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Detroit’s Legacy of Innovation

Detroit earned its reputation as the Motor City through decades of automotive innovation and manufacturing leadership. By the mid-20th century, the region was producing roughly half of all cars made in the United States, establishing itself as one of the country’s most important industrial centers. Today, that industrious spirit extends far beyond automotive manufacturing. From a vibrant art scene and a growing technology campus, Detroit is investing in its future like never before.

Finding the Right Office Location

That’s why when Andy Femminineo first got the idea for a Detroit-based DMC office, the city’s rich manufacturing past and emerging technology sector felt like a natural fit. Andy immediately started looking for spaces in the Detroit area and landed on Green Garage, an industrial coworking building in Midtown. “I wanted a space that we could just get started in with two, three, or four of us and then find a full-time lease.”

DMC has long been committed to creating workspaces where people want to be, and for Andy, that meant finding a location with plenty of natural light, architectural character, and, of course, in-office perks.

Green Garage Coworking Space in Midtown, Detroit

“I looked at about four or five places, and I knew right away that Green Garage would be perfect. The building itself was built using a lot of the reclaimed materials from the businesses that had been there before: an old manufacturing building, an automotive shop and garage.”

In addition to its sustainability focus, Green Garage is also deeply invested in the surrounding community, offering coworking residents a pantry stocked with locally sourced snacks and food. “The little market sells locally produced, Michigan-made goods. It’s very community-driven,” Andy shared.

While the team may eventually move into a larger, dedicated office of its own, Green Garage is currently providing an ideal place for the Detroit team to work in person while enjoying everything Midtown has to offer.

Establishing Office Culture

Creating a workplace people enjoy starts with culture. Through after-work activities, mentorship programs, and team lunches, every DMC office is encouraged to build relationships and connect beyond day-to-day project work. Although the Detroit team is small, they regularly explore the city’s attractions and bond outside of the office.

“Spencer was one of our first new hires, and he has been the driving force behind many of our team outings,” Andy remarked. This past summer, for example, the team spent an evening at Full Throttle, driving go-karts and playing VR games together. The team also regularly takes in Detroit sports, visiting Comerica Park for baseball games and Little Caesars Arena to watch the Red Wings (RIP, The Joe). Thanks to the office’s location, almost all of these attractions are little more than a short walk or bike ride away.

DMC’s Detroit team members at sports games, go-karting, and an archery range

“My favorite event so far has been our first Tigers game as a team,” Spencer explained. “There was a fan who wore ten jerseys to the game and took them off as different players came to bat. Then afterward we all rented scooters and zipped through the city back to the office. It was so fun getting to know the Detroit office outside of work.”

As for future events, Spencer has a few fun and very Michigan-themed ideas. “I think it would be fun to go to the Michigan/Michigan State game—preferably football, but basketball would be fun, too! There’s so much history behind that rivalry, every game is electric, and now we have University of Michigan alums and Michigan State alums on the team.”

When it’s time to collaborate on client projects, Detroit’s diverse industrial landscape provides no shortage of engineering challenges. As Andy explained, “Detroit is the Motor City, of course, but our office does a lot more high-tech work, SCADA projects, and general manufacturing because there are so many industries here, including aerospace and pharmaceuticals throughout Michigan.”

What’s Next for DMC Detroit?

Detroit’s history and momentum make it an exciting place to work, but it’s the people who have made the office feel truly special. From finding a workspace that meets the team’s growing needs to building connections through after-work events, Midtown has proven to be an excellent place for DMC to lay down roots in Michigan and continue delivering the engineering expertise and partnerships DMC is known for around the country.

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This year, DMC’s David Berno, Nikhil Holay, Brandon Tanner, John Williams, and Elizabeth Reed will attend the conference to participate in technical discussions, connect with our partners, and, on September 22nd, Elizabeth will even sit on a panel to discuss common problems in integration projects.

Being connected to a strong community of experts is just one of the many benefits of being designated an Ignition Premier Integrator. It also allows us to continuously learn about new technologies, solutions, and how to solve our clients’ biggest engineering challenges. We can’t wait to connect once again with the Ignition community this September.

Panel: Avoiding Million-Dollar Mistakes in Automation Projects

On September 22nd, Director of SCADA and MES, Elizabeth Hill Reed, will sit on a panel to discuss the most common failure points seen in control system projects with other automation experts. Here’s what panel attendees can expect to hear:

• Real-world examples and lessons learned from failed and high-risk control system integration projects.
• A discussion of the most common reasons automation projects exceed budgets or fail to meet performance expectations.
• How system integrators drive project success through disciplined requirements development and cross-functional coordination.
• Strategies for identifying and mitigating technical, organizational, and implementation risks early in the project lifecycle.

