News - ELA Group, Inc.

2023 MID-ATLANTIC WEST ASCE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM

On April 14, 2023, Michelle E. Madzelan, P.E. (Senior Transportation Manager), and Ryan A. Martin, EIT (Project Engineer) volunteered for the 2023 Mid-Atlantic West ASCE Student Symposium held at Penn State Harrisburg. The event was sponsored by both Penn State Harrisburg and York College of PA, and was held on April 13-15th.

The event was a friendly competition between several different PA, and MD colleges on the following events: ASCE Student Symposium Paper Competition, AISC/ASCE Student Steel Bridge Competition, ASCE UESI Surveying Competition, ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition, and Concrete Canoe. Michelle volunteered as a judge for the paper competition and Ryan volunteered to talk to the students about continuing their ASCE membership after graduation.

EASTER BUNNY VISITS ELA GROUP

ELA Group got a visit from the “Easter Bunny”, who brought Peanut Butter and Krispy Peanut Butter Easter Eggs in for the staff. The Easter Bunny was played by our very own Tiffany Oberholtzer, Senior CAD Designer. Tiffany hand-made her eggs using a recipe that she has mastered to perfection, and she also hand-made her bunny costume many years ago, and it has stood the test of time. Thank you, “Easter Bunny” for hopping the halls and bringing a smile to the staff of ELA.

ELA GROUP IS PROUD TO SPONSOR WARWICK BASEBALL

On Saturday, March 25, 2023, ELA Group proudly sponsored the defending state champion Warwick Baseball Team’s Game Day Pitch at the Warwick High School Varsity Baseball Field. They hosted Gettysburg and took home the victory (13-3). Tyler Hill, Project Manager, represented ELA by throwing out the first pitch.

ELA GROUP, INC. WELCOMES RYAN A. MARTIN, EIT AS PROJECT ENGINEER

ELA Group, Inc., Engineers and Landscape Architects, of Lititz, State College, and Butler, PA, welcome to our team Ryan A. Martin, EIT, as a Project Engineer in our Civil/Municipal Engineering Department in our Corporate office location in Lititz, PA. Ryan brings with him experience working in the fields of land development, stormwater management and erosion and sedimentation control, permitting, traffic and transportation, and construction.

Ryan graduated from the Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown PA with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, in 2020, and a Minor in Mathematics. He holds a PA State Certification as ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician, Grade I, which he received in 2019. He received his Engineer-In-Training in 2021.

Ryan’s responsibilities at ELA will include overall stormwater management and design,

ELA GROUP, INC. WELCOMES CAROL L. MOULDS, EIT AS PROJECT ENGINEER

ELA Group, Inc., Engineers and Landscape Architects, of Lititz, State College, and Butler, PA, welcome to our team Carol L. Moulds, EIT, as a Project Engineer in our Civil/Municipal Engineering Department and Traffic and Transportation Services Division in our Corporate office location in Lititz, PA. Carol brings over 18 years of experience in civil engineering.

Carol graduated from the Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown PA with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, in 2004. She is professionally affiliated with the American Public Works Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. She received her Engineer-In-Training in 2007.

Carol’s responsibilities at ELA will include traffic signal design, traffic signal permitting,

MICHELLE E. MADZELAN, P.E., FASCE – CPEWC 2023 ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

ELA Group, Inc., Engineers and Landscape Architects, of Lititz, State College and Butler, PA proudly announces and congratulates Michelle E. Madzelan, P.E., FASCE, Senior Transportation Manager in the Traffic and Transportation Services Division, for being selected by the Central Pennsylvania Engineers Week Council (CPEWC) to receive the 2023 Engineer of the Year Award.

Michelle, a resident of York, graduated from the University of Dayton (OH) in 1998, with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. She is a registered Professional Engineer in PA, MD, and VA. Madzelan serves as the Current Events Committee Co-Chair for the CPEWC and served as past Council Chair.

She is a current Fellow Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers,

ELA GROUP, INC. PROMOTES THOMAS W. DEVENNEY, P.E. TO DIRECTOR: WATER/WASTEWATER ENGINEERING

ELA Group, Inc., Engineers and Landscape Architects, of Lititz, State College and Butler, PA promotes Thomas W. Devenney, P.E. of Lancaster to Director: Water/Wastewater Engineering. Devenney will be overseeing and coordinating the Water/Wastewater Engineering Department’s efforts and continue his responsibilities for water and wastewater engineering design and project management.

Devenney completed a Water Resources Engineering Internship with ELA and then joined the firm in 2018 after graduating from The Pennsylvania State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Systems Engineering. He also received an Engineer-In-Training certification that same year. After becoming a licensed Professional Engineer in 2022, he was promoted to Project Manager.

We are honored to have him now serve us and our clients as Director: Water/Wastewater Engineering,

ELA GROUP, INC. TRANSITIONS TO EMPLOYEE-OWNED

ELA Group, Inc., (ELA) is pleased to announce it has completed the transaction to become 100% employee-owned through its newly formed Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

The firm, founded in Lititz in 1996 with offices in State College and Butler, PA, provides a wide range of Engineering and Landscape Architecture solutions to both the public and private sectors.

With this transition, ELA has joined the growing list of companies whose employees are stakeholders in the success of the business.

According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, as of 2022 there are roughly 6,500 employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) covering almost 14 million participants. ESOPs motivate employees, increase productivity,

LITTLE CONESTOGA BLUE/GREEN CORRIDOR: COLLABORATION ACROSS BORDERS

European settlement of Penn’s Woods brought with it the timbering of those woods, the building of homes and settlements, and the landscape of agriculture. In support of agricultural production, our earliest Pennsylvanians also re-routed creeks and rivers, harnessing their power behind low-head dams in order to mill grain and feed the Colonies. As the structure of communities took shape, these same creeks and rivers often formed the borders of the Commonwealth’s counties, townships, cities, boroughs, and villages.

As colonization gave way to western expansion and the building of a nation, the landforms of urban and suburban development flourished and many of the mills disappeared; however, the lasting footprint of their infrastructure remains. Centuries’ worth of “legacy sediments,” trapped behind this network of dams,

MINGI CHOU ACHIEVES CHESAPEAKE BAY LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL STATUS

The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program, announces that Mingi Chou, EIT, CBLP, Project Engineer for ELA Group, Inc. located in Lititz, PA, has earned the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) designation.

The achievement of the CBLP Level 1 designation demonstrates an advanced level of professionalism and knowledge of sustainable landscaping practices for a healthier Chesapeake Bay. Certification is voluntary and candidates must pass a comprehensive exam that assesses an individual’s command of sustainable practices in the design, installation, and maintenance of landscapes. Advanced, Level 2 credentials are also available for highly experienced design (CBLP-D) and installation (CBLP-I) professionals.

CBLP-certified professionals have in-depth knowledge of sustainable landscape best practices and a focus on maintenance of stormwater best management practices.