At Maurer-Stutz, Inc. (MSI), we believe in the power of community and the importance of lending a helping hand wherever possible. Recently, our team once again joined forces at the Midwest Food Bank in Peoria to make a tangible impact on the lives of those in need.

Packing Hope in Every Box

In early May, one group of employees rolled up their sleeves and dedicated their time to packing 280 food boxes, equating to 10 pallets filled to the brim with essential supplies. These boxes are destined to reach over 1000 individuals in Kentucky, providing much-needed nourishment to families and children facing food insecurity. It’s crucial to note that the poverty rate where these boxes are headed is ranked as one of the highest in the United States.

Commitment to Community

At MSI, we take immense pride in our commitment to supporting our community and those who may be experiencing hardship. Volunteering at the Midwest Food Bank is just one of the many ways we strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Our team’s dedication goes beyond a single day of volunteering. Over the past few months, we’ve volunteered twice at the Food Bank, with two groups of employees graciously contributing their time. We eagerly anticipate returning to the Food Bank to volunteer alongside more employees in the coming months.

Stay tuned for more updates and photos from our volunteer efforts at the Midwest Food Bank, as we remain steadfast in our commitment to serving others and building a brighter, more compassionate world.

February 19th kicked off the start of National Engineers Week with a day full of events and fun at the Peoria Riverfront Museum for Engineers Day! Engineering activities such as Tech Talks, demonstrations, and a scavenger hunt all took place throughout the museum and were conducted by local engineering groups. Free admission to the museum was sponsored by Maurer-Stutz, Inc., various local engineering companies, engineering societies including ASCE and American Society of Materials, and Caterpillar. As a bonus this year, the Caterpillar Visitor Center located next door to the museum was also open and offered free admission as well. A total of 1,988 people visited Engineers Day on Sunday, one of the highest attendance records at the museum.

MSI’s very own Keith Plavec and Curtis Lynn helped organize and oversee the 31st Annual ASCE Index Card Bridge Contest. Logan Donley, a current Bradley student, also assisted with the bridge competition and will be one of MSI’s summer interns. The competition included twenty-five teams from eight different schools and Keith served as the event emcee. Additionally, engineering firms, engineering and science societies, science related industries, and local code and robotics groups hosted interactive engineering activities throughout the upper and lower levels of the museum. Gayle Baker from Maurer-Stutz hosted a booth that explored buoyancy. Participants were able to build their own boat out of aluminum foil and test the structure and stability of their creation by placing coins in their boat and seeing how much weight the boat can carry before it sank.

It was a wonderful day kicking off the start of National Engineers Week and an excellent opportunity to visit both the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Caterpillar Visitor Center and allow children and families to explore and participate in a variety of hands-on activities centered around engineering!

Before joining our team in September 2019, Saad Binsefran was a student at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Construction Management andamp; Operations. During his senior year, he was working with the Saudi Students Association at SIUC to launch an initiative called 150 Minutes.

The purpose of this initiative is to raise college student’s awareness of the recommended physical activity guidelines to achieve a healthy lifestyle, i.e., adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week and should perform muscle-strengthening exercises on two or more days each week for 15 minutes. Additionally, this initiative aims to develop inclusive activities and exercises that are tailored to college students’ lifestyles to help them achieve their physical activity goals.

The initiative was launched as part of the Sports for All Challenge sponsored by the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA). 150 Minutes attracted more than 250 students from 15 universities and institutions in Saudi Arabia and the United States. At the final stages of the competition, Saad’s team was selected as one of the top three winning finalists and was invited to present their message at the competition finale in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saad travelled to Saudi Arabia to support his team by presenting with his colleagues and helping to spread their message to the community. The final presentations were held in Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia, on January 29th, 2020 where the SFA President Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud attended and judged the final presentations.

The 150 Minutes team came in second in the SFA Challenge winning a prize of 5000 US dollars. A few weeks later, Prince Khaled requested the 150 Minutes team to draft a proposal to start a nationwide program in Saudi Arabia sponsored by the SFA which will continue to deliver the initiative’s message and target more age groups such as children and seniors. Also, the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud contacted 150 Minutes team leader Mohammed Alobaidaa and complimented the idea of the initiative and arranged a meeting with the team in Washington, DC which had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Two weeks ago, the Saudi Students Association at SIUC ranked 4th among the best Saudi Students Clubs in the United States by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission which is a first-time accomplishment for the Association since 2007.

Supporting Material:

• DeAnna Price, the SIU track and field star who became the first woman to win gold in the hammer throw at the IAAF World Championships in 2019 in Qatar even got on board by filming a video promoting the initiative.andnbsp; https://youtu.be/WOUpqZU7ENk

• Saudi Students Association arranged an in-campus 5K as part of the initiative’s activities https://youtu.be/rFnNT2z9rXM

Maurer-Stutz, Inc. is a proud Gold Sponsor of the 2020 Illinois Association of Drainage Districts Annual Conference. The 2020 conference will be held January 16-17 in Bloomington, Illinois.

This years conference features breakout sessions on drainage considerations with the installation of farm productivity and water quality, climate change and water supply, bridges and roads permitting, using drones for the drainage district, and regulatory and engineer/attorney discussion panels.

This year, George Merkle will be presenting a session titled “Bridges, Roads and Drainage Districts: What You Need to Know…”.

The presentation will cover: type and size of a waterway structure, classification of the roadway, drainage area and funding all affect the process needed for the replacement or addition of a bridge or culvert.andnbsp; Projects can be divided into three phases: planning phase, design phase, and construction phase.andnbsp; Another phase could be labeled as inspection/maintenance.andnbsp; The discussion will include topics such as IDOT requirements, working with the Townships, County and IDOT, what is required during the different phases including required reports, clearances, Right-of-Way and permitting, IDOT general terminology and common inspection/maintenance requirements.

George Merkle is a Senior Project Engineer for Maurer-Stutz. He has extensive experience in a variety of projects including hydraulic engineering and hydrologic modeling, local and state roadway projects, Phase I structure development, permitting and drainage studies. Previous to his employment with Maurer-Stutz, George worked over 25 years with the Illinois Department of Transportation in District 4 – Peoria. During this time, he spent 12 years as the District Bridge and Hydraulics Engineer.

Maurer-Stutz, Inc. can provide drainage system design, NRCS wetland determination assistance, conservation and nutrient drainage practices design. Contact Gayle Baker, PE in the Agricultural Services Department.