The session will be a good chance for conference attendees to reflect on important lessons learned from high-risk integrations and walk away with strategies to mitigate these kinds of challenges on their next project.

What to Expect This Year: Panels, Demos, Table Talks and More

ICC 2026 will have many more discussions and sessions over the three days, featuring leaders and experts in the industry. From software demonstrations to larger industry discussions, the schedule this year includes a variety of topics designed to spread ideas and spark conversations among Ignition users.

In addition to panels, workshops, and demonstrations, ICC will also feature table talk sessions again this year, allowing conferencegoers to explore topics that pique their interests. Be sure to look out for our automation experts at different table talk sessions over the three days of the conference!

Check out the full schedule for ICC 2026.

2026 Conference Information

• When: September 22-24, 2026
• Where: SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Sacramento, CA
• How to Attend: Register for Tickets Here

ICC is a great opportunity to continue to grow connections and relationships within the Ignition community.

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With 43 employees joining DMC since May, this summer has been packed with opportunities to celebrate. Across the country, teams gathered to introduce newcomers to their coworkers, communities, and company culture. Take a look at how our offices welcomed their newest teammates this season.

Welcoming New Hires

DMC places a strong emphasis on onboarding and helping every new employee have their “Best First Day” (BFD). From day one, anyone joining the company can expect a fully prepared workspace, a ready-to-go laptop, an activated key card, and a lunch hosted in their honor.

But the celebration doesn’t stop there, because each employee is also welcomed with a team event designed to help them get to know their colleagues and city. Think escape rooms, happy hours, and city tours; offering new team members an opportunity to build connections from the start while experiencing the fun, community-focused culture that makes DMC unique.

Exploring Architecture in Chicago

In July, members of DMC’s Chicago team took the world-renowned Chicago Architecture Boat Tour. The boat tour starts at the end of the river that opens into Lake Michigan. From there, it travels up the Chicago River while a tour guide points to famous buildings along the riverfront, explaining the year in which they were constructed, their architectural style, architect, and historical significance.

The tour began near the mouth of the Chicago River, where it meets Lake Michigan. From there, the boat traveled along the river as the guide highlighted some of the city’s most iconic buildings, sharing details about when they were constructed, the architectural styles they represent, the architects who designed them, and their historical significance.

The eras of the buildings run the gamut with some dating to the early 20th Century, like the Wrigley Building, and others built much more recently, like the sleek Apple Store Building sitting in front of the Tribune Tower. There are always a handful of historical facts that stand out on each tour, and each DMC Chicago team member, especially those new to the city, had their own takeaway:

Axe Throwing in Denver

Denver found a unique way to welcome one of its newest engineers, Jaron O’Grady, to the team when the office headed to an axe-throwing venue. “We were divided into two teams and competed against each other,” Julia explained. “It was tied most of the time!”

Teammates took turns hurling axes at targets, with points awarded based on accuracy. While everyone had their moments of success, no one on the Denver team will be quitting their day job to become a professional axe thrower anytime soon.

The group also had the chance to try throwing knives, and opinions were evenly split on which activity was more fun. Whatever the preference, the event gave the team a memorable way to spend time together outside the office getting to know Jaron.

A Tiki-Themed Party in Cincinnati

In Cincinnati, the team also took a boat tour, swapping architecture for a tiki theme complete with drinks, music, team bonding, and, of course, Hawaiian shirts. The Cincinnati office wanted to do something original to welcome Rob Orr, who joined the Automation team.

“Everyone got in the spirit! Almost everyone had floral or island-themed shirts, and the boat offered leis and hats, too,” Dylan remembered about the day. The boat took the team up the Ohio River, approaching downtown. They got to see views of the Cincinnati skyline and stopped for food at a waterside restaurant on the way back.

Hiring Continues This Fall

From architecture cruises and axe-throwing competitions to tiki boat tours on the Ohio River, each welcome party reflected the unique personality of its local office while sharing the same goal: helping new hires build connections from day one. As DMC continues to grow, employee connection remains an important part of what makes our culture special.

Looking ahead, we’re continuing this hiring momentum. In the fall, DMC will be traveling to career fairs and events across the country to meet the next generation of engineers. These events are a great chance to connect with talented students and discuss professional opportunities that define a career at DMC from day one.

Whether we’re welcoming new teammates at a local office event or meeting aspiring engineers on campus, we’re always looking for talented people who are eager to learn, grow, and have fun along the way. We can’t wait to see who the guest of honor at the next welcome party will be.

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Three decades later, I can easily say we more than accomplished that goal. People sometimes ask about the secret to our success, or our “special sauce.” My view is that there usually isn’t a secret; success comes from executing the basics consistently. And as far as special sauce goes, everyone knows it’s Thousand Island dressing.

