April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Allison Transmission Celebrates Opening of Innovation Center

Allison Transmission Celebrates Opening of Innovation Center

Design team members (left to right) Mike Hoopingarner, Dan McCloskey, Ben Wagner, Brandon Hoopingarner, and Matt Jennings strike a proud pose at the grand opening event

Our American Structurepoint design team turned out in force to attend the March 7 opening celebration for the new Allison Transmission Innovation Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. American Structurepoint provided multiple services for the project, including architecture, interior design, civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture, and traffic engineering. The 96,000-sft, 4-story Innovation Center showcases the company’s technology and innovation leadership. Technological features such as artificial intelligence will be embedded in several simulation labs where Allison Transmission professionals can test products in physical and virtual environments. This will allow the company to bring new technologies and products to the market more efficiently.

The center comprises contemporary design including unique collaboration areas, natural lighting, a visitors experience center, and a vehicle displace area showcasing Allison transmissions, all while still incorporating Hoosier essence through materials and design from the surrounding campus, as well as the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To reinforce a true community-campus feel, the center includes an employee café with an outdoor plaza area and a fourth-floor outdoor terrace offering a great view of downtown Speedway.

Thank you, Allison Transmission, for allowing us the opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious project!

Exterior of the Innovation Center

Admiring the fourth floor hallway

Admiring the lobby from the second-floor overlook

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Three American Structurepoint Projects Receive Awards

Three American Structurepoint Projects Receive Awards

Projects in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio, achieved award wins for roadway design, bridge design, and planning excellence. Read on for the details.

Columbus Project Achieves Bridge Design Award

Our Columbus bridge team is celebrating an award win with Gannett Fleming for designing the $30 million Lazelle Road bridge project in Columbus. Three Ohio chapters of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) selected the Lazelle Road Bridge for the 2021 Outstanding Short-Span Railway Bridge Award, choosing it as the best designed short-span railroad bridge in the entire state. American Structurepoint, as a sub to Gannett Fleming, completed the superstructure designs for replacing two railroad bridges approximately 79 feet long passing over Lazelle Road. Way to go, team!

Newman Road Underpass Project Wins National Recognition

Purdue University and American Structurepoint have earned another engineering excellence award for the Newman Road Underpass project in West Lafayette! The National Recognition Award is from the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 2022 Engineering Excellence Awards competition. The project replaced a 100-year-old, 1-lane railroad underpass on Newman Road with a modern bridge structure. Newman Road from SR 26 to Benson Road was completely reconstructed and widened, and the SR 26 and Newman Road intersection was converted to a dual-lane roundabout to improve traffic flow. The Discovery Park District of Purdue University now enjoys improved safety and enhanced public access. This makes the fourth award for the project.

Transportation, Planners Team Up on Award-Winning Project

Mike Maurovich (center) represented American Structurepoint at the APA Indiana Planning Awards luncheon

American Structurepoint is honored to have partnered with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) to craft the award-winning Federal Funds Exchange Guidance Document. The document received an Honorable Mention Award in the Best Practice category from the American Planning Association – Indiana Chapter (APA-IN). Our planning and transportation staff collaborated with the IMPO to develop processes and guidelines to improve project delivery and funding for vital transportation projects across Central Indiana.

The exchange program is the first of its kind in Indiana and gives communities in the eight-county IMPO area more flexibility, less complexity, and cost reductions in developing and delivering regional transportation projects. The American Structurepoint planners and transportation staff creating the guidance document were mindful it would serve as a blueprint for other Indiana MPOs interested in creating their own federal funds exchange program.

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Help Angie Frazier Become LLS Woman of the Year

Help Angie Frazier Become LLS Woman of the Year

American Structurepoint employees, it’s time to support Business Development Director Angie Frazier (Business Development Group, Indianapolis Design Center) in her quest to become the 2022 Woman of the Year for the Indianapolis region of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Angie is among ten metro Indianapolis women participating in this annual event to support blood cancer research. Whoever raises the most money is named LLS Woman of the Year.

