TKDA’s Craig Bursch named ASCE Fellow
TKDA congratulates Craig Bursch, PE, MBA, on his recent election as a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Fellows are recognized for their significant contributions to the field of civil engineering and creative solutions that advance the profession and change lives around the world.
“We are so very pleased to see Craig honored in this way,” said Tom Stoneburner, TKDA president and CEO. “As a valued member of our Northland office team, he continues to have a positive impact on the Minnesota engineering community.”
A native of Two Harbors, Minnesota, Craig attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMN), where in 1996 he received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Since that time, he has designed structural systems for rail, heavy industrial, aviation, government, education, medical, residential, and historic preservation projects in more than a dozen states and abroad. He received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2006 and brings an understanding of business dynamics to the design and management of his many projects, many of which involve difficult site conditions.
Among his most memorable projects is the Swenson Civil Engineering Building at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD), for which he served as project manager and lead structural engineer. The 35,000-square-foot building, a new home for the Civil Engineering Department, won the Distinguished Building Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Chicago Chapter in 2011.
“The building’s creative design utilized all structural building materials, including structural steel, cast-in-place concrete, concrete masonry units, precast concrete, and wood, to give a ‘teaching on display’ aspect to the building,” Craig said. “It’s fun to walk into this building to mentor students, knowing that I had a large hand in its development.”
Craig has served the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in many capacities. He chaired the inaugural ASCE Twin Ports Area Infrastructure Report Card, where he led a group of almost two dozen engineers and industrial professionals for 18 months in grading local infrastructure. This effort served as a “pilot project” for the ASCE Minnesota Infrastructure Report Card, completed in late 2018, in which he authored the Twin Ports chapter.
His other service to ASCE has included serving as president of the ASCE Duluth Section (2011-2012), a national committee member, president of the ASCE Younger Member group, and an ASCE Student Practitioner Advisor for the UMN and UMD civil engineering programs. His student mentorships have allowed him to pass along a little wisdom to the next generation of civil engineers. “Spend some time in the field,” he tells them, “and learn about how things fit together. Don’t be afraid to go where the work is.”
As government relations chair, Craig has represented ASCE in Saint Paul and Washington, D.C., on many occasions. He is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies – Minnesota, Duluth Engineers Club, and Order of the Engineer. He also serves as a board member of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.
Craig has authored several articles in technical journals, including Modern Steel Construction and Matrix, publications of the American Institute of Steel Construction and AIA Minnesota, respectively.
Eligible ASCE members attain Fellow status via nomination, application and election. The prestigious honor is held by only 3% of ASCE members. Craig was nominated by the ASCE Duluth Section.
