2024 was a big year for me as an engineer and for Howell. For this (almost) end-of-year newsletter, I want to give you all a breakdown of our 2024.

On a personal level-

1. I crammed more new knowledge into my head than any year to date. Some of it was learned the easy way, and some of it was learned the hard way. From grading and earthwork, sewer, site layout, stormwater management, and E & S design to plan presentations, public meetings, public testimony, client relations/management, inter-office teamwork, time management, and much more. After fitting all this information into my head, it only piqued my interest to learn about other aspects of this industry that I have not yet been exposed to. Lots more to learn!
2. I was able to utilize this new information to serve a critical role in plenty of new land development projects that will start construction in 2025. As busy as I have been designing, I will likely be just as busy inspecting new construction and seeing our carefully crafted designs come to life.
3. I recently became eligible for my PE license in the State of Delaware. It's a bit of a long story, but the requirements in Delaware are different than those in PA, which made me eligible sooner. Just my luck, after I applied in Delaware, PA changed their laws- that's just how it goes.
4. In the Howell office, I have been upgraded to my own office from my cubicle area, allowing me to facilitate meetings and calls without disturbing others in the office. Additionally, I have been placed on a team with four other engineers to allow us to collaborate, learn, and share work.

As for the Company, there is too much to fit into a single newsletter, so here are the highlights-

1. The Nave Newell Merger has continued to be a success. Nave Newell has been cranking away on projects and collaborating with those at Howell to expand their engineering, surveying, environmental and geotechnical capabilities. It has been a pleasant experience collaborating with those in the same industry to refine our processes. Nave Newell's workforce continues to grow thanks to the help of our colleagues at Smith and Howell Design — big props to them for their efforts.
2. Geotech has also continued to be a success. Our drill rig and drillers have been busy coring into the earth and collecting samples. We recently acquired warehouse space in the Borough of West Chester at 510 E Barnard Street to house our drill rig and our freshly outfitted Geotech Lab, allowing Howell to perform all sorts of analysis on soil samples collected in the field.
3. Our colleagues at Terrain in Annapolis are gearing up for some new hires by moving into a new space in the same business park. They’ll now have more offices, cubes and space for their own plotter.
4. Howell Surveying has been busy expanding into the rail sector through Greg Gress' sophisticated monitoring system, which, to be honest, I don't even fully understand. This system could be a whole series of newsletters.
5. We have launched our own formal internal CAD/Engineering classes for younger engineers. Each week, Howell and Nave Newell spend lunch together, going through a particular project to discuss the design/drafting aspects of our daily engineering lives.
6. Perhaps the biggest project we have been working on is the relocation of Howell Engineering, Surveying and Environmental and Smith & Howell Design Co. The company's commute will change by about 30 seconds as we will relocate to the old Jacobs Engineering building at 1247 Ward Ave. This new building will give us more office space and parking for more engineers, surveyors, and creative folks. The plans have not yet been finalized, but it will be a modern office with state-of-the-art systems that will allow us to be the best engineers we can be. With plenty of help from our colleagues at Smith and Howell Design, there is no doubt it will be pleasant to the eyes. Certainly, it will be better than anything we engineers could come up with.

It has been a fantastic year for everyone at Howell. We could never be where we are without our team of diverse technical backgrounds. So, to round out the year 2024, I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone at Howell Engineering, Surveying, Environmental, Nave Newell, Terrain, and Smith & Howell for their diligent work throughout the year.

I am looking forward to an even better 2025. Happy New Year, all!