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LHB, Inc. partners with Century College on AI training. The college received a $50,000 grant as part of nearly $1.6 million DEED funds distributed for employer workforce development projects across the state. Today at 7:38 AM News Reporting DULUTH - LHB, Inc., a Duluth-based design and consulting firm, has partnered with Century College to provide AI training designed to bring its employees up to speed on the technology that is reshaping the future of the industry. Century College, a two-year community college in White Bear Lake, was one of seven Minnesota institutions to receive grants from the Department of Employment and Economic Development for employer workforce development projects. Nearly $1.6 million will be used for 10 projects across the state, according to a news release. DEED's Jobs Skills Partnership program connects participating businesses with accredited educational institutions to develop and deliver custom training. Programming ranged from onboarding, training, workforce diversity and career pathways, to developing communication and leadership skills. LHB, Inc., which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in September, is a multidisciplinary architecture, engineering and planning firm. It offers a wide range of professional design and consulting services to both public and private clients across energy, heavy industry, public works, government and commercial projects. "We're kind of a one-stop shop for local construction or local design needs," said Stacee Demmer, LHB, Inc.'s chief operating officer. "It's been pretty fun to look at the future and what the next 60 years are going to bring with how the industry is changing." The partnership with Century College will allow the firm to develop an AI fundamentals and leadership training program for its 250 employees across four locations. In addition to its Duluth headquarters, the company has offices in Minneapolis and Cambridge in Minnesota, and a location in Superior, Wisconsin. "A year ago, it felt like you would have to have been a really big company with endless resources in order to really classify your own data and have to hire someone to come up with a big system to do that, but the tools have gotten more easily accessible and a lot more granular," Demmer said. The training will focus on responsibly and effectively using AI-related tools. Four of the courses will be available to all LHB employees, while the firm's 70 engineers, architects and management staff will be expected to complete all nine. "We're also going to educate staff on the ethics of AI; how to look into accuracy, how to keep the human in the loop," Demmer said. "We're licensed professionals and we have an obligation to the health, safety and welfare of the public, so we have to be pretty careful about the quality of our design and engineering." LHB, Inc. provides ongoing engineering and inspection services on the Aerial Lift Bridge, as well as design and maintenance engineering at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, Demmer noted. Currently, the company utilizes AI on the marketing and project management side of the business, but Demmer said there are potential implementations for the quickly evolving tool on the design and engineering end, too. The advancement of AI in the field of development now allows for instantaneous space planning, rendering of structural design and interactive design, she explained. "Our entry-level staff are very concerned about future jobs and their ability to grow within the industry," Dremmer said. "They're our future. If we don't bring them on board and develop them, there won't be anybody there to step into those mid-level and senior roles in the future." News Reporting Brielle Bredsten is a business and health care industry reporter for the Duluth News Tribune. Send her story tips, feedback or just say hi at [email protected]. Conversation

Tire Recycling Foundation announces inaugural Circle of Change Award winners. * By TT News * May 20, 2026 The Tire Recycling Foundation (TRF) has unveiled the recipients of its inaugural Circle of Change Awards, recognising initiatives that convert end-of-life tyres into sustainable materials with tangible community and environmental benefits. The honours, announced during a luncheon at the recently concluded 10th Tire Recycling Conference in Denver, Colorado, highlight growing momentum in end-use markets for recycled tire products. North Carolina earned the Circular Economy Trailblazer Award for modernising its scrap tyre programme, including a revised funding framework that stabilises county recycling efforts, curbs illegal dumping and establishes a platform to incorporate tyre-derived materials into public works. The Innovation in End-Use Technology Award went to LHB Engineering and the St. Paul Port Authority for redeveloping a brownfield site in Minnesota, where roughly 30,000 yards of tyre-derived aggregate now support an underground stormwater system protecting the Mississippi River from runoff. Michigan EGLE and its public, private and academic partners received the Market Development Excellence Award for a multi-sector effort using demonstrations and field data to advance tyre-derived aggregate, rubber-modified asphalt and porous pavements. The Value Chain Collaboration Award was presented to Bolder Industries and Pirelli Tire LLC for a closed-loop system that transforms manufacturing scrap tyres into recovered carbon black for new commercial tyre production, reducing emissions and resource use at scale. The 2026 winning projects demonstrate that tyre recycling and tyre-derived products are established pillars of sustainability and economic growth, reinforcing the value of active state end-of-life tyre programmes focused on innovative market creation. The TRF Circle of Change Awards programme spans four national categories designed to spotlight leadership in advancing tyre recycling and the circular economy. Stephanie Mull, Executive Director, Tire Recycling Foundation, said, "Every end-of-life tyre represents an opportunity to transform what would have been considered waste into something that strengthens our communities. This year's winners are proof that when the industry works together, tyre recycling can simultaneously strengthen infrastructure, drive meaningful environmental progress and support local economies." Dick Gust, President, Tire Recycling Foundation, said, "What stands out about the 2026 winners is how embedded tyre recycling has become in real-world decision making. The success of these projects sends a clear signal that when recyclers, engineers, transportation agencies, state and local governments, manufacturers and private industry work together, end-use markets grow. That's the integrated approach we need to continue building on."