EPS provides rigorous analysis and insightful solutions to address complex challenges in real estate development, land use policy, and local government finance. We are motivated by the role our work can play in shaping places where people live and we strive to create high-quality urban environments that advance the principles of diversity, resiliency, and shared prosperity.
EPS offers a wealth of experience, robust technical expertise, and the ability to offer insightful solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of urban development.
EPS’s Oakland office recently spent a day volunteering with the Lake Merritt Institute (LMI), helping clean up around Lake Merritt and support one of Oakland’s beloved community spaces. Armed with trash pickers and bags, the team cleared the shoreline and surrounding areas of litter, uncovering notable finds like a discarded laptop, headphones, and a mini-Nike sneaker keychain.
The Lake Merritt Institute is a community-based nonprofit that collaborates with volunteers, schools, and the City of Oakland to protect and enhance the lake. Since 1996, LMI has removed an average of 6,000 pounds of trash each month, thanks to the efforts of more than 1,800 local volunteers.
It was a rewarding experience for EPS staff to not only to make an immediate, visible impact, but also to spend time together outside the office giving back to the community where we live and work.
We’re grateful to the Lake Merritt Institute and all the volunteers who dedicate their time to keeping the lake clean and thriving for both wildlife and the community to enjoy.
EPS played a key role in securing $43.7 million in federal funding for two agricultural infrastructure projects through the FY26 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). The awards will support critical improvements at commodity ports in Missouri and Virginia, strengthening supply chains, improving transportation efficiency, and advancing environmental sustainability.
Working in partnership with VAA Engineering, LLC, which led other components of the applications, EPS prepared the benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for a $27.3 million award to improve a fertilizer receiving port in West Quincy, Missouri. The analysis demonstrated how the investment will streamline freight movement, reduce delivery costs for farmers, and significantly cut truck traffic and emissions. The project is expected to eliminate more than 42 million truck miles.
For the second project, also in partnership with VAA, EPS prepared the BCA for a $16.4 million award supporting an intermodal agricultural export facility in Portsmouth, Virginia. The project will allow the facility to receive and process domestic freight rail shipments and to export commodities to Asian markets via Atlantic container vessel. EPS’s analysis showed that the investment will reduce 36 million domestic truck miles, save more than 13 million gallons of barge fuel over 30 years, and avoid more than 1,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The full list of projects awarded under the FY25 PIDP can be found here.
