Category: Firm News

G2 Consulting Group, a nationally recognized Troy, MI-based geotechnical, environmental and construction engineering services firm, is part of the construction team that earned two separate industry awards for the Downtown Fenton Streetscape and Road Reconstruction project.

Downtown Fenton retains much of its historical charm while offering modern shopping, dining and lifestyle experiences. The City was looking to improve portions of its streetscape and hired Champagne & Marx as general contractor and OHM Advisors as project engineer. G2 Consulting managed all aspects of geotechnical exploration during the design phase of the project and provided quality assurance materials testing during project construction. Eastlund Concrete Construction performed the site concrete work and Modern Concrete provided the concrete materials.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) SE Michigan branch named the project its “James F. Bliskey, P.E. Quality of Life Project of the Year” winner at its annual meeting. Also, the Michigan
Concrete Association recognized the team in its “Municipal Flatwork” category with an award during its annual meeting, as well.

In both cases the significant enhancements to the downtown area, including work on the water mains, sanitary and storm sewer, roadway pavement and sidewalks, now fully ADA compliant, were noted as exceptional. As a result, there is an improved quality of life for residents and visitors to Fenton. It’s hoped that the improvements will encourage more development in adjacent neighborhoods.

“At G2 Consulting Group, our mantra is Smart. Results. Fast.,” said Jim Berry, Project Manager. “These two awards are a nice tribute to the collaborative nature of the project and our ability to help the City of Fenton continue to enhance its vibrant downtown area.”

Berry noted that G2 Consulting has been involved in several urban redevelopment projects for local municipal clients including the cities of Birmingham, Auburn Hills and Southfield.

Congratulations to Magna Seating of America, Inc. and Cunningham-Limp on the recent opening of Magna’s new headquarters in Novi, MI.

G2 Consulting Group was proud to perform the geotechnical investigation and provide special inspections/materials testing for the new $48 million, 180,000 square foot, three-story facility which will consolidate activities into a single facility to house engineering, research and development, and sales and marketing teams.

As with all Cunningham-Limp projects, I was impressed with the speed and short turn around time to deliver the new headquarters. Cunningham-Limp’s design build services and collaborative approach allows their design subconsultants to work seamlessly with them during the construction process to deliver an outstanding project.

The video below shows the construction process from dirt to delivery.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has named G2 Consulting Group, a nationally recognized Troy-based geotechnical, environmental and construction services firm, as one of its pre-approved engineering teams through a two-year “as-needed” indefinite services contract for state-wide projects.

“Year in and year out, MDOT tackles many of the largest and most complex engineering projects imaginable,” said Mark Smolinski, one of the G2 Consulting principals.  “So, we take our opportunities to work alongside MDOT very seriously and believe that earning our second consecutive state-wide contract is a reflection of the results we deliver.”

G2’s recent efforts with MDOT include the M-20 replacement bridge over the Tittabawassee River in Midland. “The M-20 bridge carries a heavy load of daily traffic over a river and a former rail line converted into a nature trail.  In order to maintain traffic as long as possible, numerous foundation types were evaluated that would allow partial construction of foundations before traffic closures were required. G2’s role relates to understanding those geotechnical and environmental factors in support of the bridge construction plan,” said Dave Wanlass, G2’s project manager.

In the recent past, G2 has partnered with MDOT on many notable projects including; I-75/University interchange, I-94/I-69 interchange in St. Claire County, I-94/Cadillac bridge and the I-96 Reconstruction to name just a few.

Road reconstruction and infrastructure improvements continue to be a top priority for Michigan state officials.  In addition to providing a more efficient and safer transportation network, the state sees economic opportunities in growing Michigan’s role as a logistics center.

“We have the know-how and capability to bring added value to road design and construction,” said Smolinski.  “With all the infrastructure work being done in Michigan these days, our goal is always to deliver on our promise of Smart. Results. Fast.  This new contract will hopefully bring even more opportunities to do just that.”

G2 is licensed to work in over 35 states and has completed thousands of public and private projects, including commercial, industrial, transportation, telecommunications and civil infrastructure developments over its two decades in business.

Chicagoland has provided its telecommunication clients regulatory compliance services for over 15 years. Over the past several years, G2 Consulting has seen increased opportunities in the small cell sector of the telecommunications market as carriers attempt to keep up with the need for increased network capacity brought on by consumers’ ever-increasing demand for data on their mobile devices.

