Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects

a not-for-profit professional organization

Quarterly Newsletter

My fellow members,

As we begin to close the year 2011, and welcome the new one, I want to wish you a very happy New Year and hope that your holiday season was happy and safe with your families. In a year where a lot has gone on in the news, in our communities, and our society, this is also a time of reflection for all of us.

So I dedicate this newsletter to the many challenges that we all face in our lives and our professions and continue to make many sacrifices, big and small to achieve our goals.

Recently, we had our 31st Grand Gala at the Hyatt and over 800 people attended this event, making this gathering probably one of the biggest within our community. It was gratifying to see many old friends, make new ones and share our success and struggles with each other. I want to thank each and every one of the Society’s members for their wonderful support and ensuring that our event went smoothly, and gave a strong message of our unity and camaraderie. At the event, we honored many of the successful entrepreneurs of our society and also gave

scholarships to deserving students. I want to thank my entire Gala committee for ensuring that everyone was given their due respect and the event was managed professionally. I also want to thank my executive committee members and the past presidents for working hard till the end and making sure that the Gala was a grand success.

Our sponsors cannot be thanked enough for supporting the Society, and I truly want to salute them to continuing to come forward and being a part of the Souvenir and the Gala.

On a personal note, while at this event, I suffered a personal loss of mine, when I heard that my mother passed away in India while the event was going on. I want to thank all of the friends and well-wishers who shared their precious time in calling me and visiting me during my difficult time. I truly am honored and blessed that I am a part of an organization that knows how to share the ups and downs with each other without reservation.

Once again, I want to wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that you have a safe and a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year.

Sincerely, Nayan Parikh

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.

President’s Message

Volume 2 • Issue 4 October - December 2011

In this issue

• President’s Message • 31st Annual Gala • Technical Seminar • Job Wanted • Scholarship Recipients

ADDRESS SIAEA

SUITE 309 350 BROADWAY

NEW YORK, NY 10013

PHONE 212.343.2773

EMAIL

president@siaeany.org

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.

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Quarterly Newsletter

More than eight hundred engineers, architects, contractors and developers of Indian origin gathered with their families and friends at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Grand Central, New York City on 19th November to celebrate their success at the 31st Annual Gala of the Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects.

A number of top New York State officials, who attended the event, spoke highly about professional excellence and integrity of Indo-American engineers and architects. New York Senator and Minority Conference Chairwoman Ruth Hassell-Thompson, who seemed especially impressed by the spectacular display of Indian culture and professional accomplishments of the members of SIAEA, complimented the engineers and architects of Indian origin for their level of professionalism, creativity and attention to critical details in the design and construction industry. “By drawing upon your cultural Indian heritage and assimilation into American society, you bring a unique and historic perspective to each of the projects to which you contribute throughout our communities”, she remarked.

Referring to the hard work that went into drafting and adaptation of equal share for minority and women entrepreneurs’ legislation Ms. Hassell-Thompson said that members of the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects can look forward to a brighter future for their businesses as various legal provisions for providing fair share of contracting opportunities were in place. She hoped for removal of all barriers that obstructed equal opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was equally impressed by the grandeur of the show as he enjoyed the evening. Complimenting the Society’s president and all office bearers for their hard work DiNapoli said that professionals of Indian origin were making remarkable contributions in improving the financial health of New York State. He recognized the Indian American professional community as hard working and forward looking.

Referring to the great contribution of engineers and architects of Indian origin in development projects Consul-General of India Ambassador Prabhu Dayal said that the Society played an important role in strengthening the Indo-US ties.

Highlighting the role of Indo-American engineers and architects in MTA’s projects, Michael Horodniceanu, President, MTA Capital Construction, pointed out that 40 percent engineers engaged in major projects in his organization belonged to Indian heritage. He said that he was proud to be working with them who displayed very high level of professionalism and creativity.

SSS III AAA EEE AAA

PRESIDENT Nayan Parikh

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Mihir B. Patel

EXEC. V. PRESIDENT Amar Malla

VICE PRESIDENT

Ketan Shah

SECRETARY Samir Shah

JOINT SECRETARY

Rakesh Shah

TREASURER Shishir K. Agrawal

ASST. TREASURER Prakash Kapadia

DIRECTORS Akhil Dayal Bipin Desai Gargi Shah

Inderjit Singh Rajiv K. Bhagat Shailesh R. Naik

Shishir K. Agrawal Sunil Hali

Vikrant Sampat Yatish Sharma

SPECIAL ADVISOR

Vinod Devgan

HONORARY MEMBER Sudhir Sachdev

IMM. PAST PRESIDENT

Ravi V. Shenoy

PAST PRESIDENTS Mohan Jethwani Harshad Lakhani

Amba Sharma Madhu Goradia

Deo Gosine Satish Babbar

Dharam Aggarwal Lal Motwani

Kirit Desai Noel Vaz

Jagmohan Kapur Bansi Shah

NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE

Vinod Devgan Sudhir Sachdev

Samir Shah Rajiv Bhagat

Committee 2011-2013 333111sssttt AAAnnnnnnuuuAAAlll GGGAAAlllAAA --- sssiiiAAAeeeAAA

Saturday, November 19, 2011 ● Grand Hyatt Hotel, Grand Central ● New York City

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A Not-For-Profit Organization

Quarterly Newsletter

31st Annual Gala of Society of Indo American Engineers & Architects

Parikh said that the Society was geared to expand its activities throughout the United States. “Very soon we will be launching SIAEA’s new chapters in Philadelphia, Washington DC and Boston. More exciting happenings await us in the year 2012”, he added.