As I did five years ago, I’m going to share a list of valuable lessons, this time with some of the best decisions we’ve made. Some may not fit your circumstances, or even ours today, and sequence matters: cherry-picking one or two ideas may not work the same way it worked for us.

Alright, enough yakety-yak; here are some of the choices that helped us become a great company.

1. Making ‘Hiring Smart People’ Our #1 Core Value

DMC’s core values are really more operational than they are aspirational, and if you don’t believe me, take a look at their order because it’s intentional. There’s a reason “Hire Smart People” is number one on our list: because hiring smart people influences safety, customer satisfaction, telling it like it is, etc. Everything cascades from getting the right people on board.

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Then, if you go all the way to the last core value, “Use Resources Wisely,” bookending the list that way was also intentional because people tend to remember what they read first and what they read last: primacy and recency. So even though it’s #9, it’s just as important.

2. One DMC

As DMC grew beyond a single office, we made a deliberate decision not to treat each location as its own profit center. Instead, we adopted a “One DMC” philosophy where all offices succeed or fail together. This may sound simple, but it has had a profound impact on our culture and operations.

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Rather than worrying about which office gets credit for a project or where revenue is booked, our managers focus on assembling the best team for the customer regardless of location. Engineers collaborate freely across offices, knowledge is shared openly, and resources flow to where they are needed most. By avoiding the territorialism that often comes with office-level P&Ls, we’ve been able to provide better service to customers, create more opportunities for employees, and build a stronger, more unified company.

3. Best First Day (BFD)

Everyone thinks they know the meaning of BFD until they join DMC. We realized early on the importance of setting the tone from the first moment someone walks through the door on their first day.

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Having your “BFD” at DMC means everything is set up and ready. It means a Welcome Lunch in your first week and after-work events to connect with your new teammates. BFD was created because we know there’s never a second chance at a first impression.

4. Creating the Career Development and Improvement Program (CDIP)

CDIP is really the brainchild of Kristie Shea and other members of the leadership team. We recognized there isn’t truly one clear path to career advancement; it’s more of a lattice.

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As engineers work on more projects and gain experience, we provide feedback after each project to reinforce their technical skill development. That way, engineers are constantly growing and evolving their technical knowledge and confidence. CDIP also offers opportunities to partner with an experienced engineer and advance their career with guidance from a mentor.

5. Expanding Our Service Offerings

Over the years, we have continually expanded our capabilities, both by adding entirely new service areas and by broadening the offerings within those areas. Test & Measurement was our first major addition beyond our original controls focus, but the larger lesson was that growth opportunities often existed right in front of us.

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As customers trusted us with more complex challenges, we added new technologies, industries, and service offerings that allowed us to solve a wider range of problems for existing clients while reaching new markets. This strategy helped us grow without becoming dependent on any single technology or industry and created a culture of continuous learning and innovation that remains a core part of DMC today.

6. Deciding to Expand Geographically

Back in 2012, when we decided to open our first regional office, the vision was that we could better serve local-ish clients, expand our ability to recruit and retain talent, and give emerging leaders more opportunities to grow.

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Now, having opened up 15+ offices across the country, I can say that this has been the best decision we’ve made to drive our growth. I’d be a bit remiss if I didn’t mention my oft-quoted geographic growth strategy, weasel words and all: “We will have an office in every major metro area in the country…where it makes sense”

7. Making Employee Feedback Count

When we created our annual “How’s It Going?” survey, we wanted to do more than collect feedback and file it away. We decided we also wanted to act on what we learned. Every year, employees provide feedback on everything from leadership and career development to project staffing, benefits, culture, and day-to-day work experience, and the feedback has been more than just eye-opening; it’s been motivating.

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As I said, we don’t just collect the data and file it away. Teams review every response, identify themes, route feedback to the appropriate leaders and committees, and use the results to drive improvements and shape future initiatives. Over the years, the survey has helped us identify problems earlier, prioritize the issues that matter most to employees, and take action where it really makes sense. Listening to our people has been one of the most effective ways we’ve found to keep improving.

8. Focusing on Customer Service

There are a lot of smart engineers in the world, but we quickly realized that technical competence alone wouldn’t differentiate us. We made a deliberate choice to obsess over customer service: responding quickly, communicating clearly, managing expectations, building relationships, and doing what we could to exceed expectations.

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Over time, that focus became part of our culture and one of our strongest competitive advantages. Many of our customers have been with us for years, and many of our new customers come from referrals. That’s not because of marketing. It’s because people like working with companies that genuinely care about their success.

9. Activity Funds

Everyone must be invited. You must take pictures. And it must be legal. These are the only firm rules behind planning Activity Funds. Every office is budgeted each month to do an activity together as a group, and the more creative the activity, the better.

