Photo above: (left to right) Kit Wong, Kenia Joachin, Shweta Prakash, Cyrus Kianpour, Mike Brinkman, Crickett Brinkman, Linh Tran, John LaTorra
CSG Consultants is proud to have been a part of CALBO’s 64th Annual Business Meeting, where building officials, municipal leaders and industry professionals from across California came together to discuss the future of building safety and community development. The event provided a valuable opportunity to connect with agencies and professionals who share a commitment to creating safer, stronger communities throughout the state.
As local jurisdictions continue to navigate evolving regulations, staffing challenges and increasing development demands, collaboration remains essential. CALBO’s Annual Business Meeting serves as an important forum for sharing ideas, discussing industry changes and identifying practical solutions that help agencies deliver efficient services while maintaining the highest standards of public safety.
During the event, the CSG team engaged with attendees about the challenges many communities are facing and how trusted partnerships can help agencies meet those demands. Conversations throughout the conference highlighted the importance of dependable support and the value of strong partnerships in helping local agencies navigate evolving community needs.
Photo above: (left to right) Fred Marzara, Ali Annan, Cyrus Kianpour, Mike Brinkman, Crickett Brinkman, John La Torra, Brian Frenger
CSG was also proud to celebrate Mike Brinkman as he was installed as CALBO’s president for the coming year. His appointment reflects both his longstanding commitment to the building safety profession and the leadership he continues to bring to communities throughout California. CSG congratulates Mike on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to supporting his leadership within the organization in the year ahead.
Attending events like CALBO reflects CSG’s ongoing commitment to staying engaged with the industries and agencies we serve. By participating in these conversations, we continue to strengthen relationships and remain aligned with the needs of the communities that rely on responsive, knowledgeable support.
We appreciate everyone who took the time to connect with our team during this year’s event and look forward to continuing those conversations. At CSG, we believe strong partnerships are the foundation of successful communities, and CALBO’s 64th Annual Business Meeting was another meaningful opportunity to build on that mission.
Photo above: (left to right) Ali Nazari, Ashley Villegas, Gelareh Jokar, Tiffany Redden, Peykan Abbassi, Salem Garawi, Vernon Tabirara, Randy Hoang
For over 100 years, the American Public Works Association (APWA) has brought professionals and partners together to advance public infrastructure. This year’s Southern California Public Works Expo delivered on that mission.
Held April 15–16 at the Carson Event Center, the APWA Southern California Public Works Expo drew an estimated 1,000 attendees, including public agency leaders, engineers, operations staff, and industry partners. With more than 100 exhibitors and a full schedule of technical sessions, the two-day event delivered a strong mix of education, networking, and real-world insight.
CSG Consultants participated as a gold sponsor and exhibitor to engage with agency partners and support evolving priorities across the region.
The expanded two-day format, including a dedicated focus on operations and maintenance, reflected a broader industry shift toward long-term system performance and efficiency. Sessions covered transportation, utilities, facilities, and emerging technologies, offering practical perspectives on implementation, staffing, and resource management.
For CSG, the value of the Expo extends beyond presence. It provides opportunities for meaningful discussions among professionals responsible for planning, maintaining, and improving infrastructure systems. These conversations inform how services evolve to meet changing agency needs.
The exhibit hall was active throughout the event, reinforcing the demand for solutions that support scalability, compliance, and operational efficiency. Across both days, a consistent theme emerged: agencies are seeking partners who can deliver both technical expertise and adaptability.
APWA’s network of more than 30,000 members continues to shape the direction of public works across North America. Events like the SoCal Public Works Expo play a key role in connecting that network and advancing the profession.
CSG remains focused on supporting public agencies with practical, responsive solutions. Participation in events like this ensures alignment with industry needs and strengthens relationships that drive long-term impact.
CSG is pleased to announce that Syed Murtuza, P.E, former public works director for the City of Burlingame, has joined the firm, bringing nearly four decades of public sector infrastructure experience.
Syed is widely recognized across the Bay Area for his ability to advance complex transportation and infrastructure programs from concept through completion. Over the course of his tenure with the City of Burlingame, he secured more than $1 billion in funding for critical improvements and led projects that reshaped mobility, safety and infrastructure across the community.
His work spans the full spectrum of public works improvements, including roadway design, pedestrian safety, drainage and utility infrastructure, and multimodal coordination with state and regional agencies. Notable efforts include the Burlingame Avenue streetscape transformation, major interchange improvements, and long-range infrastructure upgrades that addressed aging systems and improved flood resilience.
Notably, Syed led a $40 million downtown transformation that combined public and private investment to modernize underground infrastructure while creating a more pedestrian-oriented corridor, all delivered ahead of schedule and under budget while businesses remained open.
Beyond project delivery, Syed built an unparalleled reputation for navigating one of the most impactful and challenging aspects of public infrastructure work — aligning stakeholders. His leadership consistently brought together city staff, elected officials, regulatory agencies and the community to advance projects that require both technical expertise and public trust.
Syed’s experience in funding strategy is particularly relevant to today’s infrastructure environment. He has successfully leveraged grants, ballot measures and public-private partnerships to move projects forward, often in highly constrained fiscal conditions. His ability to connect technical solutions with funding pathways will directly benefit CSG’s public agency clients.
Equally important is his commitment to mentorship and team development. Throughout his career, Syed has emphasized building strong teams, training staff and creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. That focus aligns closely with CSG’s approach to developing the next generation of engineering leaders.
“My focus has always been building collaborative infrastructure solutions that make a real difference in people’s daily lives, and create a ‘win-win’ for outcome for all ” Syed said. “What excites me about joining CSG is the opportunity to continue that work by supporting agencies across the region in delivering the next wave of projects.”
At CSG, Syed will support transportation and infrastructure initiatives across Northern California, advising on program delivery, funding strategies and stakeholder engagement. His hands-on, solutions-oriented approach and deep understanding of public agency operations position him to make an immediate impact.
With increasing demands on transportation systems and aging infrastructure across the state, CSG continues to invest in leadership that understands how to deliver programs and projects that are not only technically sound, but also fundable, buildable and supported by the communities they serve.
From COVID-19-related restrictions to wildfire disaster recovery, we recognize the numerous challenges that public agencies are experiencing and are here to assist. We are fully operational, prepared, and committed to providing the services that municipalities require and their communities expect, while also ensuring the health and safety of our clients and employees. In particular, we provide the following services to facilitate our clients’ continued exceptional service to their communities during difficult times and are capable of modifying our processes to fit specific jurisdictional needs:
Should you be interested in taking advantage of our digital and remote capabilities—or if you have any other needs—please reach out to your local CSG office.
