Industry Axis

MTM Expansion

May Technology & Mfg, Inc. (MTM) celebrates 55 Years of business with an Open House to showcase their new expansion and other upgrades made to their facility on May 16, 2019.

Founded in 1964, Ernie May began his business with a tooling machine and a small shop. Ernie’s sons, Steve and Reno May, learned the business from their dad and both joined the family business. With advancing technologies, Steve and Reno were instrumental in growing the facility to a high-speed CNC Machining and Tooling operation. Steve and Reno are proud to showcase the new building while preserving much of the history. The tour noted the original building footprint and the museum, just off the lobby, showcases and preserves many of the machines, tools and furniture used throughout the years of operation.

Todd Brewood has been elected Vice President of the Kansas City Chapter of SEAKM. The appointment is for the 2019-2020 year. The role of the VP is primarily to provide support to the chapter President and to work with the other committee members in organizing the monthly chapter meetings. Todd hopes to help encourage SEAKM membership growth, and to find useful and interesting topics to share and discuss at the monthly meeting.  Needham DBS heavily supports participation in industry organizations and appreciates Todd's committment to further the profession of Structural Engineering.

Todd started his term by attending SEAKM’s Annual Meeting in Wichita, KS on Thursday, April 25, 2019.  The meeting was held at the Wichita Advanced Learning Library.  Presentations included the Oklahoma State Capitol masonry restoration, steel cracking during galvanization, engineering software packages concerns and wrapped up with partially-composite tilt-up panels by Needham DBS' Jason Blankenship.

Kansas State University and Professor Kimberly Waggle Kramer, are leaders in promoting tilt-up construction to its students in the Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science (ARE/CNS). As one of the only universities in the US offering a full semester-long course in tilt-up construction, students of CNS629 learn about all aspects of the tilt-up construction process.

Needham DBS was invited by Professor Kramer to do a special topics guest lecture. Jason Blankenship, a 2007 BS/MS graduate of K-State ARE/CNS, presented on the topic of Tilt-Up Sandwich Panels. Topics covered included: history of sandwich panels, energy code background, wythe connector types, and non-composite and composite panel behavior, mechanics, and construction processes.

Mike Stein and his Daughter attend State of the City.

Needham DBS’ Mike Stein attended the Mayor’s 2019 State of the City address for Lenexa, KS on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at Hyatt Place & Lenexa Conference Center.

A few of the highlights of the presentation by Mayor Mike Boehm, in his 17th address:

The team that delivered a tilt-up concrete panel solution for the award-winning Olathe West High School project were invited to present at the 42nd Annual Scholer-Peterson Concrete Conference at Kansas State University on February 2, 2019. Jason Blankenship with Needham DBS, along with Travis Downing with McCown Gordon Construction and Aaron Curtis with Lithko Contracting gave a presentation highlighting the challenging design and construction aspects of the project and outlined the process the team used for successfully executing the complex project.

Some of the key points of the presentation were: reviewing the factors in selecting a tilt-up approach, the challenging lateral system design, execution of the segmented arc “black box” panels, detailing coordination, the use of cast-in thin brick and insulated panels.  In addition, the use of BIM for tilt-up panels was discussed. Revit was used for the BIM not only as a design coordination tool, but also as a platform for tilt-up panel detailing, and then leveraging the benefits for construction use.

Needham DBS Board of Directors held their Annual Board of Directors and Shareholders Meeting to present financials to current shareholders on Friday, January 18, 2019. The meeting was held in the Fireside Room at the Shadow Glen Country Club followed by dinner in the Main Dining Room.

2018 Christmas Dinner at Grunauer

Needham DBS' Kansas City Office celebrated the success of 2018 with a year end Christmas Dinner. The dinner was held at Grunauer in Kansas City's Historic Freight House District on Saturday, December 15, 2018.  Employees and their spouses enjoyed an Austrian-German meal of appetizers, dinner and dessert.

Needham DBS' Fort Wayne Office celebrated the success of 2018 with a year end Christmas Dinner.  The dinner was held in the Boardroom at Ruth's Chris Steak House in downtown Fort Wayne on December 8, 2018.  Employees enjoyed an evening of great company, dinner, libations and bountiful desserts.  

Karen S. Hand, PE, President of Needham DBS, presented a 2 hour seminar to about 90 contractors for the Fall 2018 Johnson County Contractors Licensing Educational Seminar.  The presentation of "Temporary Wind Bracing of Tilt-Up Concrete Panels" was at 8 am-10 am, October 30, 2018 at the Overland Park Convention Center.  