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We’ve had teams go to Broadway plays, hold 40-person LEGO builds, cake tastings, and craft cocktail lessons—if you can think of a group activity, one of our offices has probably done it as an Activity Fund event.

And as I like to tell each new hire on day one, with “Have Fun” being one of our core values and monthly activities, we more or less manipulate you into becoming friends with your coworkers.

10. Creating a Culture of Transparency

I’ve never liked being told “because” when asking a reasonable question, because I’ve always believed that when people don’t have information, they fill in the blanks themselves, often with assumptions that are worse than reality. That’s why we make a concerted effort to put transparency at the heart of our company culture.

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We work hard to share information openly, explain the reasoning behind decisions, and maintain an open-door policy throughout the company. I regularly tell candidates and new employees that I’ll answer almost any question they want to ask—with the exception of confidential HR or compensation information.

Over the years, this approach has helped build trust, reduce rumors, and create a workplace where people feel respected and informed. Transparency doesn’t mean everyone always agrees with every decision. It means people understand why decisions are made and feel comfortable asking questions.

11. Structured Employee Recognition

People do great work every day, but in a growing company it’s easy for those contributions to go unnoticed. Rather than hoping recognition would happen organically, we built systems to encourage it.

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From the DMC Team Award and PAFOAITFOE (our Periodic Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence, a nod to The Simpsons) to the Webby Award and Community Award, employees have numerous opportunities to nominate and recognize their peers.

What started as a way to celebrate accomplishments evolved into something bigger. These programs help reinforce our values, strengthen relationships, and remind people that success at DMC is rarely the result of one person’s effort. Culture is shaped by what gets recognized, and we’ve found that creating structured ways to celebrate great work helps make DMC a better place to work.

12. Establishing LIFT (Leadership Improvement Forged Together)

LIFT, or its full name, Leadership Improvement Forged Together, is a leadership development program that was yet another great initiative led by Kristie Shea. Anyone interested can sign up for LIFT, and they join a cohort of others learning leadership skills.

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We not only want our engineers to have a high degree of technical skills, but we also want them to be skilled at managing teams, clients, and project dynamics. LIFT teaches you how to communicate clearly, quickly resolve challenges, and be better partners and advocates for our clients.

13. Growing Our Office Space in Chicago

If you put a plant in too small a pot, it won’t grow. After about seven years in our office on Kingsbury, we knew it was time to move on. Our next office location needed to be larger in scale to support where we were going as a company.

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The size of the Kingsbury office was putting both a mental and physical constraint on our growth. We moved into our current offices on Elston in 2011, and the amount of physical space we gained changed things significantly for us.

14. Creating Work Environments People Love

This notion of creating office spaces that people love actually started when we moved to our current headquarters on Elston. We wrote down a wish list of all of the things that we would love to have in our new office, and we hit most of them.

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A ping-pong table, a big lunchroom, some outdoor space, a gym, bike racks, kitchens stocked with snacks and drinks. Certain constraints, like budget, never really go away, but we made a concerted effort to prioritize building spaces that people want to be in as we’ve expanded across our offices. Plus, snacks and caffeine = more productivity.

15. Embracing a Hybrid Work Environment

Like many companies at the time, pre-COVID we used to be in-office five days a week. But in working from home throughout the pandemic, we realized, hey, this works; people can be productive at home.

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So, the decision to embrace hybrid work was an easy one. That said, we haven’t gone fully remote, and that was a conscientious decision, too. In-person connection is still very important to us.

16. Expanding Benefits That Support Well-Being

The story behind our benefits really is no mystery. What’s the right thing to do for people working marathon hours? Our benefits make it possible for hardworking people to do a hard job.

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Project recuperation time, sabbaticals, a flexible sick time policy. It has helped tremendously with our retention, engagement, and managing burnout in a job that can be really, really hard. That decision was a no-brainer for me, and our engineers certainly appreciate it.

17. Establishing Yearly Office Events (YOEs)

YOEs actually grew out of an Activity Fund “misuse,” when we held our first DMSki event in 2010. At the time, I was metaphorically biting my tongue. A ski event wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned when we first implemented the Activity Fund.

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I was thinking bowling, going to the movies, happy hour, but the ski event turned out to be one of the best uses of DMC resources I could ever imagine. As we grew our geographical footprint, Yearly Office Events became a way for different cities with DMC offices to come together and connect despite the distance.

18. Building Strong Performance Metrics and KPIs

Our performance and KPI metrics are really built into a unique feedback system we created to keep everyone on the same page and focused on what’s important. Building strong individual performance metrics has given us a very fast, weekly feedback loop of how we’re doing as a company and how individuals are doing, too.

