OMNNI Associates & Westwood Professional Services Join Forces To Provide Expanded Capabilities

Published in Midwest Flyer – April/May 2020 issue

In July of 2019, OMNNI Associates (omnni.com) was acquired by Minneapolis-based, Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (westwoodps.com), a multi-disciplined surveying and engineering firm. Westwood provides services to both private and public sector clients for land development, infrastructure and renewable energy projects.

As an actively growing company, Westwood was searching for the best company to help diversify its portfolio of services by expanding the public infrastructure market in the Midwest and beyond. OMNNI Associates (Appleton, Wisconsin), a provider of engineering, architecture and environmental services to public and private clients throughout Wisconsin, offered the right leadership, experience and culture.

     OMNNI Associates is currently in the process of transitioning to OMNNI Associates, a Westwood company. The transition is estimated to take one year, and during this time, the company will continue to operate in the same capacity as it has in the past. Changes will be taking place internally, but clients shouldn’t notice any obvious changes to the way business is conducted. What clients may notice, however, is that they have more services available to them.

    Jason McCarty, P.E., is Vice President of Westwood’s Land Division. He is responsible for implementing growth strategies in collaboration with the commercial, residential and public infrastructure leaders in Westwood’s north region. He anticipates OMNNI’s clients benefitting greatly from the expanded services and expertise the Westwood team will provide.

“Expansion of the public infrastructure market gives our clients more resources to tackle the challenges facing them, such as aging infrastructure and tight budgets,” says Jason McCarty, P.E., Vice President, Land Division. “OMNNI will now have the opportunity to call on experts companywide to fill their clients’ needs, including planners, landscape architects, electrical engineers, and water and wastewater engineers.”

Expanded Service Capabilities for Airport Clients

OMNNI provides planning, engineering and construction administration services to commercial and general aviation airports throughout Wisconsin. Projects range from the design of taxiways, runways and aprons, to parking lots, fuel farms, architectural facilities and real estate acquisition. For over 30 years, OMNNI has worked on hundreds of airport projects striving to meet the needs of growing communities, while maintaining the highest safety standards.

     Aaron Stewart, P.E., is program manager for all of OMNNI’s airport projects. With over 25 years of experience in airport design and construction, Stewart has received numerous aviation awards due to his design expertise and attention to detail.

     Aaron Stewart looks forward to the opportunity to offer additional services to his airport clients. One area that he believes may be of interest is “renewable energy.” The Westwood team has a large group of renewable energy experts who consult throughout the United States.

“Airports may be looking for cleaner and cheaper energy initiatives and solar energy may be a good choice for them,” says Stewart. “Working closely with our Westwood renewable energy team, we can provide our clients with the expertise to plan and design a system that will fit their facilities’ needs.”

      Another area of interest to airport managers may be the addition of land development services, notes Stewart. Westwood’s planners and landscape architects can help balance existing and future infrastructure demands against current economic conditions and development potential.

Expansion of the Existing Aviation Market

Currently, OMNNI’s engineers are working on 20 active airport projects throughout Wisconsin. Some featured projects include:

• Air Rescue Fire Fighting Facility, Appleton, Wisconsin. OMNNI has been the engineer-of-record at Appleton International Airport for over 20 years. Currently, OMNNI is working on a very unique project that includes the engineering and design of a new regional Air Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) facility, which will be operated by Fox Valley Technical College as part of their Public Safety Training Center. The facility will provide training for Midwest area airport firefighters and first responders on how to respond to airport ground emergencies. This training is required by the FAA for completion of the Part 139 training program.

The project includes design of the building and control center which consists of a 7,500-square-foot, pre-engineered metal frame building with a 1,650-square-foot second story mezzanine housing the fire control center and all mechanical systems. The design includes two truck bays, two classrooms, six overhead roll-up doors, water distribution for filling trucks, restrooms and storage areas.

