Infrastructure Asset Management Project Engineer

News Lending a hand: W.T. Sorrell retires from business development at WithersRavenel. Casey Swaney Published on: September 16th, 2026 After more than 60 years helping people and communities across North Carolina, W.T. Sorrell is officially retiring. Most recently, as a business development representative at WithersRavenel, W.T. worked with communities across Western North Carolina. Whether he was connecting local officials with its firm's engineers about an infrastructure project or discussing opportunities for funding, W.T. was focused on helping cities, towns, and counties improve. His passion for helping others was launched through a 42-year career with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its Rural Development group, originally known as the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA). W.T. started as a county supervisor in Roxboro before becoming an area loan specialist in WNC and, eventually, area director for a 14-county region. W.T. described his role at USDA as helping "finance anything a farmer needed or that rural America needed." Whether that was equipment for individual farmers or town halls, fire departments, and water/sewer infrastructure for rural communities, W.T. enjoyed connecting people and financing while helping to uplift North Carolina. Following his career at USDA, W.T. transitioned to the private sector in business development roles. He was able to continue building relationships with the same communities he worked with through USDA while helping develop local infrastructure improvements and other projects to benefit rural residents, businesses, and governments. "My whole reason to go to work in the jobs that I've had was to help people," W.T. said. "My approach to business development was to build relationships. If you build relationships, the business will come. I enjoyed helping solve problems and filling needs." Before his time at USDA, W.T. also managed a farm supply store and worked as a vocational agriculture teacher following his graduation from N.C. State University with an education degree. Hot rods and jamming. W.T. was not all about work, though. He has enjoyed a variety of hobbies through the years, many of them still a part of his life today. One of his great loves is classic cars. W.T. likes to step out in his 1966 Ford F100 truck with a lowered suspension and a 440 horsepower V8 engine. He likes to drive it around town, but really enjoys taking the beauty to classic car shows across the area. W.T. has also ridden motorcycles since he was young; he's put that hobby aside after selling his Harley last year. Another passion he nurtured is music. He plays the upright bass and guitar, and enjoys getting together with friends for impromptu jam sessions. One of his prize possessions that consistently turns heads is a 1946 Gibson guitar. "That old wood really mellows the tone," W.T. said. He also flew a plane for many years as an amateur pilot. He got started through free lessons at his local community college, eventually buying an older, small plane and restoring it. He also enjoys woodworking. In retirement, W.T. said he will enjoy more time with his wife, Helen, and not being tied to a schedule. He says he will still be available to lend a hand to the communities he has come to know and love. "It's been rewarding, and I am still able to help or direct you to someone if needed," W.T. said. "If you find somebody you trust to do business with, that is what holds it all together." WithersRavenel wishes W.T. all the best in his retirement!

News Longtime government leader Brian Alligood joins WithersRavenel's client experience team. WithersRavenel welcomes Brian Alligood as its newest client experience manager (CXM). Brian will be working with its local government clients along the coast and in eastern North Carolina. Brian has more than 30 years of experience working for municipal and county governments across North Carolina. He recently retired from Beaufort County after serving 11 years as the county manager. Upon his retirement, Brian was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the governor. Prior to joining Beaufort County, Brian served as the manager for the City of Washington, manager for Granville County, and manager for the Town of Boiling Springs. He has also worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and as a private consultant. Brian's deep experience working for local governments gives him insights into the challenges faced by leaders, budget writers, and employees. He will be a valuable addition to its firm and will enhance its award-winning client experience program. As a client experience manager, Brian will work with its eastern NC and coastal clients to identify critical local government needs and develop projects to uplift communities and increase infrastructure resilience. "I am excited to work for a firm that sets the standard for exceptional client experience by understanding and focusing on the client's expectations through a detail-oriented, collaborative approach," Brian said. "I look forward to working with everyone and being a part of the WithersRavenel team." Brian earned a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in emergency medical care from Western Carolina University. Brian and his wife, April, who is the clerk for the Town of Washington Park, live in Beaufort County on their family's Century Farm. Would you like to work with WithersRavenel and Brian on your next project? Reach out to Brian at 252-802-0331 or [email protected].

