SOCIETY OF INDO AMERICAN ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS Vol 1 Issue 3 July 2010 Newsletter In this issue President’s Message 1 Grassroots Meetings 2 & 4 Technical Seminar 3 Upcoming Events 4 Member News 4 Employment Opportunities 4 ADDRESS SIAEA, P.O. BOX 745 WEST CALDWELL, NJ 07007 PHONE 201.953.9637 973.808.4090 EMAIL [email protected]www.SIAEANY.org a world renowned firm, relies on professionals of Indian origin, for its success, who makes 20% of its staff. You can read more about these events and see photos in this issue of the Newsletter. The Society was also busy this quarter networking and making connections with leaders of our community. We joined hands with other sister organizations to help further causes and issues that concerns us all. On May 18, 2010, Shishir Agrawal, Shailesh Naik - two of the Board Directors - and I along with several other members joined many community organizations at a Congressional Luncheon and an Embassy Reception in Washington, DC arranged by NFIA under the leadership of our past president Lal Motwani. It was quite an experience to meet our congressmen and discuss issues that affects our community. On June 17, 2010, the Society joined as a collaborating partner for a networking event “Indian Businesses Go Green” a presentation on ‘How Indian owned and operated companies can benefit by entering the new green world’ arranged by Citi Bank and Anchin in the iconic Chrysler Building. At the last Executive Meeting, the Committee unanimously voted to cooperate with Center of Architecture’s exhibition highlighting “Jugaad Urbanism” scheduled to take place in NYC from Feb. 10 thru May 14, 2011. Vinod Devgan will be part of the Advisory Committee representing the Society. Finally, I am ever grateful to all members of the Executive Committee for their hard work and team spirit. My special thanks to Shailesh and Vinod for arranging Stamford Grassroot Meeting, Shishir Agrawal and Ketan Shah for sponsoring Technical Seminar and Akhil Dayal for facilitating Rutgers Studentbody Meeting. Wishing you all great Summer! With warmest regards, Ravi V. Shenoy President SIAEA MISSION STATEMENT The goal of SIAEA shall be to organize and unite in fellowship the engineer and architectural professionals of Indian origin; to assimilate the arts and sciences of Indian Heritage into the American Society to enhance the image and high visibility of Indian professional and to stand tall within American mainstream. ABOUT SIAEA SIAEA (Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects), is the organization of Engineers and Architects. Through education, licensure advocacy, leadership training, multi- disciplinary networking and outreach, SIAEA enhances the image of its members and their ability to ethically and professionally practice engineering and architecture. Message from President RAVI V. SHENOY My fellow members: We had yet another productive quarter with full of activities. In keeping up with the Society’s goal to bringing together our members at grassroot level, we had a successful Luncheon meeting in April in Stamford, CT and a get together with students of Rutgers University in June. From the feedback we received at these meetings, it is becoming more and more clear engineers from Technology and other sectors are anxious to join and take active part in the Society. Audience at the Stamford liked to have networking events with more participation from Technology professionals. The students at Rutgers wanted to meet and talk to Technology Industry leaders. This is a great opportunity for the Society to expand its horizon. Even though we have engineers from Technology sector becoming members, I think, we need to expedite the process. It is incumbent upon us to provide a forum for these professionals. Continuing with Society’s mission to offer opportunities for the professional development of our members, a technical seminar was held in the month of May. A long time friend and supporter of the Society, D. Clarke Pile, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Hill International shared some secrets of his managerial skills when he spoke about importance of team work and employment of special skills while executing complicated projects. It is a proud moment for all of us to know that Hill, renowned firm, relies on Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R a not-for-profit professional organization
The Society was also busy this quarter networking and making connections with leaders of our community. We joined hands with other sister organizations to help further causes and issues that concerns us all. On May 18, 2010, Shishir Agrawal, Shailesh Naik - two of the Board Directors - and I along with several other members joined many community organizations at a Congressional Luncheon and an Embassy Reception in Washington, DC arranged by NFIA under the leadership of our past president Lal Motwani. It was quite an experience to meet our congressmen and discuss issues that affects our community. On June 17, 2010, the Society joined as a collaborating partner for a networking event “Indian Businesses Go Green” a presentation on ‘How Indian owned and operated companies can benefit by entering the new green world’ arranged by Citi Bank and Anchin in the iconic Chrysler Building. At the last Executive Meeting, the Committee unanimously voted to cooperate with Center of Architecture’s exhibition highlighting “Jugaad Urbanism” scheduled to take place in NYC from Feb. 10 thru May 14, 2011. Vinod Devgan will be part of the Advisory Committee representing the Society. Finally, I am ever grateful to all members of the Executive Committee for their hard work and team spirit. My special thanks to Shailesh and Vinod for arranging Stamford Grassroot Meeting, Shishir Agrawal and Ketan Shah for sponsoring Technical Seminar and Akhil Dayal for facilitating Rutgers Studentbody Meeting. Wishing you all great Summer! With warmest regards,
Ravi V. Shenoy President SIAEA MISSION STATEMENT
The goal of SIAEA shall be to organize and unite in fellowship the engineer and architectural professionals of Indian origin; to assimilate the arts and sciences of Indian Heritage into the American Society to enhance the image and high visibility of Indian professional and to stand tall within American mainstream.
