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Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
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September 2023 #15290 Page #108
From CEO to Legacy: Welcome to the Karen Colonias Research Lab By David Huerta Senior Lab Manager
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s the current lab manager of the newly renamed Karen Colonias Research Laboratory, I’m proud to share what our lab does and what Karen meant to us.
Our lab is responsible for testing new and existing connector, fastener and Truss plate products in support of our product development teams. The lab is accredited to over 20 ASTM Standards and Acceptance Criteria. We routinely test existing products, prototypes, and construction applications, using a variety of equipment not only on individual components but also on full assemblies. Additionally, we focus our research on corrosion, wood assemblies including mass timber, and concrete. Our lab boasts state-of-the-art computer and testing equipment such as MTS TestSuite software, environmental chambers, and a materials lab capable of evaluating products at a microscopic level.
Simpson Strong-Tie CEO Mike Olosky at the ceremony
Karen Colonias was instrumental in leading us to become innovative. She joined Simpson Strong-Tie in 1984 as an engineer in the research and development department, where she was responsible for the design and testing of new products and code development. At the renaming event, I was able to present Karen with a memento from her engineering days, a framed print of her original handdrafted production drawing of an HD5A along with her first patent for that product. David Huerta presenting Karen Colonias with a framed print of her original hand-drafted production drawing and patent
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