Angie joined this fundraising campaign to honor two close friends who battled cancer. Both friends are now living cancer free, thanks to the support of LLS and their friends and family. You can support Angie’s campaign by visiting her fundraising page at this link through May 7. Help Angie become the second-consecutive American Structurepoint employee to win this campaign; Project Development Director Eric Farny (Road Group, Indianapolis Design Center) was named LLS Man of the Year for Indianapolis in 2021!

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Sarah Johnson Writes Book about Her Battle with SMAS

Sarah Johnson Writes Book about Her Battle with SMAS

Sarah Johnson at book signing

In life, solving a problem is much more complicated than simply knowing the answer. Sometimes we are completely lost and don’t know the solution, and sometimes we know exactly what we need, but we just can’t find it. Sarah Johnson (Accounting Group, Indianapolis Design Center) understands this pain and the emotions produced by physical struggles.

Almost 20 years after first recognizing her symptoms as an undergrad student at Ball State, Sarah was diagnosed with superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS). This meant that part of her small intestine was being compressed and restricting her nutrient flow. She now understood why, for two decades, she hadn’t been able to process certain foods and was consistently getting sick. After so many unsuccessful doctor appointments, Sarah finally knew the answer to the question she had been asking her entire adult life. She had identified a life-threatening medical condition; however, this was only the beginning to a whole new problem for Sarah.

As SMAS is a more recent discovery and is quite rare, you can imagine it wasn’t easy for Sarah to find a doctor qualified and willing to operate on her condition. Multiple trips to Chicago and various doctor visits resulted in contradicting diagnosis and/or multiple rejections to operate on her rare condition. Sarah was convinced she was going to lose her battle. She knew she needed a doctor who had worked with SMAS before but could not find one who would give her the help she needed. Until one day, she found a doctor at Community North in Indianapolis who had the right experience. After a long consideration of the dangerous operation, Sarah and her family decided to undergo the surgery in the fall of 2019.

While today, Sarah is not 100% free of the challenges of SMAS, her surgery has helped improve her health tremendously, and her condition is no longer life threatening. After her surgery and following a long and difficult recovery, Sarah was inclined to share the physical and spiritual journey she has made through her 24-year battle. Join us in supporting Sarah and letting her know the American Structurepoint team are her cheerleaders in her continual fight with SMAS!  Her story can be purchased on Amazon and is titled, The Devil Inside Me: Finding Jesus In a Life of Struggle. Also involved with this accomplishment and from the American Structurepoint team is Jordan Barker (Marketing Services Group, Indianapolis Design Center) who illustrated the cover of Sarah’s book. Congratulations to you both, it is a truly remarkable and inspirational story!

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Celebrating Project Milestones

Celebrating Project Milestones

We enjoy celebrating reaching project milestones and appreciate all the hard work it takes to achieve them. Congratulations to all involved in these two recent milestones.

Cuyahoga 90 Milestone
Our Ohio Transportation staff submitted Stage 1 plans for their massive Cuyahoga 90 project in Cleveland.  This has been a 9-month effort and is one of the largest plan sets we have ever prepared for ODOT, clocking in at over 1,000 sheets.  Our performance on this project advances our qualifications with ODOT and puts us in a solid strategic position for future significant projects.  Thank you to all you made it possible!

IU Health Enabling Utilities Milestone
Last week, the president of IU Health recognized our Indy Utility Infrastructure Group for completing all the utility work and paving the way for constructing the $1B downtown Indianapolis medical center destined to change the healthcare landscape of Indiana.  This has been a long, complex design process involving countless agencies, stakeholders, and subconsultants. Our team coordinated the relocation of eight different utilities providing water, electricity, natural gas, and more to the new IU Health campus facilities to be built through 2026. This is another project demonstrating our capability on large, complex projects and puts us in position as the “gotta-have” firm for more of the same. Bravo to all!

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Tampa Employees Tackle Day of Service

Tampa Employees Tackle Day of Service

American Structurepoint employees in the Tampa design center recently participated in a day of service with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states and in approximately 70 countries. Its vision is to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Eleven members of the team spent the day in nearby Temple Terrace to assist with a new home build, the first home build project the Tampa office has tackled with Habitat for Humanity. Under the hot Florida sun, the team helped install windows and doors for the home, in addition to framing associated with the windows.

