2024 Charles Durham Achievement Award Winner

Staff Terry Atkins

The American Council of Engineering Companies Nebraska (ACEC NE) proudly announces Lamp Rynearson’s Chief Operating Officer, Terry Atkins, P.E. as the recipient of the 2024 Charles Durham Achievement Award. This esteemed honor is bestowed annually upon an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the engineering practice. Terry draws inspiration from a genuine passion for engineering that significantly influences every aspect of his professional life. His dedication goes beyond personal success, as he strives to contribute to the growth and progress of the engineering community. Hoping to ensure a promising future for the field Terry consistently strives to bring not just a strong technical skillset, but a genuine passion about creating positive change and the cultivation of a lasting legacy. His philosophy centers around leading by example, embracing principles that drive progress, and inspiring others to follow suit. 

Terry is deeply committed to fostering excellence by actively engaging in mentoring and guiding emerging talents, sharing the values of innovation and dedication that he has come to appreciate. He strongly advocates for the involvement of young people in the engineering community, recognizing the crucial importance of nurturing the next generation of brilliant minds.

Atkins has been a driving force behind transformative multi-million-dollar projects in the City of Omaha, including the Omaha Riverfront Redevelopment and Convention Center, Heartwood Preserve, Aksarben Village, and Crossroads Redevelopment. Striving for visionary leadership and strategic insights, he has played a pivotal role in steering these projects to success, contributing significantly to the city’s growth. Through dedication and expertise, Terry aims to leave a lasting impact on Omaha’s vibrant community.

Untitled (480 X 550 Px)

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.

Skip to content