Case Studies August 2026

At an early age, Jon Dilts was already clocking in. Growing up on a family farm in Ohio, there was no such thing as a day off — chores began before school and picked up again after, regardless of the weather or the season. It wasn’t a job so much as a way of life, […]

The roads, runways, intersections, and transportation systems that people rely on every day rarely draw much attention when they are working properly. Drivers expect traffic signals to function, airport runways to stay illuminated, and roadways to remain safe. Behind those systems, however, are teams of construction professionals whose work often goes unnoticed but has a […]

On many campuses, the most visible changes are the ones people notice immediately. A renovated building opens its doors. A redesigned space suddenly becomes part of a student’s daily routine. New construction reshapes the skyline and creates excitement across the institution. What often goes unnoticed is the extensive coordination taking place before construction crews ever […]

When Courtney Fink talks about the Polar Security Cutter, she does not start with specs or schedules. She starts with the ice itself. The U.S. Coast Guard’s next-generation icebreaker is designed to operate in polar environments where standard vessels simply cannot go—breaking through six to eight feet of ice across roughly 460 feet of hull, […]

David Mondt’s professional story is inseparable from the institution he now helps shape. A graduate of Aims Community College’s CAD drafting program, Mondt returned to the college a decade ago with a clear sense of purpose and a practical understanding of how the built environment can accelerate opportunity. Today, as director of planning, design and […]

One Christmas, Danny Pineda received a gift card—not for himself, but for his dogs. It came from a client. That a client remembered the dogs says something about the kind of relationship Pineda builds, and something about the kind of work he does. At S. Donadic Inc., a high-end residential general contracting firm specializing in […]

A high school counselor in New Jersey once accidentally enrolled a sophomore in a junior/senior sports marketing class. The student was Brian Araujo, a teenager of Portuguese descent with a lifelong obsession with soccer. He could have been moved to another class. Instead, he stayed — and something clicked. Sitting among older students, absorbing the […]

Christopher Durkin was 10 years old when he first learned that a leaky faucet was actually an opportunity. His grandfather, a self-made landlord who built a successful but modest 20-unit portfolio from nothing, would load him into the truck on weekends and hand him a wrench before he’d even hand him breakfast. There was no […]

Christian Evans still remembers the uncertainty that comes with finding the right lane in a career. Like many college students interested in athletics, he initially explored different paths, including marketing. But it did not take long for him to discover that his strengths were better suited elsewhere. An internship in event operations at the University […]

Building a lasting business along the water requires more than technical skill. It demands an understanding of natural systems, disciplined growth, and a commitment to people who carry out the work. Under the leadership of Mark Schmitt, president of Trident Dock & Dredge, those elements have come together to shape a company that has built […]