This is a dynamic area of the telecommunications business given that the deployment of small cell networks is a relatively recent development and we do anticipate carriers devoting more of their resources to expanding their small cell networks going forward. Further, the regulatory framework (National Environmental Policy Act) in place for years to address new cell tower development must also be applied to the small cells and it isn’t always a perfect fit. To that end, we have seen the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) working to streamline the regulatory process to fit the generally lower-impact of small cells with respect to NEPA concerns. G2 is currently working with our clients and awaiting interpretations from the carrier’s legal and regulatory departments to address the most recent attempts to streamline the regulatory process offered for small cell facilities as put forth by the FCC in August.

READ:   Wireless Telecommunications Bureau  Announces Execution of First Amendment to the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for the Collocation of Wireless Antennas

G2 always stays in front of new developments in the small cell sector. To that end, we are looking forward to attending the upcoming Above Ground Level conference in Chicago on October 4^th.  We hope to hear thoughts from the speakers as to where this sector is headed, as well as, their perceptions with respect to the recent regulatory changes and how the industry may incorporate these changes. G2 is always interested in bringing back information we can provide to our clients so they can make well-informed decisions on their projects.

READ: Above Ground Media Group Conference – Chicago IL

For the second year in a row, Troy (MI)-based G2 Consulting Group has been named one of the Top 100 “Hot Firms” in the architecture, engineering and construction services industry based on the percentage and actual dollars of revenue growth over a three year period.

G2 Consulting, a national leader in geotechnical, environmental and construction services, created business growth of 31, 20 and 50 percent respectively from 2012 to 2014 and added 21 percent growth in 2015 to earn its second straight award. The company completed more than 2,500 projects in 2015 and added 40 employees swelling its ranks to 76 employees in its Troy, Chicago and Ann Arbor offices.

While G2’s headquarters is in Michigan, and much of its work is completed in the state and throughout the metropolitan Detroit area, the company worked in more than 30 states on projects including highway, road and bridge construction, schools, stadiums, telecomm, healthcare, commercial buildings, renewable energy projects and more. Of note, in 2015, G2 earned the Outstanding Civil Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers Michigan section for its role in the massive $150 million I-96 reconstruction project.

“If you know what you’re doing and consistently deliver quality work on time and on budget to your customers, it’s a great time to be in the construction business,” said G2 principal Mark Smolinski. “Those are obviously big ‘ifs’ but with our 22 years of experience in the business we know how to deliver on our promise of ‘Smart. Results. Fast.’ and that delivery has earned a lot of repeat and referral business that enabled us to win the Zweig Hot Firm award again.”

Zweig is a leading research, publishing and consulting group for the architecture, engineering and planning industry. The Hot Firms award measures company results out of an industry of 100,000 companies.

“Being in the top 100 of 100,000 peer firms is an exciting mark for G2,” says Smolinski. “Doing it two years in a row is twice as good. Now we’re looking for the Triple Crown!”

Congratulations to HARMAN and Cunningham-Limp on the recent opening of HARMAN’s new North American Automotive Headquarters in Novi, MI.

The 188,000-square-foot building, which opened in January 2016, will accommodate 1,000 employees focusing on engineering and development of advanced technology solutions for the connected car, automotive audio, and cloud services.  HARMAN supplies advanced infotainment and audio products to the world’s automakers.  It has a workforce of approximately 16,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

As with all Cunningham-Limp projects, I was impressed with the speed and short turn around time to deliver the new HARMAN Headquarters. Cunningham-Limp’s design build services and collaborative approach allows their design subconsultants to work seamlessly with them during the construction process to deliver an outstanding project.

Design and reconstruction of the I-75/University Drive interchange in Oakland County is well underway, scheduled to be completed by year-end with restoration work planned for early 2016.

The interchange features Michigan’s first “diverging diamond” interchange, a relatively new design technology in the U.S. but used extensively throughout Europe. Click here to read more about the diverging diamond design.

G2 Consulting Group provided geotechnical design services for bridge pile foundations, MSE abutments, roadway embankments, sign and signal foundations, and peat excavation as part of the Dan’s Excavating/Bergmann Associates Design-Build Team.

Click on the video below to learn more and watch construction activities.