Benton Harbor-based Wightman received a Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award for an Elkhart project.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan presented the award at its 2025 Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Gala.
Wightman received the award for its Elkhart Hydroelectric Dam Flowage Lands Mapping project for American Electric Power. AEP hired the firm to perform 13 miles of mapping and flowage rights review along the St. Joseph River, from Elkhart to Bristol.
Flowage rights were acquired over a century before and had witnessed development and encroachments into the flowage lands. Wightman’s survey team used the original 12-page paper maps, which included a vertical datum that predated 1912. The firm delivered a digital mapping plan and 46-page paper map that AEP can use to identify the encroachments into its flowage lands.
“We are incredibly proud to receive the ACEC/Michigan Honorable Conceptor Award for the Elkhart Lands Mapping project,” said Lee Petcu, Wightman energy sector leader, in a press release. “This recognition reflects the dedication and innovation our team brings to every project.”
The Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards recognize projects that demonstrate innovation, complexity and value.
“The infrastructure improvements engineered by ACEC member firms significantly improve the daily lives of Michigan residents and visitors,” Ronald Brenke, ACEC/Michigan executive director, said.
Wightman provides architecture, civil engineering and surveying services. The firm has offices in Allegan, Benton Harbor, Hastings, Kalamazoo, Royal Oak, Southgate and South Haven. Wightman also operates offices in Fort Wayne, Plymouth, Portage and South Bend.