OSHA regulates the construction of buildings with concrete panels by requiring the panels to be temporarily braced to prevent panels from overturning or collapsing during construction. The Tilt-Up Concrete Association's brace document provides contractors and engineers with detailed instructions to interpret the existing codes and apply the forces to panels during the construction phase of the project.  Significant changes have been implemented since the last version. The guide is intended to be used in conjunction with ASCE/SEI 7-16 for access to the figures and tables. Attendees learned historical background leading up to the current guideline.  Major changes to the TCA Guideline for Temporary Wind Bracing of Tilt-Up Concrete Panels During Construction were presented as well as jobsite safety tips and case studies for bracing Tilt-Up Construction.

Jeff Needham will present "Composite Tilt-Up Panels - The Future of Tilt-Up Walls" to CPG & SEAKM members..  The meeting will begin at 4pm with an opportunity for networking followed by the presentation from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.  CPG is providing drinks and appetizers to enjoy.

Presentation Summary:
The continued adoption of energy codes is pushing tilt-up designers to use more edge to edge  insulated panels. Using the two wythes of these panels working together in composite action is a logical solution for engineers to provide a strong and very efficient insulated panel. The use of composite design has been limited due to thermal bow concerns, lack of good design methods, and limited connector types.
This presentation will explore the current state-of-the-art in composite tilt-up panel construction and explain developments in design methods for tilt-up composite panels. The differences between solid panel design and two-wythe composite design will be illustrated and the limitations of current composite design methods will be shown. The future of composite panels in tilt-up construction will conclude the talk.

Associated General Contractors of Kansas has recognized two Needham DBS projects in the announcement of the 2018 Awards.  Winners were announced in March and appeared in the Wichita Business Journal on March 9, 2018.

Shulthis Stadium received the "Award of Excellence" for New Construction up to $2,000,000.

David Mittendorf, Vice President and longtime manager of the Fort Wayne, Indiana office of Needham DBS retired effective September 1, 2017. Dave remains on the Board of Directors and will continue to consult with Needham DBS.

The company culture at Needham DBS places a heavy emphasis on higher education, continuing education and career advancement opportunities.

Founder, Jeff Needham, earned a MSCE from University of Kansas in 1980 while working full time. With an appreciation for hard work and an eagerness to learn throughout his career, Needham began offering tuition reimbursement to his employees and encouraged all engineers to take at least core subjects in the master’s level engineering curriculum.

Needham DBS Board of Directors will be assembling to hold their Annual Board Meeting as well as present financials to current shareholders on Friday, Decemer 8, 2017.  Needham DBS will close the Lenexa office at 4:30 pm to hold a small reception to welcome Fort Wayne employees Director, Dave Mittendorf and his wife Cathy, Doug Bulmahn, Tim Fraser, Craig Scherschel and his wife Amanda who will be traveling to Kansas City for the weekend. 

The Needham DBS Christmas Party will be held on Saturday December 9, 2017 at Grunauer's Private Dining Loft in the Freight House District.

Jeff Needham has been inducted into the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) College of Fellows for his years of service and commitment to the tilt up industry spanning over three decades. He accepted this appointment during the Awards Gala of the 2017 Tilt-Up Convention and Expo in Miami on Friday evening, September 29.

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) College of Fellows honors the rich tradition of service to the Association on behalf of the industry. The College of Fellows cultivates awareness for the community of professionals dedicated to the mission of the Association, and elevates the service of its members to the entire industry. Fellows establish this service through their organization's commitment to membership and participation and are elected to fellowship by a jury of their peers.

Employee News:

Karen Hand is not only building buildings, she’s building muscle.

Craig M. Scherschel, PE, Needham DBS, was recently elected to the position of President-Elect of the Indiana Structural Engineers Association (ISEA). Craig will serve as President-Elect from June 2017 to May 2019 after which he will serve ISEA as President from June 2019 to May 2021. He previously served as Secretary of ISEA from June 2015 to May 2017.

Needham DBS sponsors a table at the 2017 Evening in Paris – A Modern Masquerade, a fundraiser for Academie Lafayette, a French Language Immersion Public Charter school in Kansas City MO.  The event was held at the Uptown Theatre on April 29.

Karen S. Hand and husband, Brian, chose steampunk themed costumes while guests Jeanie Abbett and Kyla Benjamin sported Art Deco style costumes (masks designed and created by Jeanie Abbett). Guests Bing and Mary Yzon were the superhero duet, Green Lantern and Black Canary. Needham DBS hosted four Academie Lafayette teachers Benoit Combreas (Oak music), Leila Sammou (6th), Yannick Mauvois (Oak PE) and Pascale Mauvois (5th). Guests participated fundraising events including the Wine Pull, Tombola, silent auction and live auction taking home lots of goodies. 

Needham DBS 2017 Advertising Campaign - Ad 2

Needham DBS 2017 Marketing Campaign - Ad 1