News
Recent News Articles
Sioux City Clients Gather at the Orpheum
On October 18, many of our Sioux City partners joined us at the Orpheum Theatre for a Client Appreciation Social. Check out photos of the event below!
Rapid City Hosts Client Social
Our Rapid City team welcomed partners from throughout the Black Hills to a Client Appreciation Social on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Hay Camp Brewing Company. Guests enjoyed craft brews from the popular downtown spot, as well as food from local favorite, Angel's Catering....
West Plains Serves at The Banquet
The Sioux Falls office was up before the sun on Oct. 17 to serve breakfast at The Banquet, a meal ministry where all meals are paid for, prepared by and served by community volunteer groups. WPE joined partners from Koch Hazard, Sayre Associates and SEA to...
Lone Tree Wellness Center Earns Regional Awards
The Lone Tree Wellness Center, a new 20,000 square foot community wellness facility in Lone Tree, IA, was recently selected for two notable design awards. On Sept. 20, the project earned an AIA-Iowa Excellence in Design Merit award at the...
SDSU Student Wellness Center Re-Opens
Our team was honored to attend the official ribbon cutting and grand re-opening of the South Dakota State University Student Wellness Center on Friday, Oct. 12 in Brookings, S.D. The 36,900 square foot addition was designed by Stone Group Architects out of Sioux...
Sioux Falls Holds Client Appreciation Lunch
Our Sioux Falls office held their second annual Client Appreciation Lunch on Friday, Sept. 28. More than 100 guests joined us for food, beverages and face time on a chilly fall afternoon (high temperatures were only in the 50s!) Thank you to everyone who made it out....
NEW Strategic Direction Report: Healthcare
Complete the form to download the full FREE white paper on MEP engineering for the Healthcare Industry. Patient-Centered Design Considerations for Healthcare (September 2018) From surgeons to security guards, anyone involved in a healthcare setting is focused on one...
West Plains Holds Annual Design Conference
Each year, our team gets together for a three-day summit to learn, grow, reflect and have a bit of fun. In September 2018, we converged on the Arrowwood Cedar Shores Resort and Conference Center in Oacoma, SD. In addition to internal education on current trends in...
State Veteran’s Home Earns LEED Silver Status
We're proud to share that the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veteran's Home has officially received LEED Silver status from the United States Green Building Council. The 145,000 square foot facility opened to residents in the fall of 2016 in Hot Springs, S.D. and...
Huntley Promoted to Casper Office Manager
West Plains Engineering is pleased to announce John Huntley, P.E., a Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager from Rapid City, S.D., has been promoted to Office Manager in our Casper, W.Y. office. Huntley joined West Plains Engineering in 2009 after a nearly 15-year...
Sanford Announces Great Shots Project
Sanford Health announced Wednesday, June 7 that it is bringing a new 54,000 square foot golf and entertainment center to Sioux Falls. West Plains Engineering is providing mechanical and electrical engineering design for the new "Great Shots" facility, which is slated...
Plains Talk March/April 2018
We don’t know if it’s the time of year, our recent backlog of recreation projects, or that we’re just now realizing we completely failed at our New Year’s Resolutions– but this issue of Plains Talk we’re focused on wellness. Check it out! To view previous...
Cedar Rapids Office Transitions Leaders
West Plains Engineering is pleased to announce a transition in leadership in our Cedar Rapids office. Beginning this Spring, Jeff Reinhart, P.E. will focus on leading our electrical engineering staff, while we welcome Mike Drahos, P.E. as the new office manager. Jeff...
Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
In honor of "Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day" (Thursday, Feb. 22), we picked the brain of our own awesome girl engineer - Sara Norstrom! Check out her Q&A below. When did you decide to become an engineer? I decided to become an engineer during my...
Emerson Building Moves Forward
Check out this article from the Marion Independent School Foundation & Alumni Association on updates we're working on for the district's Emerson Building.
Plains Talk Newsletter
The Plains Talk Newsletter is a publication of West Plains Engineering highlighting our projects, challenges and, most importantly, solutions.
