A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc.

February 13, 2017
When designing something new for clients, something unusual, design teams create a lot of data. Plan sheets depict every detail of the project to the fraction of an inch; it could be precisely constructed. But what will it look like when finished? How will it function? A designer or builder...
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September 15, 2016
Recently, I was asked to photograph AMT’s work on the Brookside Gardens Parking Lot and Entryway in Wheaton Maryland. At first I wondered how I might go about making a parking lot seem interesting. I was wrong to wonder.
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April 18, 2016
Our story starts nearly ten years ago just as spring was turning to summer. My wife Ashley and I were expecting our first child at the end of August and all of our regular checkups showed the growth of a normal
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March 1, 2016
Last summer on the blog, AMT's Greg Fox told you about his stormwater management presentation to the Virginia Municipal Stormwater Association. It gave a great outline as to our skills in helping businesses and communities meet their stormwater management requirements, but why do these requirements exist in the first place?
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October 29, 2015
Picture this: It is Labor Day weekend and we’re driving east on U.S. 50, heading to Lewes, Delaware to spend a couple of days at the beach. Crossing the Kent Island Narrows bridge in Maryland, we turn north off the highway for a late seafood lunch of anything with Old...
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September 2, 2015
With the opening of our new office in Charlotte, we thought we’d take a moment to introduce you to the city. The 17th largest city in the U.S. in total population, Charlotte is also among the fastest growing cities in the country, predicted to grow by 71 percent by 2030....
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June 30, 2015
Last spring, AMT was tasked to complete a boundary survey in Brandywine, Maryland on the county line between Charles and Prince George’s counties. The survey consisted of retracing about 100 acres of land that is being donated to The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. This land is located within...
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May 19, 2015
The passing of one of my most fervent mentors has illuminated the topic for me as of late. My mentor was a former boss who always knew when to push or to pull or even when to stand down with a good “you’ll figure it out.” This mentorship taught me...
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April 10, 2015
The historical Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel is a mile-long train tunnel that was built to allow trains to pass through the Afton Mountain at Rockfish Gap, a natural low point on the mountain in Central Virginia. The tunnel
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March 3, 2015
AMT was contracted to provide civil engineering and surveying services for the restoration of the Point Lookout Lighthouse. The AMT Project Survey Team created a specific deliverable for the project--a 3D Point Cloud of the Interior and Exterior of the Lighthouse Building. While conducting research for the project, going through...
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January 21, 2015
The Virginia Metropolitan Stormwater Association, also called VAMSA, asked Don Rissmeyer to present AMT’s experience to its members during its quarterly meeting last week in Richmond. Don and I were excited to share our best management practice designs with a focus on stream restoration. As this was my
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December 24, 2014
It started with an idea. We do “Bring Your Child to Work Day,” and Discover Engineering Family Day, what about those whose kids have fur? What about our “furbabies?” They need love too! “We should do
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October 31, 2014
Inspecting water and sewer lines hasn’t always been easy. While there were ways to do it, they either required getting down into the sewers or waiting until something flooded to find the compromised pipe. As technology has improved, other methods were developed. Now we have the option of using remotely...
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October 7, 2014
Science, Technology, Education and Math, or STEM, education is a prevalent topic in our country’s dialogue. Currently, we don’t educate enough students in these fields to replace retiring professionals or to support the scientific advances and innovations that we hope to accomplish. The Virginia Department of Transportation-Northern Virginia District Civil...
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August 8, 2014
I received an email from a colleague today praising a document that a member of our marketing team put together. I’ve had a fairly productive day, but likely the best task I did today was to find out which team member
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July 2, 2014
In December 2011, I was diagnosed with ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
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June 11, 2014
In the fall of 2010, I was on the red-eye returning to DC from a laser scanning conference in San Francisco and a previous passenger had left the November 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review in the seat back pocket. The focus of the issue was on leadership lessons
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May 21, 2014
Most employees have hobbies that are separate from their chosen careers. Sometimes these hobbies reveal great talents. Ryan Gilbert, a project engineer from AMT’s Richmond office, started
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May 2, 2014
Last week we celebrated Bring Your Child to Work Day by showing 34 of our employees' children what we do for a living. Days like this make one think of the future. These will be the people taking over for us when we retire. Or will they?