ABOUT SIAEA
SIAEA (Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects), is the organization of Engineers and Architects. Through education, licensure advocacy, leadership training, multi-disciplinary networking and outreach, SIAEA enhances the image of its members and their ability to ethically and professionally practice engineering and architecture.
Message from President
RAVI V. SHENOY
My fellow members:
We had yet another productive quarter
with full of activities. In keeping up with the Society’s goal to bringing together our members at grassroot level, we had a successful Luncheon meeting in April in Stamford, CT and a get together with students of Rutgers University in June. From the feedback we received at these meetings, it is becoming more and more clear engineers from Technology and other sectors are anxious to join and take active part in the Society. Audience at the Stamford liked to have networking events with more participation from Technology professionals. The students at Rutgers wanted to meet and talk to Technology Industry leaders. This is a great opportunity for the Society to expand its horizon. Even though we have engineers from Technology sector becoming members, I think, we need to expedite the process. It is incumbent upon us to provide a forum for these professionals. Continuing with Society’s mission to offer
opportunities for the professional
development of our members, a technical
seminar was held in the month of May. A
long time friend and supporter of the Society,
D. Clarke Pile, Senior Vice President and
Regional Manager of Hill International
shared some secrets of his managerial skills
when he spoke about importance of team
work and employment of special skills while
executing complicated projects. It is a proud
moment for all of us to know that Hill,
renowned firm, relies on
Q U
A R
T E
R L
Y
N E
W S
L E
T T
E R
a not-for-profit professional organization
Quarterly Newsletter S I A E A
PRESIDENT Ravi V. Shenoy, P.E.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Nayan Parikh, B.E.
EXEC. V. PRESIDENT Amar Malla, B.Arch.
VICE PRESIDENT Rajiv K. Bhagat, B.E.
SECRETARY
Yatish Sharma, MSEE
JOINT SECRETARY Jaswant B. Mody, MSME
TREASURER
Pradeep Desai, BSCE
ASST. TREASURER Ketan Shah, P.E.
DIRECTORS
Akhil Dayal, BSEE Bina Parikh, R.A.
Mihir B. Patel, B.E. Nayan Trivedi, P.E.
Shailesh R. Naik, P.E. Shishir K. Agrawal, B. Tech.
Tanvir Ahmad, M.S. Vikrant Sampat, P.E. Yogesh Mistry, AIA
SPECIAL ADVISOR Vinod Devgan, R.A.
HONORARY MEMBER
Sudhir Sachdev, M.B.A
IMM. PAST PRESIDENT Bansi Shah, B.E.
PAST PRESIDENTS Mohan Jethwani, P.E. Harshad Lakhani, P.E.
Amba Sharma B.S., M.S. Madhu Goradia, P.E.
Deo Gosine, B.S., MBA Satish Babbar, R.A.
Dharam Aggarwal, P.E. Lal Motwani, B. Arch.
Kirit Desai, R.A. Noel Vaz, M.E.
Jagmohan Kapur, B.E.
