The project is a little different from other design-build work because of strong client participation in design. The process is their risk. Not everyone is finding such large projects in the region. The market for engineering services is flatter now than what some executives had predicted it would be. Still, there are some interesting markets in the region, Wolff says.
Ports are big, but impossible to talk about because the owners frown on such discussions.
Among other markets, airports are ready to take off, as countries hunt for private investors. Wolff also sees mass transit as strong. Overall, U.S. firms expect to see fast growth in every South American sector, led by telecommunications, the Internet, transportation, automotive and food plants. That was enough to interest firms like Lockwood Greene Engineers Inc., Spartanburg SC, which is eyeing related data centers.