President’s Corner: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

This year, Affinis turns 21, and in commemoration, we’re launching a year-long campaign that celebrates our clients, co-workers, and colleagues. But, before we begin celebrating our 21st Birthday with you, we wanted to take a look back at 2021. We’re proud of what we accomplished and know we couldn’t have done it without the continued support that comes from each of you.

Today, we’d like to share a few highlights of the last year. In 2021, we welcomed seven new co-workers, improved infrastructure in the area, and moved communities forward. In this post, you’ll find our technical advancements, awards received, projects completed, and details explaining how we gave back.

Growing with Technology
In 2021, our growing team was able to expand their technical capabilities, implementing a number of tools to improve results for clients. Last year, we used a 360-degree camera for inlet/RCB documentation, and we conducted hydraulic/hydrologic analysis with PCSWMM software. Our survey team also used a robotic boat for bathymetric surveys.

Award Winning Solutions
Four Affinis clients received awards for recent improvements. The City of Overland Park, Kansas; the City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; the City of Edgerton, Kansas; and the City of Merriam, Kansas have all been recognized for our work together. You can learn more about each of the winning projects and the awards they received here.

Moving Communities Forward
Our co-workers were hard at work last year, improving infrastructure for several communities. We completed a wide variety of projects and selected just a few to spotlight here. Some were constructed last year, while others are set to finish in 2022.

• We completed design on the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport Relief Well Project. Construction is currently underway on this large-scale effort and is expected to wrap up this spring.
• We partnered with the City of Olathe, Kansas on several projects. Design was completed for Lindenwood and Brougham, and construction will be completed in 2022. We also worked with the city to redesign the intersection at 159th Street and Blackbob. The completed project improves traffic flow and safety and increases capacity for the corridor.
• The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is a long-time client of ours. Last year, we completed design on their K-10 Bridge Repair project near De Soto, Kansas. Construction is currently underway on this effort. Additionally, we added high-mast lighting in Wyandotte County, as part of another effort.
• If you follow us on Instagram, you may have noticed the updates from our construction engineering group. Throughout the year, they highlighted their work on the City of Overland Park, Kansas’s 167th Street Bridges Over Coffee Creek project and the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s NW Prairieview, South of NW 64th Street and N. Brighton Avenue projects.
• In 2021, we completed design of the CID/ARM pump station modifications related to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Levee Raise project.
• Working with the City of Independence, Missouri, we designed the US-40 Highway Complete Streets project, which is now under construction.
• Our survey team was on site in Barton County conducting surveys for KDOT. They also helped with an emergency rail line repair in Missouri.
• Our traffic team designed new traffic signals in Fort Scott and Topeka.

Servant Leadership
For 2021, we challenged co-workers to achieve 20 hours of community service. The service could from time and talent or donations. Together, we contributed over 242 hours and donated $1,920 to the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb, 26 backpacks to reStart, and $1,360 to Harvesters. In addition, we had $4,790 of other charitable donations for which we also put efforts forth.

Every year, Affinis co-workers are encouraged to have professional development, training, or anything else that enhances their capabilities. In 2021, we completed a total of 617.5 development hours as a firm.

What’s Next
While we enjoyed looking back, we’re also excited to share our plans for what’s ahead. To celebrate our firm’s 21st Birthday, we’ll be releasing blog posts, launching videos, hosting events, and sharing social media content throughout the year. We have a few surprises planned that we’ll be unveiling throughout 2022 on our website and social media channels.