Celebrating 10 Years of HCF

This month and year marks an exciting milestone for HCF…we’re celebrating 10 years in business.

When HCF was founded in 2016, the vision was simple: build a firm centered on technical excellence, strong relationships, and exceptional client service. From the very beginning, our founder, Daniel Hales, understood that great engineering is about more than design, it starts with listening, building trust, and developing lasting partnerships. His passion for connecting with people and cultivating relationships has been instrumental in shaping HCF into the company it is today.

Over the past decade, we’ve had the privilege of working on projects that improve communities, restore natural resources, strengthen critical infrastructure, and serve clients across the western United States. Every project has presented new opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate with incredible owners, contractors, architects, and industry partners.

Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without our outstanding team. Our employees bring dedication, expertise, and a genuine commitment to serving our clients every day. Their hard work and professionalism are the foundation of HCF’s success.

To our clients, teaming partners, and friends—thank you. Your trust, support, and collaboration over the past ten years have meant everything to us. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside you and look forward to continuing these relationships for many years to come.

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re also looking ahead. We remain committed to delivering thoughtful engineering solutions, embracing new challenges, and continuing to build a firm our clients and employees are proud to be part of.

Thank you for being part of our first 10 years. Here’s to the next decade.

Happy International Women in Engineering Day!

Building stronger communities starts with diverse perspectives. Today, we celebrate the women whose expertise, leadership, and hard work strengthen our industry.

We’re especially grateful for the women on our team who bring their knowledge, creativity, and passion to every project. Thank you for all that you do!

Happy International Women in Engineering Day! 💜🏗️

 

#INWED #WomenInEngineering #CivilEngineering #EngineeringExcellence #HCF #HCFEngineering #InternationalWomeninEngineeringDay #HCFCivilEngineering

A Big Move for the Forest Service and a Big Opportunity for the West

The U.S. Forest Service is relocating its headquarters to Salt Lake City, marking a significant shift in how federal land management agencies operate in the West. By moving leadership closer to the lands, communities, and infrastructure challenges they serve, this change has the potential to improve coordination, responsiveness, and long-term outcomes.

Why This Matters for Utah

Utah is uniquely positioned for this transition. Approximately 23 million acres—about 65% of the state—are federally managed. Of that, roughly 8 million acres are National Forest lands. These lands span an incredibly diverse landscape, from high alpine forests and mountain watersheds to arid deserts and rapidly growing communities.

This diversity brings both opportunity and complexity. Managing water resources, mitigating flood risk, supporting recreation, and protecting natural systems all require thoughtful, locally informed solutions. Having federal leadership based in Utah helps bring decision-making closer to these real-world conditions.

What This Means for Small Businesses

For small businesses that support federal agencies, this shift is more than symbolic; it represents real opportunity.

Closer proximity to leadership can lead to:

  • Stronger relationships with agency staff
  • More efficient communication and coordination
  • Increased visibility into upcoming projects and priorities
  • Faster, more informed decision-making

As the Forest Service transitions to a more state-focused model, we anticipate greater collaboration at the local and regional level, particularly in areas like watershed management, stormwater infrastructure, and resilient site design.

How HCF Can Support this Change

At HCF, we specialize in water resources, drainage, and resilient site design. Our experience supporting federal, state, and local agencies positions us to contribute meaningfully as this transition unfolds.

We are particularly interested in supporting projects related to:

  • Stormwater management and drainage analysis
  • Flood mitigation and resilience planning
  • Infrastructure design in complex natural environments
  • Permitting and regulatory coordination

Let’s Connect

As the Forest Service establishes its presence in Salt Lake City, we see this as a pivotal moment for collaboration across the A/E/C industry.

We’re actively looking to connect with:

  • Federal partners navigating this transition
  • Prime consultants seeking experienced small business teammates
  • Agencies needing responsive, technically strong support on the ground

If you’re working in this space, we’d welcome the opportunity to connect and explore how we can work together.

Celebrating PI Day at HCF with many varieties of delicious pies. March 3/14 is the offical pie day.

PI Day

Since the official PI Day was Saturday, March 14th, we decided to celebrate today with some homemade, store-bought, and Whoopie pies all the way from South Korea.  Pi day is the celebration of the mathematical constant 3.14159… for engineers, it represents the fundamental connection between mathematics and practical applications, such as calculating circular structures.  It’s also just a great excuse to eat pie.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is often cited as an early example of design-build collaboration between designers and builders. Photo Credit: Heather Wood

The Growing Role of Design-Build in Modern Infrastructure

The AEC industry continues to see a shift toward alternative delivery methods, including Design-Build (DB), Progressive Design-Build (PDB), and CMGC/CMAR. These approaches are changing how project teams collaborate, pursue work, and deliver infrastructure projects.

A recent SMPS Utah event explored how these delivery methods impact marketing teams, pursuit strategies, and collaboration across engineering, construction, and design disciplines.

