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SOCIETY OF INDO AMERICAN ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS
Vol 1 Issue 4
October 2010
Newsletter
In this issue
President’s Message 1
Dinner Cruise 2 - 3
Grassroots Meeting 4
Technical Seminar 5
India Day Parade - NY & NJ 6 Summer Picnic 6 SIAEA News 6 Upcoming Events 6 Employment Opportunities 6
ADDRESS
SIAEA, P.O. BOX 745 WEST CALDWELL, NJ 07007
PHONE
201.953.9637 973.808.4090
www.SIAEANY.org
to have a standing room only event. Our Director, Vikrant Sampat, facilitated an exclusive presentation and meeting with MTA’s Procurement Office in Superstructures state-of-the-art auditorium with the help of one of our newest Life members, Uday Durg. Mr. Durg, recently promoted as Senior VP of MTACC. SIAEA Special Advisor and Chair for ‘Jugaad Urbanism’ Vinod Devgan had a great success in attracting and committing some of the most talented young architects who are dreaming up and planning for a great show for next year. Under the leadership of Director, Mihir Patel, we had one of the most successful networking Dinner Cruises ever. It was a sold-out event. Meanwhile, preparation for the 30th Annual Gala, our Flag Ship event, is going ahead at a brisk pace. Indications are that this year’s Gala will be our best one yet. We have: NYC Comptroller John C. Liu, a long time
friend of the Society, as Chief Guest.
William Goldstein, Executive Vice President, MTA Capital Construction as Key Note Speaker.
Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil, Inc. as Guest of Honor.
And, of course, our beloved Consulate General, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal will be delivering a Special Address to the gathering. As many of you already know, the Gala event has been planned for Saturday, November 20 at 6.00pm at Grand Hyatt in NYC. Last but not least, as set forth in our Constitution, the Elections for the new Executive Committee will be held early next year. Request for Nominations for all positions, except for the seat of President, will be sent to all eligible members immediately after the Gala event. Look for this request in your e-mail and on our website. We encourage dedicated and hard working members to come forward with their nominations. I, especially, encourage younger generation engineers and architects to get involved, to run for the office, and to take this Society and its ideals well into 21st century. Wishing you all Happy Holiday Season!
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:
This quarter, your Society took quantum leaps
on many fronts to meet the goals set by the Executive Committee. Some of the achievements/events that took place this quarter include;
a grassroots meeting with, predominantly young, IT professionals.
participation and sponsorship of the New York Construction - Transportation summit,
an exclusive presentation with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) ’s Procurement office,
forming a committee of young and enthusiastic architects for the ‘Jugaad Urbanism’ task force and, of course, a sold-out and successful networking Cruise.
These leaps were made possible by the collective effort of our tireless Executive Committee members who stepped up to the plate to make these events successful. Our ever-mindful President-Elect, Nayan Parikh, contacted the organizers of New York State Transportation Summit who enthusiastically welcomed the Society as a Participating Sponsor. The summit has been one of the Society’s most successful public relations events and showcased, not only the Society, but the accomplished members of the Society who have excelled in the Transportation sector as well. Our secretary, Yatish Sharma, came up with the idea of having a grassroots meeting with IT professionals in NYC – where else but in Silicon Alley. He not only came up with the idea, but also worked relentlessly to get the word around and
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a not-for-profit professional organization
1 | P a g e
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
Committee 2009-2011
SIAEA CRUISE for networking on the HUDSON….. Sunday, July 11, 2010
Notwithstanding the World Cup Soccer final and the hot humid weather, hundreds of members of the Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA) and their families joined the annual dinner cruise on the Hudson River. It was a fun filled evening where socializing and networking went hand in hand. The cruise on board „World Yatch Princess‟ is a much awaited event not only for the members of the Society members but also for their family members as it gives them an opportunity to catch up with events and changes evolving in their profession and personal life. While some made new friends, others re-establish lost contacts and pledge to work together in future. Mr. Ravi Shenoy, president of the Society while talking to this correspondent during the cruise spoke about his presidency and how successful it had been so far. He claimed that “there was a renewed enthusiasm and zeal among the members to take the society to the next level. We have been able to take the membership drive to 160 new members joining the elite group”, he said adding, “there is potential to improve and net in the younger generation of engineers and architects”. Shenoy gave details of the new concept of increasing the networking. “Towards this end we started a program whereby the Society goes to places where they see opportunity instead of the prospective members coming all the way to New York. Town hall style grass root meeting were held in Parsippany, and Edison in New Jersey and Queens, in New York. For the first time we held such a meeting in Stamford Connecticut. These meetings were a huge success”, he claimed. As a result of this we not only inducted new members but also grew in our networking which is the key to our success”. When asked where he sees the Society five years from now, Mr. Shenoy said “I hope to see the Society grow by leaps and bounds. Generate more awareness and ensure that new members join our team. During our recent interaction with the Indian Surface Transport minister Kamal Nath during his recent visit to New York, he has also shown interest to work with the Society with regards to projects in India. Some have also suggested that we nominate a person for the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Divas award as there was tremendous talent within the engineers and Architects of Indian origin”, he claimed. President-elect Mr. Nayan Parikh who takes over from Mr. Shenoy next year is also keen to expand the scope and horizon of the Society. “By next year when I take office, plans are drawn to open up a chapter of the Society in all states of the United States and have a 10-time increase in membership to take it to the 10,000 mark.” 2
S I A E A
Quarterly Newsletter
When asked how he would plan this, the young energetic engineer said, “There is no idea right now of much power and force we can wield if we have a strong base and are united. We will be better placed and will have much more strength if we have the numbers. Today we cannot go and meet top level executives as we do not have a following but the day we have made a our presence felt in the entire length and breadth of the United States the top officials will come to us instead of the other way round”. Speaking about the future of the engineers and architects vis-à-vis the economic situation Mr. Parikh said “by the year 2012 there will be tremendous growth in the industry and these engineers and architects will be amongst the highest paid individuals in the country. Right now US was way behind China and India so far as providing new infrastructure was concerned but things are set to change soon.” He was also happy the way the Obama stimulus money was being used judiciously in New York State. “I myself am a beneficiary of this”, he claimed.
