conference (Capstone Projects)

Jason Raleigh participated as a judge in the 2025 WMU Civil Engineering Spring Senior Design Conference. The students wrap up their senior year by working on a two-semester long project completing several different design topics of a real world project within the Civil Engineering discipline. The juror panel reviews each of the presentations and asks the students specific questions about details within their presentation. There was a total of 7 presentations from the 2025 Spring Civil/Construction Engineering graduating class. 

🎉 Milestone Achievement: Congrats to Andrew Woloszyk, P.E.

ARE is thrilled to celebrate a major professional milestone for one of our own—Andrew Woloszyk has officially earned his Professional Engineer (P.E.) license! 🏅

This achievement reflects Andrew’s hard work and commitment to the field of civil engineering. To mark the occasion, the ARE team gathered for a fun afternoon ice cream social—to celebrate his success!  Please join us in congratulating Andrew on this well-deserved accomplishment.

Monthly InsidAR - March 2025

Volunteer Spotlight: TheProject2025 – WMPMI Collegiate Competition

ARE is proud to celebrate Whitney Pizzala for returning as a mentor at TheProject2025, a dynamic collegiate project management competition hosted by the Project Management Institute – Western Michigan Chapter (WMPMI).

This annual event challenges university students to apply real-world project management principles by developing and presenting comprehensive project plans. Whitney had the honor of mentoring a talented team from Western Michigan University, who showcased their skills and teamwork during their presentation.

Congratulations to the WMU team—and a big shoutout to Whitney for her continued dedication to mentoring the next generation of project leaders.  Go Broncos!

Project Spotlight – UniFirst Corporation Expansion 📍Owensboro, Kentucky

ARE is proud to work with UniFirst Corporation on another project for the expansion of their distribution and fulfillment center in Owensboro, KY. This exciting project adds 109,000 square feet to the existing facility—bringing the total footprint to nearly 469,000 square feet to support UniFirst’s growing customer base. Working alongside Robert Brown Architects, ARE provided comprehensive civil engineering services, including:

  • Site grading and drainage design

  • Stormwater management

  • Utility design and coordination

  • Permitting with local and state agencies

🚧 The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 27, 2025, marking the start of construction. Whitney Pizzala, the civil engineer for the project, proudly represented ARE at the event. Construction is now underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. We are excited to be part of a project that supports growth for the local community!

AR Engineering had the privilege of attending the 60th Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards Gala in March at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Experience in Kalamazoo. The Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala, an ACEC/Michigan hallmark celebrating it’s 60th year, is the A/E Industry’s chance to honor member firms for design achievements of superior skill and ingenuity. Outstanding projects and industry leaders were recognized, along with the presentation of the annual scholarships to the next generation of engineering talent.

The ASCE-WMU Student Roundtable Event is an event AR Engineering looks forward to attending every year.  Students are invited to engage with local businesses in the construction and engineering industries and companies set up informational tables and share insights into their work with students.  This year’s event was a great success and while the free pizza may have attracted attendees, it was the engaging conversations and valuable networking opportunities that kept them there. 

AR Engineering participated in the Consumers’ Concrete New Block Production Facility Tour, an event that was hosted by the local ASCE branch.  This event began with a brief presentation of the, followed by a guided tour of the new 37,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility, showing the processes in which concrete masonry units, segmental retaining wall units and paver are produced.

The team at AR Engineering participated in the first annual spring ASCE Southwestern Michigan Branch / WMU Student Chapter golf outing to provide valuable financial resources to support WMU Civil Engineering. The proceeds fund the WMU scholarship program and the Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge and Timber Strong Teams.  The team golfed at Angles Crossing Golf Club.  After a short rain it turned into a beautiful day for the event. The AR team held their own and finished third for the event!  Besides supporting a great cause, this outing was a great opportunity to connect with clients, colleagues and future civil engineers. 

Monthly InsidAR - February 2025

AR Engineering attended the annual WMU Concrete Canoe casting day on February 8, 2025.  The team had a great turnout for casting day with several alumni for support.  This was another great opportunity for AR Engineering to give back to WMU and support the student chapter.  The WMU Concrete Canoe Team, along with Timber Strong and Steel Bridge, are attending the ASCE Eastern Great Lakes Student Conference hosted by Michigan Tech on April 11-13, 2025.  Go Broncos!

AR Engineering attended the Annual Engineers Week Dinner on February 18, 2025. Hosted by Western Michigan University (WMU), this event brings engineers and engineering students together for an evening of networking, learning, and celebration. The night began with a social hour, followed by dinner, and ended with the presentation of scholarship award winners, and a keynote address from a guest speaker. AR Engineering is always proud to support WMU students and looks forward to participating in this event every year.

On February 27, 2025, MSPE members and other area engineers toured the new state of the art KRESA Career Connect Campus. The facility is around 160,000 square feet and will serve high school students and adult learners to aid in career and technical educational opportunities. The campus is home to transportation and construction trades, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, animal sciences, culinary sciences and hospitality, health sciences, information technology, and supply chain management. The facility is scheduled to hold a grand opening celebration on May 22, 2025.

During the months of February and March, Brian Chobot had the opportunity to attend several trainings. He received his certificates in Construction Inspection – Project Management through the APWA and Prevailing Wage Training and Hot Mix Asphalt Paving Operations through MDOT. These will be very helpful to both Brian and the team at AR Engineering as we enter the busy construction inspection season.