The session featured Melanie Nelsen, CPSM, Regional Marketing Leader, and Alexandra Smith, Senior Marketing Coordinator, at Horrocks.  They shared insights from their experience supporting complex alternative delivery pursuits nationwide.

Design-Build: Not as New as It Sounds

While design-build may feel like a relatively new trend in public infrastructure procurement, the concept itself has existed for centuries.

During the presentation, the speakers highlighted historical examples of early design-build collaboration, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Acropolis in Athens. These iconic landmarks required close coordination between designers, engineers, and builders: much like today’s integrated project teams.

Having visited both sites in the past, it was interesting to reflect on them from a new perspective. These projects serve as a reminder that collaboration between design and construction professionals has long been essential to delivering complex structures.

Historic Examples of Design-Build Collaboration

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is often cited as an early example of design-build collaboration between designers and builders. Photo Credit: Heather Wood
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Firenze (Florence) is often cited as an early example of design-build collaboration between designers and builders. Photo Credit: Heather Wood
Long before modern delivery methods like Design-Build, iconic projects such as the Acropolis required close collaboration between designers, engineers, and builders to bring complex visions to life.
Long before modern delivery methods like Design-Build, iconic projects such as the Acropolis required close collaboration between designers, engineers, and builders to bring complex visions to life. Photo Credit: Heather Wood

Why Alternative Delivery Is Growing

More public agencies are adopting design-build and progressive design-build because they encourage earlier collaboration between designers and contractors. By bringing the full team together earlier in the process, projects can benefit from:

  • Improved communication between stakeholders
  • Earlier identification of design and construction challenges
  • Opportunities for innovation and efficiency
  • More streamlined project delivery timelines

These benefits are particularly valuable for complex infrastructure projects, where cross-disciplinary coordination is critical.

The Value of Collaboration

Alternative delivery projects often move quickly and require a high level of coordination among team members. While the pursuit process can be intense, it also provides valuable opportunities for learning and collaboration.

For engineering firms, participating on integrated teams allows designers to gain deeper insight into how design decisions influence construction methods, project costs, and overall project success.

Looking Ahead

Across the industry, the continued shift toward DB and PDB delivery methods is reshaping how teams pursue and deliver infrastructure projects. As these models become more common, strong collaboration between engineering, construction, and client teams will remain a key factor in successful outcomes.  At HCF, we have gained valuable information and experience while being on many different design-build teams.

While delivery methods continue to evolve, the core idea behind design-build: close collaboration between those who design and those who build, has been shaping great projects for thousands of years.

HCF is Licensed in 6 States!

HCF is now officially licensed to provide civil engineering services in Wyoming, joining our existing licensure in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Kansas. From the Rockies to the plains, we’re proud to support infrastructure and development projects across the Mountain West and beyond.

Whether it’s stormwater management, flood mitigation, utility design, or FEMA-compliant technical documentation, our team is here to deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions tailored to local needs.

 Let’s talk about how we can help move your next project forward.

📍 Now licensed in: UT | ID | NV | WY | CO | KS

 

2D Water Modeling – HCF Lunch & Learn

Bryson Price, a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) and a water resources EIT, led a company-sponsored Lunch & Learn on 2D hydraulic modeling in HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System). He broke down how this advanced simulation method divides landscapes into grid-like cells to show how water flows across terrain. With detailed animations and real-world examples, Bryson explained how 2D models offer more nuanced and accurate results, perfect for complex floodplain analysis. HEC-RAS is the most common tool used for flood mapping, dam breaches, and bridge scour, offering flexible, multi-sided computational cells to map flow over complex terrain. Thanks to Bryson for making a complex topic both accessible and engaging!💧💧💧

Sediment Transport in Stream Design – HCF Lunch & Learn

We recently had the pleasure of learning from our water resources engineer, Easton Perkins, EIT, during a company-sponsored Lunch & Learn. He shared insights from a Sediment Transport course he took through Utah State University‘s Department of Watershed Sciences. He highlighted how rivers shape themselves—and how engineers can design with nature in mind. A great reminder that understanding critical processes leads to more resilient, sustainable solutions.

We recently had the pleasure of learning from our water resources engineer, Easton Perkins, during a company-sponsored Lunch & Learn. He shared insights from a sediment transport course he took through Utah State University’s Department of Watershed Sciences. He highlighted how rivers shape themselves—and how engineers can design with nature in mind. A great reminder that understanding critical processes leads to more resilient, sustainable solutions.

 

Welcome to the HCF Blog

We’re excited to officially launch our blog—a space where we’ll share insights, project highlights, behind-the-scenes stories, and the occasional bad pun (you’ve been warned). At HCF, we’re passionate about designing safe, resilient infrastructure—but we’re just as passionate about connecting with people.

Whether you’re a fellow engineer, a city planner, a client, or just someone curious about what we do, this blog offers something valuable: technical know-how, helpful resources, and maybe even a laugh or two. You’ll find everything from water resources, deep dives, and civil design tips to lessons learned and real-world project experiences.

Thanks for joining us—let’s build something great together.