19. Creating Dynamic, Real-Time Dashboards

Early on, we made an explicit decision to create dynamic, real-time dashboards that would make it possible for us to keep a close eye on things like company performance, KPIs, sales performance, and so forth. It also allows anyone, at any time, to take the metaphorical “pulse” of the company and understand what’s happening.

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The company health dashboard, for example, gives us a better sense of overall business performance. Like each of our performance dashboards, it’s readily available to everyone in the company, and that transparency has helped us make informed decisions over the years as conditions change.

20. Growing from the Ground Up with College Recruiting

Hiring the smartest people starts in seemingly the most obvious place: college campuses. We’ve put a considerable amount of thought into our college recruiting strategy, hiring the next generation of engineers. Setting up our best people at campus career fairs every fall gives a direct line to some of the brightest engineering students in the country.

21. Choosing to Grow Organically

This is a decision that is regularly up for review, but having built a unique culture and very high hiring standards has led us to grow without acquisitions. Though buying other firms might accelerate our growth and entry into new markets, we’ve so far resisted the path that many firms our size follow, and I think it has paid off longer term for us.

22. Opening Our Manufacturing Center

For the longest time, we believed that focusing on our engineering services was best for our customers and for our business—thinking that manufacturers were better at the production side of things than we could be and that partnering with those firms would be most efficient.

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While we still do partner with other fabrication companies, opening DMC’s Manufacturing Center has made us more responsive and agile for a lot of our projects, strengthening our relationships with both our customers and our vendors.

23. Having a Content-Driven Web Strategy

Stating the obvious, the web has been transformative in how people find information and research companies. An entire industry has been created around search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

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While we certainly follow best practice techniques for our website, what we have found most effective is having our engineers share their expertise in blogs, case studies, and other content. Of course, our goal is to drive new business. If it also helps people in the technical community solve problems on their own, we’re more than ok with that as well.

24. Getting CSIA Certified

One of DMC’s most important decisions was pursuing certification through the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA). CSIA is the leading professional organization for control system integrators and has developed a comprehensive set of best practices covering everything from project management and engineering quality to financial management, cybersecurity, and customer service.

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Looking back, CSIA certification did far more than earn us a credential. It forced us to formalize and continually improve the management practices, quality systems, and project processes that enabled DMC to scale from a small engineering firm into a much larger organization without losing consistency or customer focus. As I’ve said before, I believe the certification process helped lay the foundation for much of our future growth.

25. Offsite Leadership Meetings

Our offsite management meetings started as a small group gathering in a Chicago hotel conference room, but we found they were so valuable, we eventually evolved them into multi-day retreats and, later, leadership summits involving nearly 50 leaders from across the company.

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Over the years, we’ve met in hotels, rental houses, the Chicago Guest House, my lake house in Holland, and most recently just across the street from our Chicago office. The location itself isn’t the important part. What matters is creating even a small amount of physical separation from day-to-day work.

Getting people out of their normal environment changes their mindset, encourages more creative thinking, and allows us to focus on long-term improvements that often get pushed aside by daily responsibilities. Just as importantly, these meetings build relationships across offices, service areas, and leadership teams. Many of the initiatives, process improvements, and strategic decisions that helped shape modern DMC trace their roots back to conversations that began at an offsite.

26. Budgeting by Not Budgeting

Conventional wisdom says that every department should have an annual budget. I’ve never been a big fan of that approach. Too often, budgets create incentives to spend money simply because it’s available. As the end of the year approaches, people start looking for ways to use up their remaining budget so they don’t lose it the following year. That behavior may be rational within the system, but it’s not good for the business.

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Instead, we’ve generally preferred to evaluate expenditures individually and ask whether they’re likely to create value. If they are, we should spend the money regardless of whether it was planned months earlier. If they’re not, we shouldn’t spend it just because a budget says we can. Looking back, avoiding the “use it or lose it” trap has helped us make more thoughtful decisions and keep resources focused on things that genuinely improve DMC.

27. Building Our Own Systems

There are many advantages to hiring the smartest people. One of those advantages happens to be that if you need a tool or system capable of doing something very specific, you just need to build it.

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We’ve built systems that support everything from sales and recruiting to employee well-being and client responsiveness. We don’t build our own tools because we enjoy reinventing the wheel. We build them when doing so allows us to create something better suited to our business and the way we work.

This approach reflects a core belief at DMC: the people closest to a problem are often the best equipped to solve it. Rather than changing our processes to fit a piece of software, we’ve often chosen to create systems that fit our needs exactly. The result is tools that are simpler, more effective, and aligned with the way our employees and clients actually work.

28. All-Day Company Meetings (ADCMs)

One example of a decision that made a lot of sense at one point, but became less effective as we grew, was our All-Day Company Meetings (ADCMs). When DMC was a much smaller company, ADCMs were a dedicated day each year when everyone stepped away from project work to learn, share knowledge, and spend time together as a team. The specific activities varied by office, but the goal was always the same: strengthen connections and reinforce our culture outside of the day-to-day work environment.