Site design for the project includes a Specialized Aircraft Fire Trainer (SAFT), which is a mock-up Boeing 777, and a Spill Fire Trainer (SFT). The site has two steel airplane trainers (the Boeing 777 and a Cessna 172), an underground liquid propane fuel distribution system, a 20,000-square-foot maneuvering pad for fire trucks, a drive-on wet deck for simulating a fuel spill, the control building with classrooms and ARFF bays, and a small parking area.

Connecting the building to the SAFT area are 14 separate conduit connections for power, communications and controls, not including the standard sewer, water, power and data connections to the building. Two 30,000-gallon liquid propane tanks were installed with a pumping system and 4-inch welded steel distribution lines to the SAFT.

The airplane trainer includes a 152 x 18 ft. mock-up, Boeing 777 made out of ½-inch Corten steel and a mock-up Cesna fire trainer. The Boeing aircraft has areas where various cab, engine, and breakfire training scenerios can be simulated. Below the plane is the Spill Fire Trainer that consists of a controlled wet deck with steel grates located 1 inch below the water level. Propane distribution lines controlled by pneumatic valves disburse propane to the top of the water to simulate a fuel spill fire. The entire project used over one million pounds of steel to construct and is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2020.

• General Aviation Apron and Taxiways, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. OMNNI recently completed engineering and design services, including drainage improvements, for the reconstruction of the general aviation apron and taxiways at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport. The project reconstructed and upgraded a portion of the terminal apron and three taxiways, greatly enhancing the transportation facility for air travelers, airport tenants, and clientele. Construction affected 52 hangars, and access to a runway and fueling area. In order to maintain access, the project was split into three phases. Extensive communication with the tenants and fixed base operator was critical.

On January 30, 2020, OMNNI was honored with the 2019 Annual Award for “Excellence in Airport Construction” for the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport project by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics.

• U.S. Customs and Terminal Facility, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. OMNNI is currently providing engineering and design services for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility and terminal building at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport. The $ 4.8 million, 8,000-square-foot building includes dual facilities for airport administration, as well as a processing area for U.S. Customs. The facility will be able to process international flights for general aviation aircraft owned by local businesses and visiting tourists flying into the area to attend events, such as the Ryder Cup in September 2020.

Design includes a central lobby space that acts as a gateway to the county, connecting the departure airside vestibule and the landside vestibule. The lobby includes a passenger waiting area, laptop charging stations, a fireplace, and a skylight for natural lighting. Each entrance is protected by arched polycarbonate panel canopies.

In addition to OMNN’s existing aviation projects, Westwood’s Las Vegas and Phoenix offices provide services to airports. A sampling of projects include:

• The Las Vegas office team provided McCarran Airport with vehicle barrier systems at Terminal 1, multiple fueling areas and at areas around the perimeter security fencing.•The Phoenix office team is currently working as a subconsultant for survey services on the Sky Train project, which is an automated train that transports travelers between the rental car facility to the terminals.

• As projects arise in other office locations, OMNNI employees will have the opportunity to collaborate and provide their expertise on projects.

OMNNI and Westwood. Better Together.

As always, strong client relationships are very important to OMNNI. As part of the Westwood team, they continue to be committed to providing their clients with quality services, experienced project managers and innovative project solutions. In addition, the collaborative culture at Westwood benefits employees, as well as clients. Empowering employees allow them the opportunity to grow professionally and thrive in a team setting, which results in higher quality and innovative projects for their clients.

“I see only blue skies ahead for OMNNI, as the company continues its transition to OMNNI Associates, a Westwood company,” says McCarty. “Our clients can look forward to benefitting from strong project collaborations and expanded services, especially in the aviation market sector.”

For more information on OMNNI Associates, a Westwood company, contact Aaron Stewart at 800-571-6677 or email him at aaron.stewart@omnni.com. Also, visit the following websites: www.omnni.com and www.westwoodps.com.

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