People. Places. Projects.
May 6, 2026
WHAT PROGRESS LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW.
Across Arizona and Colorado, April was a reminder that progress takes many forms. Sometimes it looks like a community conversation around housing, growth, and affordability. Sometimes it looks like a beam raised into place on a transformative project. And sometimes it looks like a simple question that reveals exactly what is weighing on clients, utilities, and communities right now.
What connected all of those moments for us was this: the work behind growth is becoming more interconnected. Infrastructure, water, funding, development pressure, and long-term resilience are no longer separate conversations. More and more, they are showing up together.
The EPS Team at the Bowling for Soup event
PEOPLE. Perspectives from the Field.
This month reinforced the value of being in the room, listening well, and staying close to the conversations shaping our communities. Across Northern Colorado and Arizona, our team spent time with clients, partners, and industry peers discussing housing, development, infrastructure, and the realities behind regional growth. From community leadership gatherings to sector-specific conversations, the common thread was clear: strong work starts with strong relationships and a real understanding of what communities are navigating in real time.
April also included a more community-centered moment through Collab Architecture Studio LLC’s Bowling for Soup event, where EPS Group, Inc. joined industry partners for an event supporting the Larimer County Food Bank. It was a good reminder that meaningful connection happens in many settings, and that strong communities are built not only through projects and infrastructure, but also through the relationships and organizations that support people day to day.
What we’re seeing: Strong communities are shaped not only by projects, but by the people, partnerships, and local relationships behind them.
Question: Who are the people making a difference in your community right now? Give a shout out in the comments.
PLACES. Where We’re Showing Up—and What We’re Seeing.
The places we were this month tell their own story. In Northern Colorado, the conversation continues to center on growth, housing, and community connection.
In Arizona, the dialogue is increasingly shaped by water, infrastructure, and development pressure. That was especially clear at the 99th Annual Arizona Water Conference & Exhibition, where water and wastewater professionals from across the state came together around the challenges shaping Arizona communities right now. The setting itself underscored how closely growth, utility systems, and long-term resilience are tied together.
Taken together, these places reflect the same larger truth: progress happens in many kinds of rooms—industry events, community spaces, and regional conversations—and each one offers a different view of what it takes to build strong communities.
What we’re seeing: Different regions may surface different challenges, but growth everywhere depends on understanding local context.
Question: What conversations are shaping your region right now?
ATLAS Topping Out Celebration at Colorado State University in late April 2026
PROJECTS.
One of the clearest project moments this month was the ATLAS Topping Out Celebration at Colorado State University. Milestones like this are only possible through strong coordination and collaboration. Thank you to Colorado State University, CSU Strata, CSU Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, Tetrad Real Estate, Marvel Fusion , McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., SWBR, and the many teams involved in bringing ATLAS to life.
With the final beam placed, the project reached a meaningful milestone in bringing the ATLAS facility to life. EPS supported the project through civil engineering and survey services, helping lay the groundwork for a building intended to advance research, student opportunity, and industry partnership.
This month also reinforced that not every important project conversation happens at a jobsite. Many happen earlier, in the conversations that shape what gets built and how. Housing affordability, infrastructure delivery, feasibility, development pressure, and community impact all surfaced in the discussions our team took part in this month. Those conversations matter because they influence not only individual projects, but whether communities are positioned to support growth over time.
What we’re seeing: Visible milestones matter, but the conversations that shape feasibility and long-term impact matter just as much.
Question: What project or milestone feels meaningful in your world right now?
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
One of the clearest snapshots of the month came from a simple question we asked at our booth at the Arizona Water Conference & Exhibition: What’s Keeping You Up at Night?
Attendees ranked their concerns in this order: drought and water supply issues, aging infrastructure, funding gaps, development pressure, PFAS compliance costs, and cross connections. That ranking offered a useful snapshot of where the pressure is building. Today’s water and wastewater challenges are layered and overlapping. Supply concerns are colliding with aging systems. Growth is adding pressure. Funding remains difficult. Compliance costs are rising. And day-to-day operational issues do not go away just because new demands are added to the list.
For us, it was a useful reminder that engineering is not just about solving one isolated problem at a time. It is about helping clients and communities navigate complexity with clarity, responsiveness, and long-range thinking.
What we’re seeing: Water challenges are not arriving one at a time. They are converging, and they are becoming more closely tied to growth itself.
Question: Of those challenges, which one feels most real to you right now? Contact Brandon Squire or Philip Wasneski to learn how EPS can help you.
What Else We’re Watching
Beyond the conversations we were part of directly, a few broader industry signals feel especially relevant right now.
In Arizona, large-scale growth is increasingly tied to both power and water. As high-demand facilities expand, the conversation is broadening beyond energy alone to include cooling, reuse, supply, and long-term resilience.
In Colorado, water supply remains a major backdrop for planning, growth, and long-range decision-making. More broadly, resource pressure continues to reinforce how central water is to the future of communities across the state.
Put together, these are not separate issues. They point to the same broader shift: water resilience, development pressure, infrastructure readiness, and long-term capacity are converging. That is part of what made the feedback we heard this month feel so timely. When drought and water supply issues rise to the top, they do not stand alone. They are connected to growth, cost, compliance, and the systems communities depend on every day.
What we’re seeing: Growth is happening—but it is increasingly dependent on infrastructure, coordination, and long-term planning.
Question: What’s the biggest constraint to growth in your region right now? Tell us in the comments below!
LOOKING AHEAD
If there was one takeaway from April, it is this: the work behind progress is becoming more connected. Community conversations, project milestones, utility pressures, research investment, and regional growth are all part of the same larger story. They point to a future where thoughtful planning matters more, infrastructure matters more, and collaboration matters more. That is the work we are proud to be part of, and it is what we will continue watching closely.
What we’re seeing: The strongest progress happens when people, places, and projects are understood as part of the same story.
Question: What’s one issue you’ll be watching more closely this month? Tell us in the comments below!
COME WORK WITH US
The work ahead will require strong teams, thoughtful problem-solvers, and people who understand how water challenges are evolving across our region. That is one reason EPS is looking for a Senior Project Manager for Water / Wastewater — someone with significant technical experience in the water and wastewater arena, at least 12 years of experience, and a proven ability to lead and mentor junior engineers. Business development experience is also a plus.
As this month’s conversations made clear, water issues are becoming more complex, more visible, and more connected to growth itself. If you are interested in helping communities navigate those challenges, we’d love to connect.
What we’re seeing: The water challenges ahead will require strong technical leadership, practical problem-solving, and people who can guide teams through complexity.
Question: Know someone who’d be a great fit — or maybe it’s you? Click the link above in the role title and forward it on or apply.
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