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Over time, however, DMC grew to roughly 300 employees spread across multiple cities. As we expanded, it became harder for a single annual event to create the same level of connection and impact it once had. A program can be successful and valuable yet no longer be the right fit for the company. Knowing when to stop doing something is just as important as knowing when to start.

29. Employee-Led Recruiting

The people who know DMC best are the people who work here every day. That’s why we decided to treat recruiting as everyone’s responsibility, not just HR’s. Our employees are the ones who can speak honestly about the projects, the culture, and what it takes to be successful.

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Employee-led recruiting reflects a lot of what we value as a company. It demonstrates ownership and reinforces teamwork because every great hire strengthens the entire organization. It also helps us maintain the culture that has made DMC successful by ensuring we bring in talented people who will contribute to and improve what we’ve built together.

The strongest companies aren’t built by a few people making hiring decisions in isolation. They’re built when employees take an active role in attracting and selecting colleagues they’d be excited to work alongside every day. That’s one of the reasons employee-led recruiting continues to be such an important part of who we are.

30. Building Connections One Meal at a Time

We’ve always brought people together at the table—not the boardroom table, the lunchroom table. When we were a much smaller team, we would all go to lunch together, 12 or 15 people at a time, and then we’d run back to the office like we were teenagers.

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That connection over meals was the important thing and so, as we’ve grown, we’ve morphed that tradition into ordering lunch three days a week in office so we can all come together regularly and share a meal.

Taken individually, each milestone in this list tells a small part of our story. Together, they reveal how we prioritized our people, embraced growth, and served our clients over 30 years. While we can’t predict exactly what the next 30 years will bring, we know the same mindset that fueled these milestones, curiosity, continuous improvement, and a commitment to doing the right thing, will undoubtedly help us reach the next 30 milestones.

The post The 30 Best Business Decisions We’ve Made Over the Years appeared first on DMC, Inc..

But this summer, we’ve been brought together virtually and otherwise through the 2026 FIFA World Cup! From office watch parties to stadium visits, World Cup fever has spread throughout DMC, allowing us to celebrate together even when we can’t be together in person.  

2026 FIFA World Cup

The 23^rd FIFA World Cup has been a cultural phenomenon throughout North America, with the rest of the world watching. There have been unexpected cross-cultural exchanges, player stories, and incredible matches that have all contributed to this tournament setting the record for the highest cumulative attendance in World Cup history.

Cultures Meet

Matches were hosted in a total of 16 cities. 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. It’s the first time since 2002 that the World Cup has been hosted by multiple nations, and the spread across cities in North America has led to some vibrant cultural mixes: Scotland’s “Tartan Army” in Boston, Algeria’s National Team in Lawrence, Kansas, English fans in Mexico City, and Norway fans at a Mets game, to name a few.

New Rules Introduced

The 2026 World Cup also introduced several new rules, including faster substitutions, mandatory water breaks, and video reviews. Here’s a full breakdown of some of the new rules we’ve seen this year on the field:

• 10-second substitutions: Players being substituted have 10 seconds to exit the field. This is meant to decrease time-wasting during gameplay. If the player does not exit the field quickly enough, the sub must wait for one minute before entering the match.
• Medical treatment: A player who receives on-field medical attention must leave the field and wait for 1 minute before returning.
• Expanded video assistant referee (VAR): VAR can now review and reverse incorrectly awarded corner kicks, certain attacking fouls, and erroneous red cards issued following a second yellow card.
• Red Cards for Mouth Covering: Referees can issue a red card or send off players who cover their mouths with their hand, arm, or shirt to conceal insulting language when confronting an opponent.
• Tie-Break Criteria: Head-to-head results now serve as the first tiebreaker, replacing overall goal difference.
• Hydration Breaks: FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in every half of a match.

Messi to Mbappé

The games themselves throughout the tournament were noteworthy. Some fascinating numbers include 14 red cards given and 297 goals scored, and a record 10 African teams competed, with 9 advancing. Pop Quiz: Can you guess which four countries received their first World Cup points? Canada, Qatar, Curaçao, and Cape Verde.

Individual players experienced their own milestones, too. Erling Haaland dazzled fans with his scoring versatility as the only player to score with his left foot, right foot, and head, as well as inside and outside the penalty box. Gilberto Mora set the record for youngest player starting in the tournament when he stepped out onto the pitch representing Mexico in the Mexico/South Africa game. Soccer stars Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi set their own impressive records. Mbappé recorded eight match-winning goals, and Messi set the all-time World Cup record of 21 goals.

