Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008 - (Page 20)

Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 Peter Alspach, PE, LEED AP, 38 Associate, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Seattle, Wash. Washington University, BA in Mechanical Engineering University of Colorado, MS in Civil Engineering l spach always loves a good experiment. The former Peace Corps worker spent two years as the head of a combined junior and high school math and science department in Swaziland. While there, he creatively taught students how to research absorption of colored materials by stripping paint off old Coke cans. He now uses his ingenuity as a specialist who designs low-energy HVAC systems and renewable energy systems, including photovoltaic, solar, and wind. He is the lead mechanical engineer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new 12-acre campus that will be completed in 2010. For San Francisco’s California Academy of Science, which won a silver 2005 Holcim Award and is under review for the LEED Platinum rating, Alspach created an integrated natural ventilation system, a chilled water system with a hybrid cooling tower that is able to run dry part of the year, and a solar-powered canopy that wraps around the building, providing shade and producing power. Besides teaching English in Japan, Alspach spent 2.5 months biking across Canada. Alspach and his wife, Maureen O’Leary, have two children. Ryan Beaudrie, 20 Mechanical Designer, CAD Operator, Ron George Design & Consulting Services, Monroe, Mich. Lawrence Technological University, BS in Mechanical Engineering, Fall 2009 t’s hard enough to juggle multiple projects, but try doing that as a fulltime college student. That’s exactly what Beaudrie does. The youngest in this year’s 40 Under 40 program, Beaudrie was 16 when he began working at Ron George Design & Consulting Services, where he supervises the 12-member CAD department and regularly coordinates the communication and organization of company projects at various hospitals, pharmaceutical facilities, and automotive testing facilities. He has worked on projects such as Detroit’s MGM Casino and Motor City Casino Hotel as the plumbing coordinator, despite not being old enough to go inside the casino. “People still think I’m crazy,” Beaudrie said. “Twenty-year-olds don’t usually do plumbing for hospitals and casinos.” To balance work with school, Beaudrie said everything depends on staying organized. Beaudrie, an honor student, maintains a 3.7 GPA and jokes that he has to give up going to a college party on occasion to get everything in. An avid water skier, Beaudrie was the captain of his high school golf team and plans on visiting the casinos he helped build when he turns 21. I A Mike Belczak, PE, LEED AP, 39 Senior Vice President, Technology Manager, Primera Engineers, Chicago University of Illinois, BS in General Engineering hen Belczak isn’t out cycling near Chicago’s lakefront or enjoying a glass of Cabernet, he is busy tracking the latest trends and managing Primera’s mechanical quality control and technology research. Like many engineers, Belczak was always good at taking things apart and putting them back together as a child. “My parents had a problem with me,” Belczak said. “I always wanted to see how things worked. If there was a little radio, the next thing you’d know, I was taking it apart with a screw driver, because I wanted to see why a light was blinking.” These days, Belczak works on bigger projects, like designing a central plant and a new six-building, 500,000sq.-ft complex of Kennedy King College on Chicago’s South Side. As the mechanical project lead, Belczak incorporated energy-saving tactics to recapture waste heat, minimize pumping energy, maximize system efficiency, and provide high IAQ. The facility includes daycare, commercial/ teaching kitchens, a restaurant, broadcast studios, performance theatres, laboratories, gymnasiums, natatoriums, classrooms, auto shops, an HVAC lab, and a library. Belczak helps mentor high school students to try and explain what engineering is all about. His advice to others: “Push yourself out of your comfort zone and try new things.” Bill Brown, PE, 35 Principal Engineer, Schneider Electric North America, Cookeville, Tenn. Tennessee Technological University, BS in Electrical Engineering W W hen it comes to engineering, Brown said, it’s all about knowing the basics. “Without the basics, you don’t have a foundation.” Brown should know, as the recipient of Schneider North America’s “People Who Made a Difference” award, the highest honor given for outstanding company contributions. He earned the award for diagnosing potential protective relay issues. In the 13 years he has been with the company, Brown has become known as an expert on power systems analysis and design for data center, industrial, and commercial clients in the Tennessee region. He also provides electric power consulting engineering support for the Square D Critical Power Competency Center and Healthcare Segment Marketing organizations, which support the critical power and healthcare industries. He also has presented at a national AFCOM conference on power system issues. When he’s not on the job, Brown is busy working toward a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Tech. Brown enjoys woodworking, and spending time with his wife, Stacy, and their 11-year-old daughter, Katie. He is active in Netherland Church of Christ’s missions to India. 20 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • JULY 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable 40 Under 40 Using Demand-Based Reset Strategies VFDs and Motors: Making the Right Match Grounding and Bonding Practices for Hazardous Areas Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008

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