2023 Charles Durham Achievement Award

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The American Council of Engineering Companies Nebraska (ACEC NE) announced that Doug Alvine, PE, LEED AP, President of Alvine and Associates, is the recipient of the 2023 Charles Durham Achievement Award.

The ACEC NE honors one recipient a year who, through leadership and advisory roles, has made major contributions to the consulting engineering practice. The award is a tribute to the pioneering spirit of Charles Durham, whose vision paved the way for holistic building design that keeps the community and environment at the foremost of importance. Additionally, the award recognizes leaders who foster collaboration and innovation that leave a lasting impact on the future of the built environment.

Doug Alvine’s 36-year career as an electrical engineer has been monumental in shaping the landscape of America. He is a former National Director of ACEC and served as President of ACEC’s Nebraska Chapter. Doug is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society and the Architectural Engineering Institute’s Advisory Committee. In addition to serving the industry with multiple advisory positions, Doug has been influential in shaping engineering education. Doug has held a lengthy tenure with the University of Nebraska—Lincoln’s (UNL’s) Architectural Engineering Advisory Council and is currently a chairman of the Durham School Advisory Board. He is a former adjunct professor with UNL’s College of Engineering and developed the Raymond G. Alvine Memorial Scholarship fund that brings underserved students opportunities in the engineering field. The fund has awarded more than 30 scholarships with grants totaling over $300,000.

Doug is the son of the firm’s founder, Raymond G. Alvine, who was recently inducted posthumously into the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) Hall of Fame.

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Aaron Buettner

State Director

Aaron Buettner, PE, CVS leads Benesch’s Nebraska structural group, bringing more than 27 years of experience in structural engineering, project management and value engineering to every project he touches. His work spans highway, railroad and pedestrian bridges, and he has delivered public and private projects across the country involving a wide variety of materials and structure types.

Aaron’s technical depth covers the full project lifecycle, from structural design and in-service inspection to forensic evaluation and construction administration. He is proficient in multiple structural design and analysis software platforms and has a keen understanding of load paths and constructability. As a Certified Value Specialist (CVS), Aaron’s Value Engineering work has generated tens of millions of dollars in potential construction cost avoidance for clients ranging from state DOTs to transit agencies.

Notable projects include the Lincoln South Beltway, where his team designed 10 of 21 bridges on the freeway corridor; the N-12 Emergency Bridge Repairs in northeast Nebraska, where biddable plans for three flood-damaged structures were delivered in just three weeks; and the Penny Bridges Replacement in Lincoln, where value planning produced a context-sensitive solution that earned broad community support.

Aaron also serves as a Structures Specialist on Nebraska Task Force 1 (NE-TF1), which is one of 28 FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) teams located throughout the United States. In this role, he supports the search and rescue mission by assessing damaged structures, recommending structural hazard mitigation within those structures, and monitoring the structure for condition changes during rescue and victim recovery operations. During his tenure with NE-TF1, he has deployed ​on numerous missions within the state of Nebraska and around the nation to assist communities that have been impacted by emergencies or disasters.

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