Eight professionals, Anil Parikh, Deputy Program Executive, MTACC, Hiten Patel, President, Collebera, Atul Shah, President, ANS Consultants, Bhavna Raval, Director-Engineering Audit Office, NYC DCAS/DFMO, Ashok Patel, President, Judlau Companies, Bansi Shah, President, KG Industries, Dave Goswami, CEO, Integrated Project Services, Viren Brahmbhatt, Principal, De.Sign and Husam Ahmad, President, HAKS, were also honored at the event for their distinguished achievements in their profession. Alpesh Patel, President, Voltamp Electrical Contractors, was honored as ‘Young Achiever under 40’.

Gala Chair Kenny Desai complimented the honorees and scholarship awardees for their hard work and drive. Society’s President-Elect Mihir Patel extended a vote of thanks while Anita Asokan and Akhil Dayal conducted the program as Masters of Ceremony. The evening concluded with Dance performance by Bhangra Group of Columbia University and a lavish spread of Indian cuisine.

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A Not-For-Profit Organization

Quarterly Newsletter

31st Annual Gala of Society of Indo American Engineers & Architects

Expressing his appreciation to his executive team members for their hard work, Parikh said that the members ensured that the Society represented the success and accomplishments of its members for which they were honored every year. “Every year we reach out to institutions where the next generation of engineers and architects were being trained. We continue to recognizing their talents by offering scholarships to ten meritorious engineering and architect students”, he said. This year the ten students, who are pursuing engineering and architectural careers in various universities and institutions in USA, were selected for scholarship of $2000. They were, Chirangi Desai, NJIT, Esha Shanbhogue, Carnegie Melon University, Neil Dhillon, Manhattan College, Palak Shah, NJIT, Rishikesh Tirumala, MIT, Ronak Patel, Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Samarth Panchal, NJIT, Shivam Kashiwala, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Shreel Joshi, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, Yusuf Sheth, Stony brook University, who walked to the podium to receive their awards.

Gala Chair Kenny Desai complimented the honorees and scholarship awardees for their hard work and drive. Society’s President-Elect Mihir Patel extended a vote of thanks while Anita Asokan and Akhil Dayal conducted the program as Masters of Ceremony. The evening concluded with Dance performance by Bhangra Group of Columbia University and a lavish spread of Indian cuisine. www.SIAEANY.org 4 I Page

Presentation Highlights

Existing Conditions:

• The area of Dharavi slum is 535 acres and has a population more than 1 million.

• In expensive Mumbai, Dharvi provides a cheap alternatve where rents were as low as $4 per month in 2006. Dharavi exports goods around the world. The total turnover is estimated $500 million per year.

• In addition to the traditional pottery and textile industries in Dharavi, there is large recycling industry. The district has an estimated 5000 businesses and 15,000 single-room factories.

• Poor drainage systems make Dharavi vulnerable to floods during rains.

Dharavi Redevelopment Project:

• Dharavi has an unplanned economic growth. Change is inevitable. The 1.2 billion was set up by Mukesh Mehta, the architect of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

• The project includes a complete reconstruction of all the shacks, informal businesses and other structures.

• A completely new city made up of 2,787,000 meters squared of housing, schools, parks and roads for 57,000 families and 3,716,000 meters squared of residential and commercial space for sale.

• The global economic crisis has created sever obstacles not only for Mukesh Mehta but for the whole Redevelopment Project.

Quarterly Newsletter

TECHNICAL SEMINAR Amar Malla, Chairperson, Technical Seminar Committee

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Topic: - Dharavi Project Mumbai, India by Mukesh Mehta

Congratulations siaEa 2011 sCholarship rECipiEnts:

1. Chirangi Desai, Senior at New Jersey

Institute of Technology (NJIT), pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

2. Esha Shanbhogue, Junior at Carnegie Mellon University, studying Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering.

3. Neil Dhillon, Freshman at Manhattan College, NY, enrolled in Civil Engineering.

4. Palak Shah, Freshman at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), pursuing a degree in Engineering Management.

5. Rishikesh Tirumala, Sophomore at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Engineering.

6. Ronak Patel, Junior in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Columbia University, pursuing a triple major in Civil Engineering, Computer Sciences and Economics.

7. Samrath Panchal, Senior at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering.

8. Shivam Kashiwala, Freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, studying Aeronautical Science and Aerospace Engineering.

9. Shreel Joshi, Senior at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute (RPI), pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering.

10. Yusuf Sheth, Freshman at Stonybrook University, NY, pursuing a degree in Engineering and Sciences.

siaEa sCholarship CommittEE 2011

Vinod Devgan, Chairperson Amar Malla, Gargi Shah, Ketan Shah, Samir Shah,

Rajiv Bhagat

Quarterly Newsletter

siaEa wishes all the

members & supporters a very happy, healthy and

prosperous

Year 2012

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 president@siaeany.org 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”

SIAEA A Not-for-Profit Professional Organization

Job Wanted: Civil Engineer: Mr. Ravinder Sheggari is a Civil Engineer with 19 years of working experience looking for a suitable job. Contact: Ravi @ (646) 261-7756

JOIN US in our MEMEBERSHIP

DRIVE

“each one reach one”

Rajiv K. Bhagat

Editor-in-Chief

NEWSLETTER

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SSSAAAVVVEEE TTTHHHEEE DDDAAATTTEEE

Wednesday, March 21, 2012:

Technical Seminar

Saturday, July 14, 2012:

Dinner Cruise

Saturday, September 29, 2012:

Annual Gala