EDiS Tenure – 31 years
Position – Vice President, Building Systems & Operations Manager
To become licensed, engineers must complete a four-year college degree, work under a Professional Engineer for at least four years, pass two intensive competency exams, and earn a license from their state’s licensure board. Then, to retain their licenses, PEs must continually maintain and improve their skills throughout their careers.
Why did engineering interest you and how would you recommend others get involved?
I came from a family of home builders and I always took an interest in how things were framed. I like design, simple as that. Surprisingly though, I have a stronger right side brain than left, I liked combining those two things, creativity and logic. As for how to get involved? I’ve always felt that you cannot prepare yourself better for the business world, or anything, more than getting an engineering degree in college. I see it as the ultimate challenge in education. It prepares you for solving just about any problem. Even if you’re unsure of where to study, engineering is a great place to start.
How long did it take you to get your Professional Engineering certification (PE) and why was it worth it?
I graduated in 1983 and got mine in 1992. At the time I worked for a large engineering construction company. I thought to myself it was now or never, I just have to put the time in. I started too late quite frankly, being out of engineering school for almost 10 years. I think getting any professional license is worth it, we need more professionals in all fields with licenses like that. Our economy and society is driven by people who reach those levels of expertise. We need as many STEM and scientific professionals as we can get to solve the world’s problems.
What was your favorite project design wise that you’ve worked on?
I really enjoyed the Maryland Organics Composting Facility. It’s the largest composting facility on the East Coast. It was rewarding both for the design aspect and because of its impact on the environment. The Route 9 Library was another one of my favorites but the Kennet Library project is high up there because it’s currently in design and I love constructing public buildings. The structure is going to be part of the Chester County community for a long time. I also really enjoyed helping design and supply a new roofing system for the Iron Market in Haiti at Port au Prince shortly after the earthquake in 2010.
Why is it important that we have more engineers in the work force?
I believe there are a lot of problems to solve these days and that’s what engineers are trained to do. I think engineers become leaders and we need more people with technical backgrounds to help lead us forward.