Though Mr. Parikh would love to do business with India, given the tremendous potential the country has to offer, he is skeptical as “it is very difficult to do business in the Indian environment. Despite this I will go aggressively on this front during my tenure as president of the Society but it will take a lot of effort to penetrate the Indian bureaucracy. However the silver lining is the fact that the younger generation of engineers and architects do not fall in this bureaucracy tangle so it will be that much easier”. Mr. Bansi Shah former president of the Society was hopeful that “things will definitely improve in the days to come for the engineers and architects. The infrastructure market will boom in the next five years” he claimed. According to Mr. Shah, “the engineers and architects have learnt it the hard way and know how to find ways in difficult situations so they will pave the way in the days to come. These folks are resilient and come out shining”. Mr. Uday Durg, program executive of the Lower Manhattan projects with the MTA Capital Construction, who was also the guest of honor for the evening told this correspondent in an exclusive chat that “the idea is to provide a better working relationship between the Minority Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) and the government projects. We encourage contractors to work with our organization with a new vision and it is good to see that these MBEs already have a head start on this front.” “The MTA promotes contractors owned by these MBEs and always throws up avenues for growth and working together as they are capable of doing it on time and on budget”, Mr. Durg said. According to Mr. Durg my project itself is worth almost $ 2 billion and I encourage ensuring networking to reap the benefits. All our contracts are assigned goals and hence I would like all businesses to check our procurement and contract websites and be abreast of all opportunities in these areas. “The MTA was coming up with new projects worth $ 10 billion in the next four years and another $ 18 b. in the next five to 7 years and hence it would be ideal to talk to us and reap the benefits of your expertise”, he told the gathering. He said “there were almost 450 to 700 contractors from the minority community and my experience says that there has never been any bias towards the Indian engineers and architects who are known for their work ethics. Contractors who deliver will always finds a place in the things to come”, he assured the engineers and architects. Mr. Michael Clay, Director Office of Opportunity Programs with the Dormitory Authority State of New York was of the opinion that “opportunities be provided for these MBEs. They have the vision and goal and they just need the push for them to prosper in their field”. He said “it was unfortunate that not enough opportunities was given to the minority groups even though they were confident of the work they can produce and that too on time and on budget and are capable of producing like anyone else in the field.” He said the SIAEA should come forward and show that they are competent and viable as the Society is a strong and vibrant group. The Society was now turning out to be a well oiled coherent group which was not afraid of partnership with any one and is no different from any other such group. This group must be ready for any big deal coming their way as they have been creative and self motivating”, he opined. As the cruise progressed on the Hudson and members and their family were entertained and fed sumptuous food from Tandoor restaurant and danced their heart out.
The gold sponsors for the event included TDX Construction, H.R.A.D. Construction, the silver sponsors were HAKS, Howell Industries, IPWest and the bronze sponsor was V J Associates. The sponsors and guest of honor were presented a plaque for their continued support.
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SIAEA DINNER CRUISE ON HUDSON
A Not-For-Profit Organization
S I A E A
Quarterly Newsletter
SIAEA reaches out to Engineers and Architects in Manhattan New York, July 28, 2010
The Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects held a town hall styled grassroots meeting on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. Seventy-eight Engineers and Architects, of various backgrounds and industries, attended the event. As one of its seminal goals, the SIAEA has focused on meeting with Architects and Engineers, of Indian origin, at the local level in order to interact with members unable to attend the larger events.
Whilst the Society’s members have traditionally been construction industry oriented, the SIAEA is taking the initiative to reach out and recruit Engineers in other industries in an effort to diversify its membership, and to reach, and serve, an ever-growing population of Architects and Engineers of Indian origin. In an effort to reach the numerous IT professionals in Manhattan’s “Silicon Alley”, the SIAEA invited speakers from Unique Comp Inc (headed by the Society’s own Kalpana Patel) and global technology consulting firm Accenture. The SIAEA is also looking to reach the younger generation of Architects and Engineers, many of whom attended at the grassroots meeting. Mr. Shenoy, also, informed the attendees of the Society’s student outreach events, spearheaded by Akhil Dayal, Chair of the SIAEA’s student committee, and the $2,000 scholarships given out to ten A&E students every year. Attendees were encouraged to join the Society’s Picnic and Annual Gala events and to visit www.siaeany.org for updates on grassroots meetings, technical seminars, and more.