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April 9, 2014
This week marks the annual public outreach campaign “Work Zone Awareness Week.” Since its inception more than a decade ago, the campaign has grown from a localized event in the mid-Atlantic to a nationwide initiative to promote safety at the beginning of each construction season. In 2012, 611 people
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March 14, 2014
In this installment of “Where we Work,” we visit the location of one of AMT’s newer offices, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg is a collection of townships named for the mechanics who made and repaired wagons in the early 1800s and continues as a
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February 11, 2014
Landscape architecture is often viewed by the public as a beautification measure rather than an integration of natural systems and design. This integration creates functional landscapes that address environmental issues, sustainably manage stormwater, and create desirable spaces while respecting the surrounding environment. What makes landscape architecture beneficial on new and...
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January 15, 2014
A recent LinkedIn post by Kevin Roose of New York Magazine suggests that you can get ahead using spelling mistakes and bad email etiquette. The post cites an exchange between Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and Evan Spiegel of Snapchat in which Zuckerberg contacted Spiegel looking for a meeting. Spiegel’s...
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December 4, 2013
The Boots on the Ground series features the people at AMT who do the work out in the field, create the designs, plans, and analyses, and provide support that allows our company to thrive. In this edition of Boots on the Ground, we feature Silver McElroy, Billing Specialist in our...
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November 21, 2013
The beginning of the holiday season is upon us, and while we’re taking a moment to decide whether to say “happy holidays” or “Merry Christmas” or preparing for the start of Hanukah or other celebrations, it’s worth focusing on the holiday at hand. The A/E community has a good amount...
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November 7, 2013
If you check out our news section, you’ll see that AMT is moving our headquarters office. You’ll also see that we’re staying in Rockville, Maryland. So it seemed apropos to start a new series in the blog on the places AMT works with Rockville.
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October 23, 2013
There has been increasing interest in recent years toward Complete Streets designs and bicycle and pedestrian friendly amenities in designing new roadways. As these roadway designs are being implemented and are less geared toward motorized traffic, there is also a push toward safety when it comes to sharing the road....
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October 9, 2013
After a tragic accident last week, AMT Inspector Trevor Blankenship was laid to rest yesterday. Listening to Trevor’s friends and relatives recount and recall stories of how Trevor had touched their lives was nothing short of amazing.
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September 27, 2013
Whether it’s through serving our current contracts and clients or pushing to win new ones, it seems that members of the A/E/C community are continually operating at full capacity. But with as busy as we get, it's good to stop and take time to engage with those...
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August 14, 2013
In our first Boots on the Ground post, we feature Eric Groah, a construction manager who works out of our Verona office with the Virginia Department of Transportation in its North West Regional Operations administering projects such as Signals, Guardrail, Signs, Pavement Markings, etc. While Eric is a great construction...
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July 31, 2013
So you’ve received some good news—your proposal was chosen for shortlist. Fantastic news! You gather some key players to sit down and discuss the upcoming presentation. You begin discussing the presentation slides: who will create them, what project examples will be used, and images are typical topics. After hours of...
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July 17, 2013
New and innovative stormwater management approaches are appearing every day through the creativity and experience of stormwater professionals. One of the technologies gaining traction with our clients is permeable pavement, especially in urban areas where land is unavailable and costs are at the highest. Permeable pavement eliminates the need...
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July 3, 2013
Here are a few ideas that may help you all have a safe and happy Fourth:
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June 20, 2013
The process of restructuring and redoing a website requires some reflection on who we are as a company and what we truly want to say to those who want to know about us. After a great deal of exploration, we have come up with a site that reflects our company...
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April 19, 2013
In American culture, we strive for independence. As we achieve success in our careers, we are rewarded with ever-increasing amounts of isolation. We have our own corner offices. We see working from home as a reward. It allows us to get things accomplished. Yet at the same time, without physically...
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April 19, 2013
A colleague related a story to me today. He was being a bit of a stickler on a quality issue with a contractor. The client, knowing that one of our projects had just won an award, said, “You’re just looking for another award.” I was so proud of my colleague...
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