Tag: engineering

Employee Spotlight: David Lombardo

Employee Spotlight #7 – It is our pleasure to shine the spotlight on David J. Lombardo, P.E., Associate.

David’s career in engineering began in 1994. Directly out of college, he started a job with Roald Haestad, Inc., learning the water and wastewater aspects of civil engineering with a specific emphasis on Pump Station designs and construction oversight. In 2014, Tata & Howard acquired Roald Haestad, Inc., and David joined the Tata & Howard team.

His experience with Pump Station designs has been extensive, ranging from small to very large and complex. David summed up his experience by saying, “the unique challenges of the modern-day pump station design always comes down to the fact that no two pump station designs are identical; each has its own parameters and challenges.”

He shared that project considerations are many when designing a pump station beyond the water demands and pump capacities; other factors such as space availability, safe access, durability, low maintenance, upgradeability, etc., while balancing the client needs and staying on budget.

David shared that one pump station design project was particularly challenging due to limited land availability; Eventually, a house foreclosure in the area allowed the project to move forward. The design maintained the outer façade of the house with interior modifications that included gutting the inside and casting concrete floors to convert the interior into a potable water pumping station complete with four pumps, associated piping, electrical equipment, instrumentation, and controls.

The design included converting an attached garage into a standby power generator room equipped with acoustic louvers in the walls for cooling and combustion and lined with sound deadening insulation to minimize generator noise from reaching the neighbors. This above-ground replacement pump station allows easy access and enhanced safety while blending in with the neighborhood aesthetics.

David’s passion and experience for pump station designs continue to expand, building upon what he shared at the beginning of this spotlight, “the unique challenges of the modern-day pump station design always comes down to the fact that no two pump station designs are identical.” Thanks for sharing David!

Let’s Connect:
David J. Lombardo, P.E., Associate
37 Brookside Road, Waterbury, CT 06708
E – dlomardo@tataandhoward.com     |     P – 203-528-0263  


 

 

Employee Spotlight: Paul Howard

Employee Spotlight #6: We are excited to shine this week’s employee spotlight on Senior Vice President, Paul Howard. Paul co-founded Tata & Howard nearly 30 years ago with the late Donald J. Tata, and has been dedicated to the company since day one, October 19, 1992.

Coming from a long line of engineers, Paul’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather owned Whitman & Howard, Inc., a prominent New England civil engineering firm founded in 1867. Growing up around engineers provided Paul the opportunity to be exposed to the field at a young age, and as early as 5-years-old, he could be found on construction sites with his father. By 14 he was working on a survey crew gaining even more experience before entering Worcester Polytechnic Institute to obtain a degree in civil engineering.

Paul’s favorite types of projects involve water treatment plants and water supply development. The most memorable project worked on, and the second official T&H project, was the Elm Bank Pump Station job, no. 1002. The Elm Bank Pump Station was the culmination of approximately 10 years of work to develop the water supply for the Towns of Natick, Wellesley, Needham, and Dover. Natick was the only Town to move forward with developing the source. At the time, the pump test for the supply was the largest pump test ever conducted in the state of Massachusetts. Four wells were pumped at 4 million gallons per day.  Seven thousand feet of discharge piping was used. The permitting for the project was extensive and in the end limited the Town to 2.2 mgd out of an approval yield of 7.0 mgd.

When he’s not at one of the T&H offices, Paul enjoys golfing and snowboarding, traveling, and spending time with family. A fond travel memory dates back to childhood when he went fishing at the Arctic Circle and the Northwest Territory of Canada. On this special trip he caught a 31.5 pound lake trout, an 11 pound arctic char, saw an albino wolverine, and piloted a six passenger airplane.

Employee Spotlight: Karen Gracey

Employee Spotlight #5: Karen Gracey. Over the last 25 years, she has held each role at the company, starting first as a summer intern, and working her way up to Co-President.

With a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont, Karen is passionate about environmental engineering and fixing problems to make a positive impact with each project she is a part of. She enjoys hydraulic modeling and system analysis as each project offers an opportunity to figure out why certain issues are happening with a water system.

Karen’s favorite project at T&H to date was the company’s first Capital Efficiency Plan completed for the Connecticut Water Company for the Unionville System. Conducting research, collaborating on the various sections of the report, and then writing it from scratch was a fun and fulfilling task.

When she isn’t at T&H, Karen enjoys cooking, skiing, and relaxing at the beach. A trip to Napa Valley with her brother and sister a few years ago is one of her favorite travel memories. Driving in a limo to small vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Russian River provided lots of delicious wine, beautiful landscapes, and spending time with family.

Fun Fact: During the summer of her internship at T&H, Karen dove headfirst into hydraulic modeling and water main design. In addition, she also learned a lot about blueline machines. For those who are not familiar, blueline machines use black lights and ammonia to copy a drawing printed on vellum onto special paper. Copying one drawing would take a minute or two, so imagine making multiple copies of water treatment plant drawings! 

