LaBella wins Structural Ingenuity Award at 2026 CANstruction Rochester awards competition. More than 4,800 cans of assorted beans donated to Foodlink. For the 17th consecutive year, LaBella's Rochester team earned an award at the 2026 CANstruction Rochester competition, donating more than 4,800 canned food items to Foodlink! This year's theme, Oh, the Places You CAN Go, encouraged teams to draw inspiration from children's books. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, LaBella's team worked precisely to design and build the Mad Hatter against a pocket watch backdrop using more than 4,800 cans of assorted beans. The exhibit was on display from October 17 through October 31 at The Strong Museum of Play, where visitors viewed the structures and voted for their favorite to receive the People's Choice Award. Judges recognized teams with awards for Best Original Design, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, Best Meal, and Most Cans, along with two Honorable Mentions. LaBella's structure received the Structural Ingenuity Award for its creative application of engineering and architectural principles to overcome design challenges! Congratulations to the entire team! About Canstruction: CANstruction is a global not-for-profit organization that addresses hunger globally. CANstruction Rochester is an annual exhibit and design competition that brings AEC professionals together to create structures built entirely out of canned goods. After closing the exhibit, all canned goods and food items are donated to Foodlink. About Foodlink: Foodlink is a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities by addressing the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity. They provide emergency food assistance to a 10-county service area through a network of foodbank members and community members.

Norabelle Greenberger and Mirren Galway to present at Herkimer County Economic Forum. LaBella's Eastern New York Planning Lead and Brownfields Market Lead Norabelle Greenberger, AICP, and Planner Mirren Galway will speak at the 2026 Herkimer County Economic Forum. Hosted by the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce on October 1, 2026, in Herkimer, New York, the forum will bring together local business leaders, community partners, and economic development professionals to discuss the future of the County. Herkimer County is a recipient of the first round of pre-planning funding through the New York State Department of State Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program. At 10:00 a.m., Norabelle and Mirren will provide an overview of the County's BOA pre-planning process and how it is identifying opportunities to support community revitalization. Pre-planning efforts include: * A comprehensive review of brownfield, abandoned, underutilized, and vacant sites throughout the County * Extensive municipal engagement and site visits * Development of revitalization strategies for priority communities Norabelle and Mirren will also outline approaches, tools, and funding strategies, both within and beyond the BOA program, to help advance revitalization efforts throughout Herkimer County.

Jen Gillen and Dan Walsh to join panel on soil banking at bcone's Upstate New York Brownfield Symposium. LaBella's Jennifer Gillen, PG, Environmental Division Director, and Daniel Walsh, Ph.D., Environmental Senior Technical Advisor and founder of the NYC Clean Soil Bank, will participate in a panel discussion at the Upstate New York Brownfield Symposium on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in Syracuse, New York. Hosted by the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE), the symposium will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and bring together industry leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping brownfield redevelopment across Upstate New York. Jen will serve as the moderator of the panel discussion, "From Waste to Resource: Building a Circular Soil Economy in Upstate New York," while Dan will join the conversation as a panelist alongside Jane Forbes, Division Manager for the City of Rochester's Division of Environmental Quality. Cities generate large quantities of soil through construction and redevelopment, often paying to haul it away while other projects simultaneously pay to import clean fill. Soil banking offers a more sustainable path by treating clean excavated soil as a valuable local resource. The panel will share lessons learned from New York City and Rochester's innovative approaches to soil reuse and brownfield revitalization. The panel is one of three sessions featured during the symposium. Additional discussions will focus on modernizing New York State's soil vapor intrusion guidance and examining real-world brownfield redevelopment challenges.