While the recipient is not yet known, the new homeowners typically invest hours of sweat equity into their new homes and participate in financial and home management courses to set them on the right track. Habitat for Humanity helps people in need find decent housing options with affordable mortgage plans.

Way to go to all employees involved! If you’re interested in volunteering, check out the Community Service tab on the Intranet to learn more about our five categories of giving, which include families/children, elderly, education, armed/civic services, and emergency/shelters.

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Architecture Hosts Project VR Tour for Staff

Architecture Hosts Project VR Tour for Staff

Our Architecture + Interiors team recently hosted an after-hours virtual reality (VR) tour of a project currently under design. The tour of the Hamilton County Readiness Center gave staff members from the architecture and structural engineering teams the opportunity to see the project up close. The exercise also allowed both groups to test how many people could join a virtual space simultaneously from multiple locations. Attendees say design feedback was received during the tour that hopefully will make the project even better when it is completed.

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Learn More About Plant-Based Eating

Learn More About Plant-Based Eating

Join us in person or virtually in May to discover the health benefits of plant-based eating. Learn how to incorporate this diet on an occasional basis or as an exclusive way of life. Get tips on shopping and cooking techniques, and see a demonstration on how to prepare a plant-based lunch. Click here to sign up for the session.

  • What: Plant-Based Eating Lunch and Learn
  • When: Thursday, May 5, Noon -1 PM
  • Where: Grandview Conference Room (Indy) and Virtual Link

Presenter Amy Cummins is a registered dietitian nutritionist who owns a private practice in Central Indiana specializing in elderly nutrition in the long-term care setting. She’s passionate about incorporating healthy eating into everyday life and making simple changes that can promote beneficial health outcomes.

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Bingo-Themed Team Wins Trivia Night

Bingo-Themed Team Wins Trivia Night

Teams compete during Trivia Night

Who would have believed a team named “I Thought This Was Bingo” would take the grand prize as trivia masters? But that’s exactly what happened at the March 10 American Structurepoint Trivia Night. Team Starlink took second place.

Five teams of four or five people each competed to show their talent for trivia among six categories, including American Structurepoint trivia. Members of the winning team each received a $20 gift card of their choice, while the second-place winners each received a $10 gift card. Thanks to the Architecture + Interiors, Planning + Economic Development, and Structural Engineering groups for hosting a fun evening. The groups are open to hosting a future trivia event if enough people show interest.

Winning team members are as follows:

I Thought This Was Bingo Team

  • Matt Jennings, Architecture + Interiors Group
  • Matthew O’Rourke, Planning + Economic Development Group
  • Michael Pearce, Civil Engineering Group
  • Charlie Prigge, Investigative Group
  • Kim Wheelock, Bridge Group

Starlink Team

  • Kylie Bright-Schuler, Civil Engineering Group
  • Aaron Day, Road Group
  • Dan McCloskey, Architecture + Interiors Group
  • Leigh Stevenson, Environmental Services Group
  • Scott Sumner, Facilities Management Group

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Round of Applause Roll Call for March

Round of Applause Roll Call for March

Congratulations to the 28 employees receiving Round of Applause recognition in March. Remember, it’s as easy as 1, 2 ,3 to thank an employee for going the extra mile.

  1. Start an email to [email protected]
  2. Write a few sentences about what the person did and when.
  3. Press send, and HR does the rest!
  • Megan Adams, Marketing Services Group
  • Amy Anderson, Accounting Group
  • Jerrica Andrew, Land Surveying Group
  • Alyssa Benedict, Bridge Group
  • DJ Bosse, Bridge Group
  • Jennifer Buck, Civil Engineering Group
  • Patrick Dottery, Civil Engineering Group
  • Sarah Everhart, Environmental Services Group
  • Edgar Flores (2), Road Group
  • Luis Garcia, Road Group
  • Corey Gilreath, Bridge Group
  • Mike Giocolo, Construction Solutions Group
  • Joe Griffith, Environmental Services Group
  • Andrea Hodge, Civil Engineering Group
  • Garrett Johnson, Bridge Group
  • Geeta Kharche, Traffic Engineering Group
  • Liz Morales, Construction Solutions Group
  • Melody Niquette (3), Marketing Services Group
  • Aaron Nordstrom, Architecture + Interiors Group
  • Joel Perry, Civil Engineering Group
  • Mike Roche, Civil Engineering Group
  • Kylie Bright-Schuler, Civil Engineering Group
  • Shaiza Sajjad, Environmental Services Group
  • Sagar Shah, Road Group
  • Heather Sulaica, Road Group
  • Scott Sumner, Facilities Management Group
  • Philip Tatarkov, Civil Engineering Group
  • David Welch, Civil Engineering Group