The SIAEA has conducted grassroots meetings in several other cities throughout the Tri-State; Locations have included NJ (Parsippany and Edison), Connecticut (Stamford), and New York (Queens).
SIAEA Grassroots Meeting at Manhattan
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Quarterly Newsletter
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
FORENSIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR BUILDING RESTORATION BY: Barry Drogin, Director of Non-Destructible Testing and Evaluation,
Superstructure Engineers + Architects The Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects organized a Technical Seminar presented on Wednesday, Septempber 22, 2010. Seventy-four Engineers and Architects attended the technical seminar. The speaker, Mr. Barry Drogin, is the Director of Non-Destructible Testing and Evaluation at Superstructures Engineers and Architects. Mr. Drogin spoke on the various means and methods of testing and evaluating commonly used construction materials. The major points of discussion were Leak Investigation as well as how to determine and characterize deficiencies in Reinforced Concrete construction, Steel Frame construction, Masonry, Stone and/or Terra Cotta Construction, Stucco and/or Plaster, and Coatings. This seminar was eligible for 1.0 AIA credit and 1.0 PDH credit. Many of our members who attended took benefit of the credits while taking valuable knowledge with them. Special thanks to Vikrant Sampat, P.E., Principal and Superstructures for providing a venue for the SIAEA’s technical seminars. Visit the “Upcoming Events” section on page or the SIAEA website for further information on upcoming Technical Seminars.
By: Amar Malla, Chairperson, Technical Seminar Committee
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UPCOMING EVENTS
October (Date yet TBD) - Trip to WTC construction site. October 20, 2010 - Technical Seminar on Solar power. 30th Annual Gala Dinner - Nov. 20th at Grand Hyatt, NYC.
Executive Committee election - Elections for the 2011- 2013 Executive committee will take place in the December/January timeframe in time for next year’s March 2011 oath-taking ceremony. Look out for e-mails for the request for nominations and election details. The information will also be posted on our Website.
Employment Opportunities:
North Star Construction Management, Inc. is seeking: Job Title: Secretary Location: Project Construction Job Site. Experience: 3-5 yrs.
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. Senior Plumbing/Fire Protection Designer -
must have at least 10 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]
Civil Engineering firm is seeking a full time
Civil/AutoCAD designer. The candidate must have knowledge on planning/designing civil engineering projects including drainage, sewerage and municipal engineering. The candidate must be proficient in the latest version of AutoCAD and Civil 3D, and must have the ability to put together entire sets of construction documents. Please send resume with salary requirements 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.
“all omissions and errors are regretted”
Rajiv K. Bhagat Editor-in-Chief NEWSLETTER
S I A E A A Not-for-Profit Professional Organization
JOIN US in our MEMEBERSHIP
DRIVE
“each one reach one”
Saturday Nov. 20, 2010
Rajiv K. Bhagat Editor-in-Chief
NEWSLETTER
India Day Parade: SIAEA Summer Picnic
Merrill Park, Woodbridge, NJ - Sat., Aug 28, 2010
Glimpses of India Day Parade & Picnic
Support our Motherland: Members of the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects came out in strong numbers and marched, hand-in-hand, with several other community organizations and general attendees in show of support of and solidarity with our Motherland. The SIAEA participated in the New York India Day parade on Madison Avenue and the New Jersey Parade in Edison.
Jugaad Urbanism In July Issue, we briefly discussed SIAEA‟s commitment to cooperate and participate in Center for Architecture‟s (CFA) exhibition highlighting “Jugaad Urbanism” scheduled to take place in NYC from Feb. 10 thru May 14, 2011 under the leadership of Vinod Devgan. We are pleased to report the response from our architect members was overwhelming. Specially, the enthusiasm and zeal exhibited by the younger generation architects at our „brain storming‟ sessions was incredible. The Society will be mostly facilitating three workshops of four (4) hours each in March, April and May of 2011. The preparations are underway. We will keep you posted in our future issues. Meeting with MTA On Wednesday September 22, 2010, the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects arranged a special and exclusive hour long presentation by Uday Durg, Program Executive and Senior V.P. at MTACC and David Cannon, MTACC Director of Procurement and Risk Management on “Doing business with MTA”. Attended mainly by owners, executives and marketing personnel of firms owned by the members of the Society, the presentation included valuable information on current and future RFP and bidding opportunities, certification procedures and „how we can increase our chances of getting MTA projects‟. Transportation Summit The Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects was a Participating Sponsor in the New York State Transportation Summit held at McGraw Hill Convention Center on September 24, 2010 thanks to Nayan Parikh, our President-Elect. The conference was addressed by Robert Paaswell, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, University Transportation Research Center and Richard Ravitch, Lieutenant Governor of New York State and many more heads of State Agencies.
Among over (250) industry leaders who
New Jersey - Aug 08 New York - Aug 15
S I A E A Quarterly Newsletter
