Ryan Moilanen started interning at Apex Engineering Group during the summer of 2024. Now that he has graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in civil engineering, Moilanen joins Apex full-time. In his new role as a graduate engineer in the water group he will work with both drinking water and wastewater projects. His prior work experience includes an internship with Benton County Public Works Department.

The Apex Water Group and the City of Fargo won a 2025 ND ACEC Award in Engineering Excellence for Fargo’s newest water tower. The downtown Fargo, ND, water tower is the largest in the state at 2.5 million gallons, replacing three older towers—one 90 years old and two 70 years old. All three towers were due for major repairs. Replacing the three aging towers with a single high-capacity structure improved efficiency, lowered maintenance costs and enhanced water system reliability.

The project features Fargo’s first-ever water tower art mural. To bring the mural to life, Apex collaborated with the artist and the paint manufacturer to ensure the colors aligned with the design while maintaining durability and warranty standards.

Beyond its water storage function, this tower is critical to regional safety. It houses essential communications equipment for the Red River Regional Dispatch Center. Apex worked closely with the dispatch team to integrate specialized features such as climate control, backup power generation, and advanced lightning protection—enhancements not typically found in water tower infrastructure.

Apex provided the design and construction engineering services for this project, which was completed in Fall 2024.

Congrats to the City of Fargo and Apex team members involved in this project! Thank you to the ND ACEC for recognizing it. This project represents a significant milestone for the City of Fargo, and we are proud to have contributed to its success.

ND ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. Entries come from 12 project categories. Fargo’s 2.5 MG Water Tower won for the Water Resources category.

Congrats to Brent Muscha on taking on a new role as Fargo Operations Manager! As operations manager, he will oversee operations, growth, and efficiencies in our Fargo office. Brent has been with Apex for 11 years and is a Senior Engineer in our Transportation Group. In 2018, he was selected as an Apex associate owner.

Brent was also the 2021 Prairie Business 40 Under 40 recipient. Read more about this and his background.

Apex Environmental Engineer Michael Quamme earns the 2024 40 Under 40 Award from Prairie Business. Michael is a licensed professional engineer with 13 years of civil and environmental engineering experience. He joined Apex as an intern during college, and his dedication and professionalism led to his becoming a shareholder at Apex in January of 2022.

As an engineer focusing primarily on the drinking water and wastewater industry, Michael oversees projects that affect people’s everyday lives. He is a project and client manager directly involved in all aspects of water supply, treatment, and distribution, as well as wastewater collection, conveyance, and treatment. While serving in this capacity, he has provided various conceptual, planning, design, and construction administration services to multiple design teams and clients at Apex.

Michael’s passion for the engineering industry goes beyond his project work. Another way he gives back to his profession is by spending time educating and mentoring students at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, St. Cloud State University, and North Dakota State University.

In the community, Michael and his wife, Madison, are proud supporters of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley, serving meals and promoting the organization’s mission. He also volunteers with the MN USA Wrestling Board, serves as a board member for the Bison Wrestling Club, and is an active NDSU Bison Bidders Bowl Planning Committee member.

Congrats, Michael!

For more, check out the December 2024 issue of Prairie Business.

Ted Jackola joins Apex Engineering Group as an engineering technician with the municipal group. He earned his AAS degree in Design and Engineering Technology from the Minnesota Community and Technical College in Moorhead. Ted gained engineering experience during his Hubbard County, MN, and Team Industries internships.