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Community Service News

Community Service News

The Community Service fund increased by $6,793 in March 2022 thanks to our employee payroll contributors and the company’s dollar-for-dollar match.

The community service fund exists to make a difference in our communities. Donations are made to employee-nominated organizations and families. Submit your suggestion today!

Thank Yous
Your contributions facilitate year-round support of families and organizations in our communities.

  • “Overwhelmed, surprised and grateful for all of you done. This blessing put a smile on his face and released some worries, stress, and financial problems. I just can’t thank you all enough.” –Veselak Family
  • “Thank you again for your generous, ongoing trust and support.” – Metropolitan Ministries

Is your team, group, or design center planning a volunteer activity? Please send an email to “CommunityService” prior to the event. Funds may be available to complement your project!

April 5, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on American Structurepoint in the News

American Structurepoint in the News

American Structurepoint projects and people appeared in the news media 31 times in March. Read on for a recap.

  • Several entities reported about construction beginning for the Purple Line bus rapid transit project linking Lawrence to downtown Indianapolis. These included the Current in Geist, WISH-TV Channel 8, and WIBC Radio. We are providing program management services to the Indianapolis Department of Public Works for the project.
  • The Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) reported the state’s announcement that The Indiana School for the Deaf will relocate to the campus for the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) in Indianapolis, resulting in existing buildings (at ISBVI) undergoing renovations and new buildings being constructed. We conducted the feasibility study providing data and analysis the state used to make its decision.
  • Multiple news outlets reported on the opening of the Allison Transmission Innovation Center for which we provided architecture, interior design, civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture, and traffic engineering. Coverage appeared in Inside Indiana Business, WTHR Channel 13, Yahoo News, Truck News.com, Diesel Progress.com, and Just Auto.com (Please see the article appearing elsewhere in the newsletter.)
  • Several Columbus, Ohio, news outlets reported on the opening of the Honda Automotive Laboratories of Ohio, an $124 million wind tunnel testing facility in East Liberty. We provided civil engineering services for the test center, reported in Columbus Business First, The Columbus Dispatch, and ABC 6 On Your Side.
  • Our work to conduct a housing study for the City of Goshen, Indiana, made news in The Goshen News and The Elkhart Truth. City officials commissioned the study to seek a strategy for getting more housing developed there.
  • The Northwest Indiana Times reported that Traffic Team Leader Patrick O’Connor presented the findings of a downtown parking study we conducted to the Crown Point City Council.
  • Business Development Director Angie Frazier’s participation in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Woman of the Year campaign made news in the Current in Fishers.
  • The Reimagine Pleasant Street project in Noblesville, Indiana, for which we are providing multiple roadway design services, will remain on schedule now that the City of Noblesville reached an agreement with IDI Composites to acquire the firm’s current location. The IBJ, Inside Indiana Business, The Indianapolis Star, and Hamilton County Reporter published news of the agreement and IDI’s plans to build a new manufacturing facility in a Noblesville business park.
  • American Structurepoint and Purdue University’s winning a national award from the American Council of Engineering Companies for the Newman Road Underpass project made news in the Building Indiana Magazine, Purdue Exponent, Lafayette Leader, and US Education.com.
  • The Indianapolis Star published an article about roundabouts under construction or planned for Hamilton County, Indiana, and mentioned several of our projects. These included five roundabouts planned for Pleasant Street in Noblesville, the SR 37 Corridor project, and Range Line Road.
  • CBS Channel 4 reported on construction beginning this spring on two of our roundabout projects in Carmel, Indiana – Medical Drive and Range Line Road and 116th Street and Range Line Road.
  • Our work to redesign restrooms in the Wayne County, Indiana, courthouse made news in The Richmond Palladium-Item.
  • The Mount Vernon, Ohio, municipal parking garage was closed due to structural defects found by American Structurepoint during a routine inspection of the building, the Mount Vernon News
  • Architecture Daily published multiple photos and a description of a mixed-use residential project in Columbus, Ohio, for which we provided civil engineering services.
  • American Structurepoint’s presentation of new plans for Wabash School Memorial Park in Geneva, Indiana, made news in the Berne Witness.
  • The start of construction on Lockbourne Greene, an affordable housing development in Columbus, Ohio, for which we provided civil engineering and land surveying services, made news in Columbus Business First.
  • The IBJ reported on plans to redevelop about 20 acres at the former General Motors Stamping Plant site just west of downtown Indianapolis. We are providing civil engineering services for the redevelopment of the land and for the building of the new downtown Elanco Animal Health headquarters.

