Summit Design and Engineering Services

Meaningful conversations build stronger connections—and last night was a great reminder of that.

Summit’s Women's Group (WISE) hosted our second annual Speaker Series, bringing together teammates and colleagues from across the AEC industry in partnership with ACEC/NC women’s group, She Builds.

Dr. Holly A. Sullenger, CSP led an engaging discussion on having difficult conversations, sharing practical insights we can carry into our work and everyday lives.

We continued the conversations upstairs at our Summit office, where we enjoyed sharing our space, meeting new people, and strengthening relationships across firms.

Thank you to ACEC/NC, She Builds, Dr. Sulenger, Co Sponsors GFT, Goins Sweitzer Engineers and Consultants, PLLC, and North State Bank and everyone who joined us.

Congratulations to Forsyth County Parks and Recreation on the successful opening of the new disc golf course in Tanglewood Park!

The course includes an 18-hole championship layout stretching more than 10,000 feet, along with a six-hole short course designed for beginners and warmups. Together, they fill a gap in the region and create a new recreational destination for players across North Carolina and beyond.

Summit’s Landscape Architecture team supported our partners at Disc Golf Design Group and Forsyth County Parks and Recreation in carrying the project from pursuit and planning through construction documents, site logistics, and course signage.
County leaders, project partners, and community representatives gathered on September 18 for a ribbon-cutting at the first tee, followed by the best way to mark the occasion: playing the course.

We’re proud to have helped create a place that invites people outside, challenges experienced players, and makes sport approachable for those picking up a disc for the first time.

We’re excited to see Summit’s work featured in The Alamance News as State Employees’ Credit Union begins transforming the former BB&T building in Graham into its fourth Alamance County branch.

Summit is designing the renovation of the 11,000-square-foot facility, which will be SECU’s largest branch in the county. Although our team has supported approximately 45 SECU branch projects across North Carolina, the Graham location is a unique opportunity to create a new, site-specific design for the existing building.

The project will include a complete interior renovation, accessibility and parking improvements, updated landscaping, and a new courtyard and plaza. Construction is expected to be completed in 2027.

We’re proud to continue supporting SECU and helping create spaces that serve communities across North Carolina.

Read the full article:

State Employees’ Credit Union begins conversion of Graham’s former BB&T bank building - alamancenews.com After years of on-again and off-again plans to open a Graham branch, State Employees’ Credit Union is on track to open what will be its fourth branch in the county […]

Recovery after a flood extends well beyond immediate repairs. It also requires communities to think carefully about what comes next.

At the 2026 APWA-NC Stormwater Conference, Summit Resiliency Planner Mike J. Robinson, CFM, will present Planning Frameworks for Resilience: Re-imagining Opportunities After the Flood.

Drawing on work underway in Western North Carolina, Mike will offer a look at how practical planning and technical assistance can help communities move from recovery toward long-term resilience.

Mike’s presentation is part of the Community Resilience & Infrastructure session on Tuesday, September 15, from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.

For many parents and students, this was the first week back to school.

A successful school day begins well before the first bell. Safe roads, sidewalks, intersections, and access points help students arrive safely, while thoughtfully designed school buildings create secure, functional environments that support learning, connection, and growth.

From the infrastructure surrounding a campus to the spaces where students and educators spend their day, good design requires careful planning, technical expertise, and coordination across many disciplines.

Summit is proud to play a role in that process, working alongside communities, school systems, and project partners to help create and maintain places that serve students well today and for years to come.

Wishing students, families, and educators a safe and successful school year!

We have a team attending the SASHTO Annual Conference August 21-25th in Greenville, SC. Keep an eye out for Shane Parker, Robert Prezioso, PE, Bill Hood, Scott Capps, and Brandon W. Johnson, PE!

SASHTO brings together state DOTs, federal agencies, engineering firms, and industry partners to share practical lessons, build stronger relationships, and work through the transportation challenges facing our region. We are proud to be a part of the conversation!

After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, NCDOT personnel had to think outside the box to quickly restore access. One innovative yet simple solution was using the bottom portions of 92 railcars to replace 39 damaged bridges with temporary structures.

As permanent bridges are built, Summit’s Michael Mataconis is tracking each railcar, coordinating storage locations and completing the documentation required for future inspection and emergency use.

The railcars’ performance also led NCDOT to fund an NC State research study for spring 2027. Researchers will test four railcars to better understand their load ratings, material properties and overall behavior. Michael and Summit’s Rob Cousins will remain involved with NCDOT and NC State until the study is complete and all 92 railcars are documented and stored.

Kudos to NCDOT for developing a practical solution during a critical time and to NC State for helping evaluate its future use. We are proud of Michael and Rob for supporting this important effort.

Congratulations to Melissa Countryman, PE, PTOE, on graduating from the 2026 ACEC/NC Future Leaders Program.

Over the past eight months, Melissa joined a select group of architecture and engineering professionals from across North Carolina for leadership development focused on the practical demands of our industry.

Melissa has more than 14 years of transportation and traffic engineering experience, including traffic signal systems, safety investigations, temporary traffic control, and project delivery. Before joining Summit, she supported public agencies across Los Angeles County. Most recently, she has supported the NCDOT Division 5 Traffic Services Office in Durham, coordinating with signal maintenance staff and contributing to traffic safety improvements.

Her graduation reflects both her experience and the growing leadership of women in engineering. We are proud of the knowledge and sound judgment Melissa brings to Summit and the communities we serve.

Congratulations, Melissa, and thank you for everything that you do!

We had a great time gathering for our Pinnacle Picnic to catch up with colleagues and celebrate our Q1 and Q2 Pinnacle Award winners.

These awards celebrate employees who go above and beyond to support their teams, serve our clients, and live out Summit's values every day. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients, and thank you to everyone who joined in on the fun.

Learn more about life at Summit: summitde.com/careers

Summit is excited to partner with the City of Greensboro Water Resources Department on a feasibility study for Ryan Creek, an urban stream corridor that presents an opportunity to reduce flood risk while improving water quality, habitat, and community resilience.

As our first task order under the City's competitive on-call contract, this study will evaluate nature-based solutions to restore portions of the existing stream and reconnect the floodplain. Our team will use field investigations, HEC-RAS 1D and 2D hydraulic modeling, conceptual design, and stakeholder coordination to develop practical, long-term solutions for the corridor.

This project represents an important milestone for Summit as our first project focused on using natural flood infrastructure to address flooding while delivering ecological and community benefits. It also builds on our recent resilience planning work, including the Town of Hillsborough's Flood Resilience Roadmap, and reflects our continued investment in helping communities become more resilient through innovative water resources and stormwater solutions.

Thank you to the City of Greensboro for the opportunity to support this important initiative.

𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘌𝘚: https://res.us/