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE Vinod Devgan Rajiv Bhagat
www.SIAEANY.org Page 2
Committee 2009-2011
SIAEA reaches out to engineers and architects in Connecticut. Stamford, Connecticut, April 11, 2010
“We were able to reach out to a wider group of engineers and architects and connect with new members in our past grassroots meetings”, Shenoy continued, “These meetings offer us opportunities to introduce the Society's objectives, its activities and goals that could only be achieved by working unitedly.” Speaking about the Stamford meeting, Shenoy, who launched a variety of outreach events after taking over as the president of SIAEA in 2009, mentioned that it was the fourth grassroots meeting launched last year. “Our aim is to expand our activities, offer our resources to the community and enroll new members”, he pointed out. In 2009 the Society embarked upon a massive membership campaign by organizing networking seminars and outreach meetings. “In order to reach out to new professionals we decided to hold meetings at locations outside of Manhattan”, said Shenoy. “This strategy proved to be successful as 160 new members joined the organization during the past year”, he said. He welcomed a suggestion that the organization should reach out to engineers and architects who work outside of construction industry. “We are very keen to empower younger members of SIAEA”, said Shenoy. Encouraging the younger generation of engineers and architects to come forward to lead the organization, Shenoy commented, “Akhil Dayal, Chair of SIAEA's students group, organized outreach events at institutions, such as, Steven Tech.” Inviting SIAEA members to join its forthcoming events, Shenoy reminded the members that a Technical Seminar was scheduled to be held on April 21 while the next Grassroots meeting will be held on May 16. Another technical seminar will be held on May 19, followed by a Grassroots meeting in Parsippany, NJ on June 6 and a technical seminar on June 23. He said that the 2010 Dinner Cruise is scheduled for July 11 followed by a picnic on August 28, 2010. “We help fellow members in more ways than one”, said Vinod Devgan, special advisor to SIAEA and Assistant Commissioner, Structures Division, New York City Department of Design + Construction. “Our organization offers scholarship of $2000 to students who pursue a career in engineering or architecture. While SIAEA holds free of charge technical seminars for professional development of our members, younger professionals are offered employment opportunities”, he concluded appealing the non-member professionals to join SIAEA. Endorsing the views expressed by Devgan, Shailesh Naik, president of New York based company, Charles A. Manganaro Consulting Engineers, commented that SIAEA had resources to help needy professionals. “Professionals arriving in the US on different types of visas from India sometimes face difficulties in continuing their employment or extension of their stay. Resources offered by SIAEA can be of great help for such people”, said Naik, who coordinated the event. Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, suggested that SIAEA should work towards attracting professionals from large corporations to its fold. A number of Connecticut based community leaders, lawyers and professionals engaged in industries other than construction, also attended the event to support SIAEA.
(Photos by Gunjesh Desai)
Engineers and architects of Indian origin enthusiastically responded to the call for unitedly working to help fellow professionals at a grassroots meeting organized by Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects, the umbrella body of engineers and architects of Indian origin. The meeting was held on April 11 in Stamford, Connecticut. “We realized that a large number of our fellow professionals were not able to attend our annual events in New York City. So we decided to bring the organization to your doorsteps so that we could interact with each other easily”, said Ravi Shenoy, president of SIAEA in his introductory remarks.
Grassroots Meeting
Stamford, CT
Mr. Shenoy, President SIAEA, addressing audience.
Making connections with fellow engineers and architects of Indian origin, D. Clarke Pile, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Hill International, shared secret about his family's ties with India dating back to the British Raj when his great grandfather lived and worked in India.
A Professional Engineer with over 30 years of experience in construction and program management, Pile was addressing the members of SIAEA at a technical seminar organized by the Society at Superstructures Auditorium of AT&T building in New York City. Establishing strong bonds with his audience, Pile shared some secrets of his managerial skills when he spoke about importance of team work and employment of special skills for solving complicated projects. “Some of our colleagues had unique qualities of fixing very difficult situations when my company was handling concrete pipelines of very large diameters for a nuclear generating station in California three decades ago. These experts greatly contributed in the success of our company”, he pointed out.
SIAEA Members Share Ideas About Staying Ahead in Business and Managing Large Projects.
www.SIAEANY.org Page 3
Hill International is associated with some of the most prestigious projects in the world, such as, The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, Jet Blue terminal at JFK International Airport, Subway lines extension projects and Union Square Pavilion and Playground in New York and many other construction sites in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Pile, a specialist in simultaneous project completions with construction budgets in excess of $500 million, possesses excellent administrative skills to implement policies and procedures, manage senior level personnel, and manage internal financial controls. The technical seminar was part of an ongoing series of events held regularly by the Society for the professional development of its members. In his introductory remarks, Ravi Shenoy, president of SIAEA said, “It is our goal to offer opportunities for our members to interact with experts in the field of construction and project development.”
“Helping our members develop their managerial skills and technical expertise is one of the goals of our organization”, said Shenoy. “When it comes to execute complicated projects we are second to none. We can stay ahead in the business by consistently upgrading our professional skills and knowledge”, he advised his fellow members. Inviting SIAEA members to join its forthcoming events, Shenoy reminded the members that the 2010 Dinner Cruise was scheduled for July 11 followed by a picnic on August 28, 2010.