March 3, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Company Named to Best Places to Work in Indiana

Company Named to Best Places to Work in Indiana

We did it again—making the Best Places to Work in Indiana list. American Structurepoint has earned a spot on the list at least nine times in the list’s 17-year history.

We are now a contender for the top spot among 24 large companies on the list, sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. We will find out our exact ranking at a May 12 awards ceremony in downtown Indianapolis. A big thank you to all of you who provided survey feedback on nine focus areas including employee experience, role satisfaction, workplace culture, employee benefits, and training, technology, and development. Additional thanks for everything you do to make American Structurepoint what it is—one of the best companies in the nation and the best place to work.

March 3, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on $98 Million Mixed-Use Project Planned for Fishers

$98 Million Mixed-Use Project Planned for Fishers

American Structurepoint is proud to provide multiple services for a proposed $98 million mixed-use project at 96th Street and Allisonville Road in Fishers. The City of Fishers and CRG Residential announced the development to include 380 apartments, 66 townhomes, and 35,000 sft of commercial retail space. Our firm is providing civil engineering, land surveying, traffic engineering, landscape architecture design, and environmental services for the project. There will be a separate Fishers project that includes removing the adjacent “Michigan Left” turn on Allisonville Road and converting the 96th Street and Allisonville Road intersection to a roundabout, which will be designed by another consultant. 

March 3, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Sarah Everhart Named 2021 Volunteer of the Year

Sarah Everhart Named 2021 Volunteer of the Year

Congratulations to Project Manager Sarah Everhart (Environmental Services Group, Indianapolis Design Center), recipient of the 2021 Community Service Volunteer of the Year award. Sarah has served on the Community Service committee since 2016. In 2021, she achieved her most significant community service accomplishment—creating and implementing the new online order form for Holiday Mania. The form allowed people in the field and other design centers to more easily participate and eliminated countless hours of hand entry for the Community Service committee. This form was a contributing factor to the most successful Holiday Mania ever, with $27,590 in purchases in 2021. Thank you, Sarah!

March 3, 2022
by Marketing Services
Comments Off on Dennis Hutchinson Retires

Dennis Hutchinson Retires

Congratulations to Dennis Hutchinson (Bridge Group, Indianapolis Design Center) on his retirement! Dennis held the record for being American Structurepoint’s longest, continuous, full-time, tenured employee, (employee number 13) with 48 years of employment. Dennis always had a great attitude, a big smile, and a funny story to tell. Here are five things on Dennis’ retirement agenda.

  1. Dennis definitely plans on continuing his Santa Claus role at American Structurepoint for the Community Service Pictures with Santa event. “It’s the highlight of my year,” Dennis says.
  2. He and his wife will be tour guides for a trip to Ireland during the summer. The trip has been postponed for two years due to COVID-19.
  3. He plans a second trip to Ireland in September for a nephew’s wedding.
  4. He has another airplane to build (Please see the 2018 blog story about Dennis at this link).
  5. Dennis and his wife will visit his new granddaughter often in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A big thank you to Dennis for 48 years of serving American Structurepoint well.