Blog
March 12, 2026
Meeting Michigan’s Load Growth: Why Solar is Here to Stay
The world has changed drastically throughout the past few years, and the energy industry is no different. Outside of geothermal, ...
June 12, 2025
Meet MCA’s 2025 Summer Interns
It’s summertime, and you know what that means – new interns! Metro Consulting Associates (MCA) ...
May 22, 2025
Unlocking New GIS Capabilities: The Utility Network Advantage
Is your community all too familiar with working with outdated infrastructure, constrained by limited system ...
April 17, 2025
From Geometric Network to Utility Network: The Data Migration Process
As we approach Esri’s ArcMap retirement and wave goodbye to its geometric network, municipalities and ...
June 20, 2024
Hire a Consulting Firm: A Solution for Overburdened Communities
We see it all too often: overburdened state, county, and local municipalities struggle to find ...
May 16, 2024
BESS Development for Beginners
Battery Energy Storage Systems—or BESS for short—have surged in popularity in recent years, and for ...
May 2, 2024
15 Years, 15 Lessons: Reflecting on MCA’s Journey
As Metro Consulting Associates (MCA) celebrates its 15-year milestone, Brad E.G. Oliver, PS, and Damon ...
April 18, 2024
GPR: The Multi-Market Tool
Ground penetrating radar – often referenced as GPR – can do amazing things. From completing ...
March 21, 2024
Construction Staking: More Than Meets the Eye
Site development is a complex process that involves planners, engineers, architects, and a slew of ...
March 7, 2024
The AEC Industry in Underserved Communities
Underserved communities are defined as areas or groups of people with limited access to needed ...
March 7, 2024
The AEC Industry in Underserved Communities
Underserved communities are defined as areas or groups of people with limited access to needed ...
February 22, 2024
Ethics in the AEC Industry
The political aspect of working within communities as a civil engineer poses new responsibilities to ...
February 8, 2024
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the AEC Industry
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be highly prioritized values in each company across all ...
January 25, 2024
Leadership in the AEC Industry
Damon L. Garrett, PE, has ample knowledge and experience in leading a company, mentoring fellow ...
July 6, 2022
7 Steps to Maximize IIJA-Funded Infrastructure Projects
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allows for specific infrastructure spending for water, sewer, and ...
April 6, 2022
Part 2: Preparing Your Community for Distributed Solar
As demand grows for distributed solar, municipal entities need to plan for solar energy and ...
March 7, 2022
7 Types of Land Surveys
A survey means different things to different people, and many don’t know the type of ...
February 1, 2022
Stormwater Utility Fees: Equitable Methodology to Cover Community Drainage Costs
More than 800 communities across the country have adopted a stormwater utility to help fund ...
January 10, 2022
Part 1: Why Consider Distributed Solar Solutions?
Renewable energy projects continue taking hold as developers and municipalities strive to meet 2030 clean ...