John Oliver Smith Leads Our Maryland Office
2 weeks ago · 3 minute read
At engineering conferences in Miami, Columbus, and Ocean City, MD, John Oliver Smith has done something unusual. Standing before rooms filled with seasoned engineers, he has opened his iPhone and demonstrated a beta AI assistant built around his own decades of engineering experience. Live. In real time. He shows how field lessons, corrosion studies, pump […]
BAI Group Wins Sustainability Award
3 weeks ago · < 1 minute read
We are honored to share that BAI Group has received the ASCE Pittsburgh Section Sustainability Award for our solar project at Cornell School District. We’re proud to help advance sustainable infrastructure that benefits students, communities, and the environment. Awardees will be honored at the 2026 Engineers’ Week Awards Banquet on February 28 at the Engineers’ Society of […]
Battery Resiliency: Building Smarter, More Reliable Energy Systems
1 month ago · 2 minute read
As energy costs rise and grid constraints become more common, battery energy storage is emerging as one of the most practical tools organizations can use to improve resilience, efficiency, and cost control. From municipalities and transit agencies to schools, utilities, and private businesses, batteries are no longer just an add-on to solar power — they […]
Top 11 Signals Inside and Outside Civil Engineering That Matter
1 month ago · 2 minute read
This is a rare moment where the needs of aging infrastructure align with the strengths of a rising generation. Engineers today are comfortable blending decades, tools, and ways of working. As legacy systems reach critical renewal points, Gen Z and younger professionals bring a “decades mashup” mindset, combining digital tools with hands-on fieldwork, valuing craft […]
Meet Sue Fox, the Backbone of BAI Group
1 month ago · 2 minute read
As BAI Group celebrates 40 years of service, we are taking time to recognize the people behind the projects. This includes the administrative staff, engineers, technicians, and specialists who keep everything moving. Throughout this anniversary year, we will be sharing stories from across our team to highlight those whose dedication allows BAI’s complex engineering, environmental, […]
Jim Echard and BAI’s 4.0 Moment
2 months ago · 5 minute read
Progress, Jim Echard believes, comes from knowing when the pieces are ready. At dawn in central Pennsylvania, the ridge lines around the area hold a steadiness that predates modern industry. Change arrives slowly here, shaped by work, weather, and patience. Jim grew up in Lewistown, watching his father leave each morning for Standard Steel. He learned early that engineering was […]
Hamilton Square Shopping Center Goes Solar
2 months ago · 3 minute read
When one of the oldest shopping centers in State College, Pennsylvania, if not the region, goes solar, it’s more than an infrastructure upgrade; it’s a sign that clean energy has become an opportunity in everyday business decisions, right here in our own community. “Hamilton Square, originally called University Park Plaza, was built in 1956 on […]
Standard Steel: Built to Last
2 months ago · 2 minute read
Jim Echard, P.E., President, BAI Group Some places shape you long before you realize it. I live in the same small Pennsylvania town where Standard Steel was founded generations ago. Long before I became an engineer, or President of BAI Group, Standard Steel was simply part of the landscape. The sound of industry, the rhythm of shift […]
Meet Karen Finlan, The Steady Hand Behind Our Environmental Work
3 months ago · 2 minute read
Cornell’s Solar Moment: A Reflection
4 months ago · 4 minute read
Sel Edor, General Manager of Renewables The Cornell School District’s transition to becoming the first 100% solar-powered school district in Allegheny County was one of the most meaningful moments of our year. Most of that credit belongs to a small, determined school community that approached a necessary infrastructure upgrade with clarity, patience, and long-term thinking. […]