Shishir Agrawal, President, Elegant Granite and Marble Inc. and Ketan Shah, President of Intercontinental Construction Contracting, Inc., the sponsors for the event, whose services towards the success of SIAEA was duly recognized by the president, were presented with plaques at the function. Nayan Parikh, President-elect of SIAEA, who proposed a vote of thanks, enthusiastically encouraged the members to join in Society's social and professional gatherings and work unitedly for benefit of all.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Photos by Gunjesh Desai
Save the DATE:
Saturday, 07/10/2010: Din
Saturday, 08/28/2010: Picnic
Saturday, 11/20/2010:
.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, July 11, 2010 Annual Dinner Cruise
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 Technical Seminar
Thursday, July 29, 2010 Manhattan Grassroots Meeting
Sunday, August 08, 2010 India Day Parade, Edison, NJ
Sunday, August 15, 2010 India Day Parade, Manhattan
Saturday, August 28, 2010 Picnic, Woodbridge, NJ
Sunday, September 12, 2010 Grassroots Meeting, Parsippany, NJ
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Technical Seminar
Member News:
Sanjay Patel, Senior Estimator in SLG Construction Company, New York has passed P.E. exam. T.Y. Lin International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Medina Consultants, P.C. (Medina), a multi-disciplined engineering and surveying professional services firm headquartered in Hackettstown, New Jersey with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland. Medina will now conduct business as: T.Y. Lin International | Medina. HAKS, a Construction – Engineering firm is expanding its headquarters in The Trump Building downtown by nearly one-third. HAKS specializes in construction management, engineering, architecture, land surveying and material testing, has signed a 10-year lease for a total of 44,101 square feet at 40 Wall Street. The asking rent was $37 per square feet.
In Memory of:
SIAEA expresses deepest condolences on the sudden demise of Sardar Darshan Singh Dhillon, father of Chetinder S. Dhillon, on April 12, 2010.
Quarterly Newsletter
Employment Opportunities: NorthStar Construction Management, Inc. is seeking: 1. Office Manager - with min. 5 yrs.
experience with Computer proficiency
2. Office Assistant - with min. 3 yrs. experience with Computer proficiency. Send resumes by e-mail only to: [email protected] and addressed to Mr. Kelly Williams.
Lakhani & Jordan Engineers, PC is seeking: 1. Senior HVAC Engineer - must
have at least 10 years experience.
2. Plumbing/Fire Protection Designer - must have at least 5 years experience. Commercial, institutional, health care, and transportation type projects. Professional Engineer license and LEED certification preferred. Engineering degree preferred. Salary commensurate with experience. Attractive Benefits. Email resumes to: [email protected]
Job Wanted:
FREELANCE AUTOCAD DRAFTING SERVICES - CAD Drafting, Photoshop rendering, Surveys, Construction Drawing services for Architects and Engineers on a project basis. Contact: Meena Krishnan @ 973-907-4077 or Email resumes to: [email protected]'
Editor’s Note:
As part of our service to our
members, the editor will post all job opportunity and job wanted ads at no cost. If you are an employer looking for qualified, experienced and hardworking engineer or architect forward your ads to us. If you are a member and seeking employment, please let us post your job wanted ad. Please e-mail your ad not more than 25-30 words to [email protected]
SIAEA event dates are tentative and subject to change. Confirmation of events shall be sent via email. Visit our website for further information.
S I A E A A Not-for-Profit
Professional Organization
SIAEA met with close to sixty (60) students of Indian origin on Sunday, June 06, 2010 on the campus of Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ. The first of its kind at Rutgers University was a great success. Ravi Shenoy, president of the Society, welcomed the students and presented SIAEA’s goals and mission. He noted many members of the Society are well positioned in their profession who can help the student body in getting internship, co-op training opportunity and potential employment after their graduation. Akhil Dayal, Chair of Student Affairs Committee, who helped arrange this meeting addressed the student body about his own experience how Society helped him. Other members of the Executive Committee, including Shishir Agrawal, Jaswant Mody, Pradeep Desai and Yogesh Mistry articulated their experience and mentorship potentials at the Society. The Society received fantastic feedback from the students, as they very much appreciated the experience and potential that the society has to offer.
JOIN US in our MEMEBERSHIP
DRIVE
160 new members joined since the new Executive Committee and the Board took office on March 21, 2009.
“each one reach one”
SIAEA’S Student Body Meeting at RUTGERS UNIVERSITY Sunday, June 06, 2010
www.SIAEANY.org Page 4
Pradip Mehta, manager of Project Controls in AECOM’s Transportation practice, was recently elected
President of the Project Management Institute College of Scheduling (PMI-COS).
