VAA News

Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska is hosting the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship for the first time. With a long tradition of hosting major championships, Hazeltine was a natural choice for the tournament, which focuses on empowering women on and off the golf course. Almost 10 years ago, VAA provided civil and structural engineering services […]

Ten employees recently volunteered with Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) to build a home in North Minneapolis. The group helped construct the house’s front porch roof, sanded and painted interior walls and trim, stained spindles and installed blinds throughout the home. By the end of the day, the house was nearly move-in ready for a family. […]

Gary Nagel, PE, P.Eng, recently celebrated his 35th year at VAA. The Sr. Associate / Sr. Structural Engineer is the longest tenured employee currently working at the firm, and he’s well-known among co-workers and clients for his commitment to quality work and collaboration. Gary is an invaluable asset to the VAA team, bringing a wealth of […]

For the third year in a row, VAA employees raised funds and participated with their canine companions in the Walk for Animals, the nation’s largest human / animal walk fundraising event. Thousands of people, pets and other four-legged friends took part in this Animal Humane Society fundraising event to help support animals in need in our […]

THREE CONSIDERATIONS FOR INSTALLING A GROUND PILE Increasing crop yields per acre, inconclusive trade talks and low commodity prices slow the movement of corn and grain, leaving elevator owners to consider how best to add storage capacity while minimizing costs and protecting their product. Installing a temporary storage system (commonly known as a ground pile) […]

On May 18-19, the inaugural event allows the public free, behind-the-scenes access to 115 buildings in Minneapolis that are architecturally, culturally or socially significant. In a podcast, VAA’s Jeff Schrock, Paul Murphy and Bridget Reynolds of Dunwoody College of Technology discuss workforce development in the A/E/C industry and how agribusiness influenced Minneapolis’ history. Use Spotify, iTunes or LibSyn (Doors Open Minneapolis) […]

DESIGNING BUILDINGS FOR SNOW LOADS Looking out a window after a heavy snowfall, it’s easy to find beauty in a freshly covered landscape – frosted trees in a peaceful blanket of white. Driving across the plains of Minnesota after a snowfall, it’s easy to see the power of nature partially burying fences and roadways as […]

For 27 VAA employees, lunch was spent learning life-saving CPR / AED techniques. Saving a life can happen any place, any time at any age. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills more than 350,000 Americans every year and the national survival rate is less than 10 percent. Did you know SCA is not the same as […]

Since Human Resources (HR) Manager Mary Pettit, PHR, SHRM-CP, joined VAA five years ago, the number of employees increased by 65 percent and the firm’s uptick in HR initiatives have made it an even better place to work. Mary retired in mid-March after building upon the HR structure and policies in place by her predecessor. […]

WHAT IS A DHA? A Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) is a systematic review to identify and evaluate potential fire, flash fire, or explosion hazards associated with the presence of one or more combustible dusts and combustible particulate solids in a process facility. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) now requires DHAs to be performed on […]