August/September 2014

COMMUNITIES: GOVERNMENT
PEGASUS Winner Continues Engineering Legacy

STEVEN BRANDAU, P.E. (SECOND FROM RIGHT) GATHERED WITH (FROM LEFT) HIS BROTHER KEITH BRANDAU, P.E.; FATHER RON BRANDAU, P.E.; AND SON JARED BRANDAU, E.I.T., TO CELEBRATE RON’S 80TH BIRTHDAY IN JULY.

Steven Brandau, P.E., grew up inspired by his father. As a county engineer in Lee County, Illinois, Ron Brandau, P.E., solved problems as he served the public. His son was “amazed” by the work and felt compelled to follow in the elder Brandau’s footsteps.

Not only did he, becoming the county engineer for the state’s Henry County, but in varying degrees so did other members of his family. Steven’s brother became a licensed structural engineer, his sister married an engineer, and his son is working for a consulting firm and pursuing his PE.

“You would’ve thought we would’ve learned better, wouldn’t you?” quips Brandau.

Nominated by his brother on behalf of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, Steven Brandau is the 2014 recipient of the Professional Engineer in Government Achievement and Service in the United States (PEGASUS) Award. Each year, NSPE’s Professional Engineers in Government interest group recognizes the engineer in state, regional, county, special district, or municipal government who has made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement and practice of engineering.

Working as a civil engineer for the Henry County Highway Department since 1982, Brandau’s accomplishments include improving and upgrading 85% of the county highway system; writing a computer program to perform county motor fuel tax accounting that was adapted by the state for use with all counties; and negotiating and implementing wind farm agreements that gave wind companies access for oversize and overweight loads in exchange for help upgrading township roads.

Despite his achievements and the award, Brandau is quite humble. For example, he gives the credit for the highway improvements to the asphalt plant owned by the county that allows it to manufacture its own blacktop. That’s helped stretch finances, he explains, in an era when local governments are facing challenges such as rising costs of construction materials and shrinking resources.

Brandau also praises his staff and the county overall, saying he can’t imagine how a “small-time, rural county engineer” would’ve been recognized. “It’s really kind of a group effort,” he says.