Thanks for all you do, Karen!

Employee Spotlight: Robert Sims

Employee Spotlight #4: We are delighted to shine our employee spotlight on Robert Sims. Southerner by birth, Robert was born in Kentucky and raised in Austin, TX before relocating to Massachusetts 35 years ago. Having a long line of engineers/surveyors in his family, including an ancestor who performed the survey of record for the Common in Cambridge, MA in the 17th century, he knew from a young age that he wanted a career in the field.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin with initial sights on Electrical Engineering, but quickly changed to Civil Engineering after hearing a presentation from the Dean of the UT Cockrell School of Engineering.

With more than thirty years of design and construction project management experience under his belt, Robert joined Tata & Howard in 2018 as a PM. He has most enjoyed working on two water quality studies for the towns of South Deerfield and Mattapoisett, as he was able to form a great working relationship with his team and clients, and produced solid reports with PF’s above 3.

Around the office, Robert is known for his friendly personality, fascinating hobbies, and amusing stories. He enjoys woodworking, beekeeping, fantasy football, and gardening. To stay active, he participates in stair climb races for the American Lung Association, the Scottish Highland Games, and the occasional 5k race.

Robert is passionate about his Scottish heritage and can often be seen wearing his kilt. In fact, he sat in the X-wing fighter from Star Wars…while wearing a kilt, and flew in a WWII vintage P-51 fighter…while wearing a kilt.

Thanks for all you do, Robert!

NEWWA Spring Learnapalooza 2021

Tata & Howard is pleased to participate in New England Water Works Association’s (NEWWA) 2021 Spring Learnapalooza from March 29-April 1.

T&H will be sponsoring Technical Session 6, ‘Emergency Preparedness’, on Tuesday, March 30, with a brief presentation on Emergency Response and Continuity of Operations Plans.

If you missed the technical session sponsor video, don’t worry, you can watch below!

 

 

 

 

ATCAVE 2021

Tata & Howard is pleased to be a sponsor of Connecticut’s premier water supply event, the Connecticut Section AWWA Annual Technical Conference and Vendor Exposition (ATCAVE). ATCAVE celebrates 25 years on Tuesday, February 23-Thursday, February 25, 2021!

 

 

 

Employee Spotlight: Christine Beliveau

Employee Spotlight #3: We are excited to shine this week’s employee spotlight on Chrissie Beliveau. Chrissie has been with Tata & Howard for more than ten years and serves as the company’s Marketing Coordinator. Wearing many hats, Chrissie assists in all request for proposals/qualifications, and a variety of marketing tasks, including tradeshow planning, collateral design, advertising, and more.

In her free time she enjoys mountain biking, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her two grandchildren, Max and Luna, and her soon-to-be-born twin grandchildren. In addition, Chrissie has started experimenting with stained glass, and is looking forward to taking classes to further expand her knowledge in the art.

Her most memorable travel experience was a family trip she took to Italy, where she traveled from Milan to Rome. Exploring her true Italian roots from her father who was born and raised in the mountains of Parma (where parmesan cheese was created) – the trip provided a special opportunity to visit relatives and view pieces of her natural heritage.

Chrissie’s favorite part about working for Tata & Howard is having the opportunity to work with each team member. She truly loves being a part of the team and enjoys working with all levels and personalities, while learning more about engineering in the water industry.

Thanks for all you do, Chrissie!

Employee Spotlight: Peter Goodwin

Employee Spotlight #2: Today we are shining our employee spotlight on Peter Goodwin. Peter joined Tata & Howard as an Associate in the fall of 2019 and has enjoyed his time thus far helping clients to solve problems successfully.

With Civil Engineering degrees from the University of Maine – Orono and Northeastern University, Peter’s passion for infrastructure planning, design, construction, and system operation/maintenance has spanned across nearly four decades and four firms/organizations. Peter is Past-President of the New Hampshire Water Pollution Control Association along with being State Director for the Maine Water Environment Association (2012-2015).  He is involved in several NEWEA, NHWWA, NHWPCA, MWUA, and MEWEA committees and has developed many professional relationships through the experience.

Since joining T&H, Peter’s favorite project has been the construction of the New Hampton Road Water Main Improvements for the City of Franklin, NH. While challenges presented themselves in the face of a pandemic, it was great to see the project completed under budget with two miles of additional roadway reconstruction negotiated with the general contractor and NHDES SRF Program.

When he’s not completing water, sewer, stormwater, and environmental consulting projects, Peter enjoys golfing, playing hockey, skiing and traveling. Some of his favorite trips include a post college cross-country trek in a conversion van with his best friend that allowed for visiting family and touring National Parks, as well as skiing in Austria, and exploring Italy.

