CRW Engineering: A hub for cycle-minded alumni

If you've ever cycled along a bike path, you can thank an engineer. And if you've ever biked in Anchorage, you can likely thank alumni-stacked CRW Engineering Group, where nearly half the employees hold engineering degrees from UAA.

A longtime supporter of Anchorage Bike to Work Day, CRW will again be on the trail May 18 serving Kaladi Brothers coffee and Tonia's Biscotti at the northeast corner of Tudor and C Street.

But even if you don't see their station, there's a good chance you'll see their impact on the roads. The firm has worked with the Municipality of Anchorage and its transportation planning organization to add bike lanes along Arctic and DeArmoun, improve the sidewalks along Boniface and Patterson and add bicycle signing to the shoulders of Old Seward Highway (and those are just a few examples).

CRW has also been instrumental in designing over two-thirds of the Campbell Creek Trail, multiple segments of the Chester Creek, Ship Creek and Coastal Trail systems, and they're currently rehabilitating more than a half mile of the Fish Creek Trail. Last year, CRW's multiuse design alongside Campbell Airstrip Road connected Tudor Road to the myriad trails in Far North Bicentennial Park.

CRW has also donated and installed bike fix-it stations, which include bike pumps, multi-tools and tune-up services for on-the-go cyclists. CRW has provided stations in Palmer and Anchorage, and will install a third in Anchorage and a first in Fairbanks this summer (alumna Christi Meyn '15 maintains the firm's fix-it stations in Anchorage).

CRW is so involved in cycling, it even launched a website called Alaska Bike and Pedestrian Resources to keep the public updated and informed on projects affecting local bike life. It's no surprise the company has been recognized as a bike-friendly business by the League of American Bicyclists since 2012.

Crafting a company culture

CRW started as a civil engineering firm in 1981 and has since grown to more than 65 staff members. The company added surveying and electrical engineering staff in 2005, mechanical engineering in 2013, and a structural and geotechnical group this year.

Throughout its growth, the firm has maintained a company culture that prioritizes engagement, exercise and making the most of the city infrastructure they helped install. Yes, CRW loves cycling.

"CRW has always had a very active and outdoors-focused staff," said Brendan McKee B.S. '90, a civil engineer involved in numerous bike-based projects (he was also the top Alaskan rider in last summer's National Summer Bike Challenge).

Several employees bike to work whenever possible. At least one employee — Shane Blanchard B.S. '98 — bikes every single day, whatever the weather.

"I really love CRW in that they enjoy activities out of the office together. We'll go mountain biking after work. We'll go cross-country skiing during lunch," explained Kelly Yanoshek B.S. '17. "That kind of community is just so awesome to be part of."

One of Yanoshek's first projects at CRW was completely bike-focused - she charted and designed a free fold-up map of Mat-Su Valley bike lanes, similar to the annually updated map of bike paths and trails CRW has provided Anchorage cyclists since 2014.

But CRW doesn't simply offer services like maps and fix-it stations; the firm lends its engineering expertise to cycling infrastructure projects as well.

Most recently, CRW worked to designate 10th Avenue as the city's first bike boulevard. Now, from P Street to Medfra, cyclists are the priority - the speed limit dropped to 20 miles per hour and vehicles now back in to parking spots (providing cyclists greater visibility). With the involvement of the city, CRW adjusted intersection rules to favor traffic along 10th - benefitting cyclists - and even diverted car traffic completely at 10th and Denali.

"The project has been well received by the neighborhood and Park Strip parking users," noted McKee, who worked alongside project manager (and fellow engineering grad) Matt Edge B.S. '00, M.S. '03. CRW will add the city's second bike boulevard in Mountain View this summer, threading through Mountain View along Peterkin Avenue.

UAA and CRW

Cycling is clearly important to CRW, but so is Alaska. The firm only accepts in-state projects, and has assigned staff to projects in 160 communities so far.

To meet Alaska's unique engineering needs, CRW needs a staff that's especially familiar with the state's landscape and challenges. Most employees have local roots; nearly half the staff - 33 in total - hold engineering degrees from UAA, and many of them started as college interns (11 more hold degrees from UAF).

"What's appealing to us is that we're hiring local, and when we hire local they stay," said Managing Partner Michael Rabe B.S. '84 of the firm's strong internship program. "I'm a perfect example," he added. "I graduated and now I'm running the company."

Rabe is so committed to hiring local graduates that he even brings current students with him to advocate for engineering funding on behalf of the university in Juneau.

"We enjoy hiring UAA students not only because they're local and they're committed to staying in Alaska, but we find that their education is not every bit equal [to schools Outside], it's superior because of the emphasis on the Arctic and cold regions engineering. They're excellent candidates," Rabe said. "Our business would be devastated if we weren't able to hire UAA students."

That's an opinion shared among many local engineering firms, he noted, whether they build bike paths, plumbing systems, landfills or landing strips (all of which fall under CRW's portfolio).

"Having a local resource to draw qualified candidates from is imperative," he said. "We would not be able to run our business here without UAA."

Written by J. Besl, UAA Office of University Advancement