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2024
- September/October – MEP Impact on the IIJA
- Transportation Take Off: Sioux Falls Regional Airport Expansion
- The MEP Factor: Bringing IIJA Infrastructure to Life
- Exploring New Waters: Lewis & Clark Regional Water System
- Infrastructure Integration: Alliance Solar Farm Transmission Line
- July/August – Designing for the Next Generation
- Review Before Renovations: White River School District
- Student-Centered MEP Design Approach
- Combatting Crowded Classrooms: Tri-Valley Elementary & High School
- Making Good Bones Great: Lisbon High School
- May/June – Factories of the Future
- Backyard Building – Maven Outdoor Equipment Company
- Post-Pandemic Manufacturing Growth
- Manufacturing Modern Tech: BAE Systems
- Small Business Boom: Scherer, Inc.
- March/April – Hats Off to Higher Education
- Beyond Books: SD Mines Devereaux Library Modernization
- Putting Design on the Docket: USD Knudson School of Law Upgrades
- Upping Their Game: SDSU Stanley J. Marshall Center Improvements
- January/February – 40th Anniversary
- WPE 40th Anniversary Announcement
- A Message from WPE President, Marty Christensen
- Daren Beckloff, P.E. Promoted to Engineering & Operations Director
2023
- November/December
- 2023 in Review
- September/October
- Preserving the Past: MEP Design for Historic Renovations
- Doubling Down on Deadwood: Historic Franklin Hotel Renovations
- Repurpose with a Purpose: Colonial Building Affordable Housing Conversion
- Governing Through the Ages: Weston County Courthouse Repairs & Renovations
- July/August
- MEP Underground: Campus Steam Tunnel Design
- Campus Growth 101: SD Mines Utility Infrastructure Study & Upgrades
- Chilling with the Jacks: SDSU SW Quadrant Utility Repairs & Extensions
- Powering Progress: Northwest College Medium Voltage Upgrades
- May/June
- Specialty Medical Design: How MEP Impacts Procedures
- Environments For Imaging: Black Hills & Sioux Falls VA Health Care Systems MRI Site Preparation
- Filling the Gap: Casper Medical Imaging Expansion
- Understanding the Nuances of Care: Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital
- March/April
- Building Management Made Better: The Benefits of BAS
- Intelligent Automation: Thinking Outside the BAS Box
- Control & Monitoring Standards: USP Requirements of Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
- January/February
- Beyond Bars & Fences: Design For Secure Prison Spaces
- Keeping Up With the Times: Mike Durfee State Prison Barracks HVAC Upgrades
- Cross-Functional Corrections: South Dakota State Women’s Prison
- Safety First: 6th Judicial District Facility Improvements
2022
- November/December
- A Letter from Doug Feterl, P.E. – WPE President
- Looking Back at 2022 By the Numbers
- September/October
- Strategic Direction Report: Electric Vehicle Charger Design Considerations
- The Federal Response: EV & the Existing Transportation Infrastructure
- The Adoption Trend: EV Stations & Existing Fueling Sites
- July/August
- Strategic Direction Report: The Serious Work of Student Safety
- Stronger Together: Russell-Tyler-Ruthton School & Fieldhouse
- Getting Ahead of the Curve: Chamberlaid CSD Elementary & HS Gym
- Finding Space: Cotter Elementary Addition & Renovation
- May/June
- Strategic Direction Report: Finding Non-Linear Approaches to Design Delivery
- Working Backward Underground: SDSTA 3650 Pump Room Rehab
- Parallel Procurement: Bringing On Sub-Constractors Prior to Design Completion
- March/April
- Strategic Direction Report: Geothermal/Water Source Heat Pump Systems
- Military Mechanical Sustainability: South Dakota Army National Guard
- What’s Remotely Possible: Sutton Bay Golf Course & Resort
- Thinking Long Term: Geothermal Systems for Schools
- January/February
- Strategic Direction Report: Putting the IQ in IDIQ
- Prime Opportunity with a World-Renowned Client: SDSTA
- As-Needed for Any Need: UIHC
- On-Call MEP for M&R: South Dakota State University