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Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 is Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Part of Engineers Week, this special day is a movement to show girls how creative engineering is and how engineers are changing our world. What better way to celebrate than to introduce one of our female...

Heinrich Earns BEMP Certification

Michael S. Heinrich, PE, LEED AP, recently passed his examination to earn the ASHRAE-Certified Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) designation. The exam identifies engineers who understand modeling principles and can accurately apply building energy quotient...

2016 Walk for Warmth

West Plains Engineering was proud to sponsor the 5th annual Black Hills Energy Walk for Warmth on Saturday, Feb. 6 in Rapid City, SD. The event raises nearly $20,000 annually to provide energy assistance to local households in need to help stay warm in the winter....

Electrical Specialties & Options

West Plain’s Electrical Specialties Division can provide in-depth surveys, design of electrical distribution systems and provide solutions to any electrical challenge. Our services include Arc Flash Mitigation, Harmonic Distortion Correction, Power Quality Analysis,...

Sioux Falls High Performance Buildings

Each year, the South Dakota Bureau of Administration through the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) produces an Annual Project Report which summarizes the facility projects which were overseen by the OSE. The report published for CY2013 discussed high performance...

Fun Ski 2015 Fundraiser

West Plains Engineering staff members participated in the Media One Fun Ski 2015 held at Great Bear in Sioux Falls at the end of January. The event was a benefit for Children’s Inn in Sioux Falls. Children's Inn is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1977...

South Dakota Veterans Home on Track

The new Veterans Home in Hot Springs, SD is taking shape and progressing rapidly. The facility has been designed to provide an energy efficiency that is anticipated to be 24% more efficient than the requirements set forth in ASHRAE 90.1. This means this facility will...

New West Plains President

Douglas R. Feterl, P.E. was named President of West Plains Engineering following Bob Thompson’s retirement. Doug has been with West Plains for 23 years as a Design Engineer, Office Manager and most recently, Business Development Manager for the company. He graduated...

Bob Thompson Retires from West Plains

Robert W. Thompson, Professional Engineer and friend, has retired from West Plains after 30 years of service to our clients. Bob is a fine Electrical Engineer and was a principal at West Plains Engineering for all 30 years. As a company founder, Bob grew with the...

Bismarck Office Now Open!

West Plains Engineering is pleased to announce our new Bismarck, North Dakota Office. Over the last few years, our engineers have completed many jobs in the Bakken oil patch and throughout the state. This increased activity led to us setting up an office to service...

30 Year Anniversary

It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years in business for West Plains Engineering. For the past three decades we have taken great pride in providing Engineering Services to meet the unique needs of our clients and their facilities. We would like to salute the...

Substation Design

The Rush Creek substation located four miles south of Rushville Nebraska is the newest substation belonging to Northwest Rural Public Power District (NRPPD) in Hay Springs, NE. The Substation was designed by West Plains’ power engineers, and greatly enhances the...

Sioux Falls Affordable Housing- Design and Engineering Collaboration

Sioux Falls Affordable Housing Solutions philosophy is that every family deserves a place to call home. To facilitate this philosophy, the organization purchases dilapidated properties in Sioux Falls and either rehabs them or tears them down and replaces them with new...

School Engineering – HVAC Retrofit Cedar Rapids

When the Camanche Community School District conducted a complete review of their facilities, one of the critical issues identified was the need to upgrade the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems at their middle and elementary school buildings....

Plains Talk Newsletter

The Plains Talk Newsletter is a publication of West Plains Engineering highlighting our projects, challenges and, most importantly, solutions.

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2026

  • Vol XXVII, Issue 2 – Adaptive Re-Use
    • MEP Pitfalls in Adaptive Re-Use: More Than Just Making It Fit
    • Reusing the Structure, Rebuilding the Systems: Bell Tower Lofts
    • Performance Starts with Building Systems: Iowa Conservatory (ICON)
  • Vol XXVII, Issue 1 – Sports Venues
    • Lighting the Game Right: New Rules of Sports Visibility
    • Foundation for Future Glory: DSU Athletics Evnent Complex
    • Growing the Game: Scheel’s IcePlex Addition
    • Hitting the Mark: Outdoor Campus East Archery
    • An Award-Winning Match: Sioux Park Tennis Court Improvements
    • Coordinating the Climb: Black Hills Basecamp
    • New Space for Sport: Pete Lien Shooting Complex

2025

  • November/December – 2025 in Review
    • Year in Review Video
    • WPE Ways to Give Donations
    • News & Notables
  • September/October – Shops & Maintenance Garages
    • More Than Square Footage: The Systems Behind the Service
    • Modern Hub for Municipal Operations: Sioux Falls Light, Power & Traffic
    • Powering Rural Progress: T.I.P. REC Headquarters
    • Building Better Backroads: Linn County Secondary Roads
  • May/June – Parks & Pavilions
    • Four-Season Fun: Jacobson Plaza at The Falls
    • Snowflakes to Sunbeams: MEP Solutions for the Great Outdoors
    • Open-Air Event Space: Pinicon Ridge Park Wapsi Bluffs Shelter
    • Making Space for Music: Levit at the Falls Expansion
  • March/April – Building Condition Assessments
    • From Assessment to Action: Morningside University Master Plan
    • Building Smarter: The Benefits of Regular Assessments
    • Balancing Building Needs With Budget: Thermopolis Middle School MEP Assessment
    • Assessing Systems (for) Health: Virginia Gay Hospital Assessment, Master Plan & Upgrades
  • January/February – Well-Being By Design
    • Built to Thrive: Maguire Headquarters & Manufacturing Facility
    • Designing for Wellness: The MEP Engineers Role in Creating Healthy Buildings
    • Caring For People & The Planet: Wounded Knee Community School

2024

2023

    Plains Talk Archives