DMC Gets in the Game

DMC team members across the country also joined in the World Cup fun, participating in after-work events, trips to games, and even some office watch parties. Kandra DiNuzzo from the DMC Chicago office made a harrowing journey to St. Louise to catch the Colombia vs. Ghana game. Colombia advanced, beating Ghana 1-0, and went on to face Switzerland in round 16.

Jason Mayes, from the Dallas office, caught a couple of games with his family, and luckily, they didn’t have to travel far. They spent a day at NRG Stadium in Houston watching Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, and in Arlington for the Australia vs. Egypt game. He and his sons even snapped some memorable shots of the penalty kicks at the end of the Australia/Egypt game.

Ryan Knudten from the Chicago office traveled the farthest to see the World Cup. He flew to Oakland, California for USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium. He said the highlight of his time in Oakland was watching Malik Tillman’s free-kick goal: “We had a great view of it from where we were sitting, and everyone went nuts!”

He didn’t get much downtime after flying across the country for the USA game, however. After a quick nap, Ryan and his girlfriend hopped on another plane headed to LA for the Spain vs. Austria match at SoFi Stadium. Don’t worry, though, they had just enough time between back-to-back games to make the obligatory run to In-N-Out Burger.

Like Kandra, Jason Ims also made the trek to St. Louis to see Colombia face Ghana in the round of 32 knockout stage game. As a soccer fan since he was about five years old, Jason has a lifetime love for soccer. He and his three best friends jumped in a car and made the eight-hour drive, and when they arrived in St. Louis, they weren’t disappointed.

An Event Worth Celebrating

Whether we were cheering from the office, watching from home, or lucky enough to experience the action in person, the 2026 FIFA World Cup gave DMC employees another reason to connect. From record-setting performances on the field to unforgettable experiences in stadiums across North America, the tournament brought people together in the same way our favorite company events do. As the World Cup comes to a close, we’re already looking forward to the next opportunity to celebrate, compete, and make memories together.

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We’ve already begun welcoming 40 entry-level engineers starting in 2026, and we’re excited to see who will join us in 2027.

As DMC continues to grow, newer offices like Detroit, MI; Tampa, FL; and Kansas City are actively building their teams and creating even more opportunities for early-career engineers to make an impact.

This Fall, our team will be visiting nearly 30 universities nationwide (see schedule below) to share what makes DMC a place where early-career engineers don’t just start their career but grow into confident, successful engineers who value continuous learning.

Who We Are: An Engineering Consulting Firm

DMC is a leading engineering consulting firm, delivering high-caliber engineering and custom software development services globally. Our engineers work in prominent engineering service areas that serve major industries, gaining exposure to technically challenging, impactful projects.

With 300+ employees across 15 offices nationwide, we are proud to combine technical excellence with a strong, people-first culture. As an eight-time Crain’s Best Places to Work finalist, we value collaboration, continuous learning, and having fun along the way.

Who We Are Looking For: Entry-Level Engineers

Want to work with customers across a variety of industries? Looking to grow your programming, project management, and business development skills? You will do all that and more at DMC.

We are hiring full-time, entry-level engineers for 2027. If you are a college senior graduating with a B.S. or M.S. in:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• General Engineering

And if you want to work in service areas such as Automation and Electrical Engineering, Embedded Development, Test & Measurement, or Digital Workplace Solutions, we want to meet you!

Why Entry-Level Engineers Love DMC

As recent graduates step out of the classroom and into their careers, many are looking for an environment that balances support and autonomy. At DMC, that experience starts on day one. New engineers dive into meaningful, client-facing work, take on engaging projects, and join a close-knit team dedicated to mentorship.

Hands-on Experience from Day One

Within the first few weeks of a career with DMC, new engineers work on projects in a variety of industries and technologies, gaining exposure that can often take months for newcomers to gain. This exposure helps new engineers develop practical skills while experiencing the impact of their work firsthand and early on. Mentorship is also built into the process, with structured onboarding and ongoing support from seasoned team members with years of in-field experience.

Company Culture That’s Hard to Beat

In addition to great work experience, culture is another defining part of life at DMC. From welcoming new hires to longstanding company traditions, DMC’s company culture is intentionally designed to foster connection. Engineers build relationships not only within their teams but across industries, creating a strong sense of community and shared purpose.

This combination of trust, variety, and fun accelerates career growth, creating an environment where new engineers can explore different paths, build their skills, and lay the foundation for long-term success, all while enjoying every step along the way.

Engineering Job Application and Interview Process

1. Submit your resume through your school’s career services platform.
2. (Encouraged) Meet us at your campus career fair.
3. Selected candidates will be invited to an on-campus interview.
4. Finalists will be invited to an on-site interview at the closest DMC office.
5. Offers are extended to qualified candidates.