News Changing the Capital Funding Conversation with Elected Officials. By Keith Pugh, Government Information Liaison, and Jon Mills, Innovation Executive Every budget cycle, infrastructure leaders face difficult questions. Which investments cannot wait? What risks come with delaying maintenance? How can staff explain what different funding levels will mean for community services over time? WithersRavenel explored these questions during its presentation, Changing the Capital Funding Conversation with Elected Officials, at the recent 2026 ASCE Alabama Section and APWA Alabama Summer Meetings. Drawing on its experience in public works, municipal engineering, asset management, and capital planning, WithersRavenel discussed how lifecycle planning can create clearer conversations about infrastructure investment. Its central message was simple: Capital funding conversations should begin with the outcomes a community wants, not only the initial cost. Leave infrastructure better than you found it. A simple principle has guided much of its work: Leave things better than you found them. That idea is especially relevant to public works. Roads, utilities, stormwater systems, public buildings, parks, and fleets existed before many of WithersRavenel assumed responsibility for them. They will continue serving communities long after current staff members and elected officials have moved on. WithersRavenel is temporary stewards of systems with long-term consequences. A water main replacement deferred today may become tomorrow's emergency. A pavement strategy selected now can influence maintenance costs for decades. A building system overlooked during one budget cycle may become an urgent expense for another council or generation of taxpayers. Lifecycle planning helps communities see those consequences earlier and consider what future leaders, residents, and ratepayers will inherit. Move the conversation beyond cost. Capital improvement discussions often begin with a large number: This is how much the project will cost. Elected officials must balance public safety, utilities, parks, growth, affordability, taxes, rates, and other priorities. Anticipating resistance, infrastructure professionals may reduce or delay a recommendation before decision-makers see the full need. In effect, WithersRavenel can begin negotiating against ourselves before the budget conversation starts. Lifecycle modeling creates a different starting point. Instead of asking only, "Can we afford this?" communities can ask: * What level of service do residents expect? * How do WithersRavenel measure service level? * What risks are WithersRavenel willing to accept? * What will current funding accomplish? * How much funding do WithersRavenel need to get to a better service level? * Is there a more cost-effective way to get these results? * What are the consequences of underfunding the CIP? The goal is not to turn elected officials into engineers. It is to give them clear choices they can understand, own, and explain to their constituents. A capital funding request represents more than a project cost. It represents service levels, reliability, accepted risk, and future expenses that may either be prevented or created. Make future needs visible. Infrastructure continues to age whether a community is modeling its lifecycle or not. Deferred maintenance accumulates, risk increases, and future rehabilitation and replacement needs continue to develop. Many communities constructed infrastructure in waves through periods of growth, bond programs, utility extensions, and facility expansions. When assets are built around the same time, their replacement needs may also arrive together. Without long-term visibility, those needs can become a "budget tsunami," a moment when everyone agrees the work is necessary, but the total cost feels unexpected. In most cases, the need was forming for years. It simply was not made visible early enough. Communities do not need perfect data or a comprehensive model of every asset to begin. Start with one asset class, such as pavement, water mains, roofs, pump stations, parks, public buildings, or fleet vehicles. Use the available information to define the desired service level, compare funding scenarios, and show the consequences of delaying investment. The first model does not need to answer every question. It needs to help the community begin asking better ones. Start the conversation now. Its message at the ASCE Alabama Section and APWA Alabama Summer Meetings was urgent but not alarmist: The future is already taking shape, whether a community chooses to examine it or not. Lifecycle planning replaces surprise with foresight. It helps infrastructure professionals communicate needs honestly and gives elected officials meaningful choices while there is still time to act. As WithersRavenel continues working with communities throughout the Southeast and across the country, WithersRavenel encourage infrastructure leaders to change the conversation during their next budget cycle. Show what current funding buys, what it does not buy, and how today's decisions will affect tomorrow's infrastructure conditions, services, risks, and costs. Let's connect. To discuss lifecycle planning, capital improvement strategies, or communicating infrastructure needs more effectively, connect with Keith Pugh, Government Information Liaison, or Jon Mills, Innovation Executive, and its Infrastructure Asset Management team. Keith Pugh, PE. Government Innovation Liaison Jon Mills. Innovation Executive, WR Technologies You might also be interested in... Government Innovation Liaison Keith has more than 30 years of municipal engineering and public works experience, including leading the City of Greensboro's Facilities Engineering Division for new construction and renovation of public buildings. A former National APWA President, he connects clients with the right resources and solutions, helping them navigate facility challenges with clarity and confidence. His broad expertise strengthens WithersRavenel's ability to deliver effective, client-focused public infrastructure assessments. Innovation Executive Jon brings 15 years of experience working with local governments from the private sector perspective, impacting hundreds of localities around the United States. Prior to WithersRavenel, he spent more than 10 years growing the local government team at Brightly (formerly Dude Solutions), enabling more than $1 billion in valuation while helping local governments manage many billions of dollars in infrastructure. He has extensive experience in asset management, capital planning, lifecycle modeling, permitting, and community development for local government organizations. Additionally, he is a former board member for APWA-FL and APWA-NC Facilities & Grounds.