17 Olsson Employees Earn Professional Certifications

LINCOLN, Nebraska (Aug. 14, 2019) – Seventeen people from Olsson recently passed standard required exams and earned professional certifications in their chosen fields.

The group includes 13 who are professional engineers (PE), two who are registered landscape architects (RLA), a professional geologist, and a professional traffic operations engineer (PTOE).

The professional engineers completed four years of professional experience under a licensed professional engineer and passed the PE exam. The Olsson employees who were recently promoted to PE are:

Anthony Krejci, member of Olsson’s Omaha General Civil team, works on design, sanitary and improvement district (SID) and municipal projects. He joined the firm as an intern in April 2014, and later that year graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He is a native of Omaha.

Austin Mayes is a member of the Oklahoma General Civil team. He joined the firm in 2012, and leads private land development projects, where he is responsible for land planning, entitlement and engineering duties. The Beggs, Oklahoma, native graduated from Oklahoma State in 2012.

Brian Friedrichsen, who is part of the Greater Nebraska General Civil team, earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He joined Olsson in 2013 and is responsible for project management and putting together cost estimates for projects. Friedrichsen is from Palmer, Nebraska.

Caroline Short is a member of the Oklahoma Road/Bridge team. She joined Olsson in 2015 following her graduation from Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s degree in biosystems engineering. She helps Olsson’s transportation teams analyze and design drainage structures and erosion control solutions. The native of Dallas, Texas also specializes in National Environmental Policy Act compliance and documentation for transportation projects. 

Joe Svoboda, member of the Sarpy Field Operations team, graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2014, and joined Olsson soon after. He coordinates the collection of soils then analyzes them to develop geotechnical design recommendations for earthwork and foundation construction. Svoboda is a native of Omaha.

Kara Kosiski, member of Nebraska Traffic/Technology team, joined Olsson as a student intern in 2013, and moved to a full-time position a year later once she had earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Kosiski is from Omaha.

Philip Niewohner, member of the Omaha General Civil team, joined the firm in 2013, and manages entitlements, design and construction administration for a major data center client. He earned degrees in business administration and civil engineering from the University of Nebraska Omaha and is from Albion, Nebraska.

Randy Forsander, member of the Oklahoma Road/Bridge team, assists with the design of horizontal and vertical alignments and building 3D models for his projects. A native of Tulsa, Forsander graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

Ricky Haase, member of the Springfield General Civil team, joined the firm in 2015, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in civil engineering. At Olsson, Haase creates proposals for potential projects, manages a wide range of projects and assists in the design process. He is from Waldo, Wisconsin.

Steve Jensen, member of the Lincoln Field Operations team, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2008, with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. At Olsson, Jensen conducts, evaluates and prepares geotechnical investigations and provides assistance during construction. He is a native of Crescent, Iowa.

Taylor McHenry, member of the Kansas City Traffic/Technology team, joined Olsson as a student intern in 2013, and moved to a full-time position after he graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He creates traffic signal timing plans and performs traffic impact analysis studies. He also designs traffic signals, signing, pavement markings and traffic control plans for clients. He is from Shawnee, Kansas.

Will Lubberden, member of the firm’s Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing team, is a recent graduate of Iowa State with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He joined the firm in January, and works in the Des Moines office within the industrial group, where he models 3D piping systems, performs pipe stress analysis and reviews P&DIM drawings. His hometown is Pella, Iowa.

Seth Barkhimer, member of the Oklahoma General Civil team, joined Olsson as a student intern in 2014, and started working full-time a year later following his graduation from Oklahoma State. He designs and manages general civil projects based out of Olsson’s Oklahoma City office. He is from New Lima, Oklahoma.

In addition, Olsson had four employees earn professional status in their chosen fields. They are:

Chris Holmquist is now a certified RLA. He’s a member of the Kansas City Northland General Civil team, joined Olsson in 2016, after graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. He designs private development projects by working with engineers and city staff to gain governmental approval. Holmquist is a native of Brookings, South Dakota.

Jacob Brouillette is a certified RLA and a member of the Kansas City Northland General Civil team. He works on subdivisions, commercial and industrial projects that involve site design and overall master planning spaces and communities. The native of Des Moines, Iowa, joined Olsson in 2017, a year after he graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture.

Olsson’s newest professional geologist is Nicolas Anderson, a member of the Nebraska Environmental team. Anderson conducts field work for Olsson, including soil, soil vapor and groundwater sampling. The Yutan, Nebraska, native is a 2013 graduate of Northwest Missouri State and has bachelor’s degrees in environmental geology and geography.

John Diediker is now a PTOE and is a member of Olsson’s Nebraska Traffic/Technology team. Diediker joined Olsson as a student intern in 2011, and moved to fulltime status in 2013 following his graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He designs traffic control plans, intelligent traffic systems and traffic impact studies. He is from Dakota City, Nebraska.

Olsson is a nationally recognized engineering firm made up of people who craft expert solutions and designs that improve communities. The firm offers design and consulting services in planning and design, engineering, field services, environmental and technology. For more information, go to www.olsson.com.