Ready to Launch Your Engineering Career with DMC?

Submit your application through your school’s career services platform, and feel free to reach out to jobs@localhost with any questions. We hope to meet you this Fall!

Fall 2026 Career Fair Schedule

Any dates marked “TBA” will be updated as they are confirmed. Check back for the latest information as we approach the start of the Fall 2026 semester.

If you’re an entry-level candidate looking for 2027 roles, you can find them posted on your school’s database/career page, and feel free to reach out to jobs@localhost with any questions.

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DMC’s night out at Casa Bonita.

The Denver office headed to the famous Casa Bonita in Lakewood, Colorado, with a few plus ones in tow. There was fantastic food, a plethora of performances, and, of course, camaraderie among teammates.

Why Casa Bonita?

Casa Bonita is a Mexican restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado, that opened in 1974. It was originally part of a chain of restaurants that started in Oklahoma City.

What’s so special about this Mexican restaurant, you might ask? Well, Casa Bonita is a highly immersive dining experience. Picture tableside magic shows, puppet theater, hidden rooms and explorable caves, arcade games, and a 30-foot indoor waterfall with cliff divers, and you’ll start to understand a fraction of the spectacle that is Casa Bonita.

Casa Bonita’s star has also risen in popular culture! In recent years, it was purchased and restored by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. What began as a passion project turned into a roughly $50 million investment to revive the iconic restaurant, preserving a uniquely Colorado experience for future generations.

Max Domenech summed up the experience perfectly: “For those who know Casa Bonita, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will suffice.” And off to Casa Bonita the Denver team went.

The Crew

The team started throwing around the idea of going to Casa Bonita as an Activity Fund event back in 2022, but it wasn’t until this year that the Denver team was finally able to make that dream a reality. “We waited months to be able to get a reservation,” Andrew Williams noted.

But secure a reservation, they did!

When a spot opened on March 12^th, the team jumped on it, and 12 teammates headed to Casa Bonita for Thursday night dinner with friends and family.

First Impressions: Walking Into Another World

When you first arrive at Casa Bonita, one of the first things you notice is the building’s cotton-candy pink façade and iconic Spanish colonial-style bell tower. This appearance is completely intentional and meant to start the immersive experience before restaurant-goers ever step through the door.

But even the outside of the building has treasures hiding in plain sight.

At the very top of the iconic pink bell tower sits a 22-karat-gold dome and statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor of Mexico. It’s such an iconic piece of architecture in Lakewood that the city designated the Casa Bonita building a historic landmark in 2015.

And that’s just the exterior. The immersive adventure really begins once you find your table.

Casa Bonita By the Numbers

We’ve covered the pink façade, the classic Mexican architecture, and the 22-karat gold dome, but Casa Bonita is a 52,000-square-foot restaurant with treasures galore. There are arcade games, performers, stunts, music, treasures, and caverns scattered throughout the restaurant—not to mention a 30-foot waterfall.

Let’s take a look at some of the impressive stats this restaurant puts up on a yearly basis:

The team walked into Casa Bonita for Thursday night dinner and was taken to a table large enough to accommodate a party of 12+. “Entering the building is like going into a different world. Our table was located in the caverns,” Andrew said, “complete with the sound of dripping water. We also passed a jungle area on the way to our table.” Casa Bonita creates an experience for diners the moment they walk through the front door, and it certainly doesn’t end when the food arrives at the table.

Every 15 minutes, restaurant-goers can expect to see cliff divers, sword fights, puppet shows, and magicians throughout their dining experience. “It’s an experience. Dinner is just an excuse to be there!” Andrew also added.

Once everyone got their fill of Mexican food, it was time to explore. The team spent plenty of time around the famous Casa Bonita pool and Acapulco-style cliffs, but they also explored the caves, a wishing well, and haunted trails.

Why Events Like This Matter at DMC

Experiences like this go far beyond the run-of-the-mill team dinner. Stepping away from project work and into a shared, unique experience gives DMC team members the chance to connect and enjoy each other’s company. Whether it’s watching cliff divers while taking a second helping of nachos or exploring hidden caverns after a puppet show, DMC after-work events help strengthen the relationships that carry into everyday work and allow us to crack a smile while solving a complex problem.

At DMC, collaboration is at the core of everything we do. Events like this create opportunities to build trust and communicate more openly. That foundation translates directly into stronger project teams, more effective problem-solving, and ultimately better outcomes for our clients.

Just as importantly, it reflects DMC’s culture. We take our work seriously, but we also recognize the value of having fun. A night at Casa Bonita is a reminder that great teams are built through genuine connection just as effectively as they’re built through sharing technical expertise.

We’ll let Julia Cherkasskaya have the last word: “Three hours flew by!”

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