Thank you for all you do, Peter!

T&H Awarded ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Award

ACEC/MA Announces Tata & Howard, Inc. as a winner of Bronze Engineering Excellence Award for their work on the Home Farm Water Treatment Plant

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) has named Tata & Howard, Inc. as a winner of their 2020 Bronze Engineering Excellence Award for their work on the new Home Farm Water Treatment Plant in Shrewsbury, MA.

The 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards were recently announced and will be celebrated at the 2021 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence and Awards Gala. The awards celebrate innovation, ingenuity, and excellence in engineering achievement.

Tata & Howard, Inc. provided lead engineering services for the design and construction administration of the new 7.0 mgd Home Farm Water Treatment Plant in Shrewsbury, MA. The new plant, which replaced an aging facility built in 1989, provides the Town with the ability to treat more water, remove elevated levels of manganese, and produce stable water quality. The project reached Substantial Completion on schedule and was completed within budget. The plant is the largest biological pressure filtration facility in the northeast United States.

Founded in 1992, Tata & Howard, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned water, wastewater, and stormwater consulting engineering firm dedicated to consistently delivering innovative, cost-effective solutions in the water environment. Tata & Howard has gained a solid reputation as an industry leader in the Northeast by bringing knowledge, integrity, and dedicated service to all-sized markets, both public and private. The firm has offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Arizona. For more information, visit http://www.tataandhoward.com.

“The Engineering Excellence Awards program recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and ingenuity,” said Jenn Howe, President of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts and Principal and Vice President at SMMA, Symmes Maini & McKee Associates. “Entrants are rated by an independent panel of judges from the architectural community, the construction industry, academia, the media, and the public sector on the basis of uniqueness and originality; future value to the profession and perception by the public; social, economic and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of the client/owner’s need, including schedule and budget. We congratulate them and thank them for their contributions to improving the quality of our everyday lives.”

About ACEC/MA
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) is the business association of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island engineering industry, representing over 120 independent engineering companies engaged in the development of transportation, environmental, industrial, and other infrastructure. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Boston, MA, ACEC/MA is a member organization of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) based in Washington, DC.  ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations. For more information on ACEC/MA, visit their website at www.acecma.org. ACEC/MA is undertaking an awareness campaign to educate the public on the many contributions engineers make (or the engineering innovations) in everyday life through their hash tag #EngineeringGoFigure. To Follow us on Twitter:  @ACECMA

Critical Communication Skills for Successful Projects

From the moment a project opens, to the day it reaches completion, communication between the engineering project manager and client is critical. In fact, the success or failure of the project is hinged on efficient, effective, and timely communication. With so many moving pieces involved, communication is key for understanding project scope, demands, and expectations. Continue reading and dive into five critical communication skills for the successful completion of engineering projects.

1 – Communicate Often

Frequent communication, whether verbal or written, is a key element to a successful project. Communication is now in the form of telephone calls, emails, and video conferencing.  Keeping everyone informed and updated on the progress and status of their job needs to continue despite not being able to physically meet.

2 – Listen

Often when thinking about communicating, speaking is typically what comes to mind. But perhaps more important is what happens on the other end – listening. Listening (and listening well) is crucial during all phases of a project. From the get-go, gather questions, requests, concerns, ideas, and goals before doing anything else. The entire team, engineer and owner, need to be on the same page through every phase. Train yourself to listen to hear, rather than listen to respond. Should you need additional insights or direction, continue keeping the line of communication open.

3 – Master Public Speaking and Presenting

We strive to make our clients’ jobs easier.  With that, we need to master both public speaking and expressing our professional opinion in an easily understood manner.  As a project manager in the water industry, we work a lot with municipalities and/or private companies. This could mean presenting to boards, councils, or departments, in big groups or small. Mastering the art of public speaking and presenting is critical for conveying our message. This entails knowing the audience and tailoring our language, tone and presentation to that particular group. Are they well versed in the industry? If the group is not as familiar with certain terminology or project elements, complex ideas need to be simplified for better understanding.

4 – Check-In During Non-Project Times

Checking in with clients during times when there are no projects is equally as important as when there are projects in progress. The down time in between projects can serve as an excellent opportunity to stay informed about client projects coming down the pipeline, as well as provide updates on similar projects your firm is working on.

5 – Be Clear, Concise, and Confident

With so much going on throughout a project, being able to communicate clearly and concisely is critical. While communication is certainly valuable, so too is time. Brevity is recommended, when possible. The following tendencies that keep most people from being brief are:

  • The tendency to over-explain
  • The tendency to be unprepared
  • The tendency to miss the point

If you come prepared with your main focus in mind, you will be successful in communicating a clear and concise message. Do that by:

  • Mapping out your message
  • Leading with the headline/main point
  • Trimming away the excess