Hunt Engineers, Architects & Surveyors

NEWSLETTER

Spring 2018

Principal's Message

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Announcing Our New HUNT Website!

Learn more about who we are at HUNT-EAS.com

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e welcome you to visit our recently refreshed website: www.HUNT-EAS.com.

In an effort to better serve our clients, partners, and the various communities in which we work, our website has been dramatically updated. Highlighted by our balance of “Working With Us” and “Working For Us”, our website informs our viewers on who we are as a company.

From notable project experience to services we offer to keeping up with the latest HUNT news, our website is a resource for prospective and current clients.

Get to know the Principals of our firm at the “Leadership” page and learn about our company values on our “Culture & Careers” page.

Technology has become a key component of the architectural and engineering business, and we’re excited to continue to innovate and evolve to work well with the current market.

We hope you take some time to browse our site, maybe you will even learn something new about HUNT! Dan Bower, HUNT President Dean Hackett, VP Business Services Volume 18, No. 1

ike any school district, municipality, or business, at HUNT our finance and accounting department is charged with managing day-to-day accounting functions, corporate financials, audit functions, and human resource benefits -- so-called “short-term action items”.

At the same time, long-term planning is also key to our success – again, think in regard to Five-Year Building Condition Surveys and Master Plans. Guided by our HUNT leaders, we look for trends in the Engineering and Architecture industry, technology, and talent development. What will the “built environment” look like in the next decade as virtual reality tools allow clients and practitioners to experience their projects in 3D? What will it mean to our structural and transportation engineers when self-automated vehicles arrive at our buildings? What tools will our current team need that I haven’t even thought of yet? How will our workforce change in response – more training surely… different backgrounds for new employees?

Reconciling these issues is at the heart of our human resource mission, and since I joined HUNT’s accounting department in 1986 I have seen innumerable advances in all these regards. I was fortunate to be mentored early in my career by both HUNT’s founder Bob Hunt and then-accounting manager Larry Cook. Their employee-first emphasis, as well as unflagging curiosity about technology, surely has shaped my own perspective, and it was at the heart of our decision to integrate and utilize Vision project management software, and it continues in 2018, as we have recently brought on Heather Blokzyl, a Talent Development Manager to help train current employees, recruit new professionals, and improve our ability to articulate the community-focus-culture that drives HUNT’s daily efforts.

In the Vision platform we answer internal needs – reporting, on-line time and expense sheets, as well as health care benefits; but beyond those integral functions, the database acts as a virtual encyclopedia of HUNT’s projects, business relationships, opportunities, goals, and partnerships (and friendships). The complete connection of all this data allows us to measurably better understand and serve our clients.

As I mentioned earlier, long-term strategic planning is a responsibility shared by a number of us at HUNT, and one of our strategic initiatives has been to hire an HR person to focus on talent, thus the title Talent Development Manager (TDM).

In tandem with group leaders, Heather will be focusing on talent acquisition, talent development, and nourishing the HUNT culture. Talent acquisition has required a much more proactive approach over the past 10 years. Talent development speaks to several areas, but a primary focus is the learning movement that we have adopted as a HUNT norm. As importantly, in our fast paced and exciting business environment, we have developed a HUNT culture that is client-centered and family/people-oriented. We need to wisely manage all efforts in all areas to support this culture.

This is my inaugural Principal’s Message, and I can’t imagine a better time to be able to greet all of community partners and the truly inspirational team we have in Horseheads, Towanda, and Rochester.

Kim Abbott, Director of Financial Services

Talent Development Heather Blokzyl Takes The Reins On Recruitment and Company Culture

Culture

Our Work/Life Balance

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t HUNT our culture promotes a work-life balance. Do you? What does work/life balance even mean?

This lifestyle is the ability to balance the time you allocate for work and the time allocated for your personal time outside of work. Many people cannot do this, and they have slowly migrated into the thought process that work comes first. Do you find yourself sitting at dinner with your family responding to emails that honestly could wait until the morning?

There is no lack of lists, quotes, and “highly recommended” steps to take to achieve a work/life balance. But rather than bore you with a regurgitation of those themes, for the purposes of this first exploratory article, we are going to instead invite you to join us in this exercise -- challenging all of us to move beyond the “inspiration” of this effort and “actualize” these steps in our lives.

Part of the challenge will be developing a shared language. What a 50-year-old might consider a dramatic step in this direction – a standing desk, the ability to work from their house, might be meaningless to a 30-something whose

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life happily revolves around the office and wants easily accessible recreational and therapeutic spaces.

A distinct element in our HUNT brand evolution is the effort to intertwine our website, social media, and traditional communication channels. To see more about our work/life balance and culture at HUNT, please visit HUNT-EAS.com.

For now accept these thoughts as our hope that you have a great balanced day.

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ne of HUNT’s strategic initiatives has been to hire an HR person to focus on talent, and that hire is now in place in the person of Heather Blokzyl, Talent Development Manager (TDM).

In tandem with group leaders, Heather will be focusing on talent acquisition, talent development, and nourishing the HUNT culture.

Charged with quickly absorbing the history and culture of our 44-year-old firm, Heather personifies the cliché of “hitting the ground running”. Bolstered by 16 years of senior management at Bradford County Airport and an Embry Riddle Master’s Degree in Business Administration, with an Aviation concentration, Heather had barely finished her own OnBoarding process when she was called upon to coordinate those efforts for several new HUNT employees. Heather project managed renovations and additions at Bradford, so the vernacular and pace of architecture and engineering are not new to her. A Towanda resident, Heather also holds a BA from Everglades University in Boca Raton. She, her husband, Adam, daughter Molly, and Bella – the beast -- enjoy exploring northern PA and the Finger Lakes – music festivals are a magnet!

Celebrating A Career MEP Engineer Nick Shaban Retires

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hock full of schools, municipal clients, and industrial manufacturing, Nick Shaban’s resume exemplified the multiple roles that HUNT’s MEP engineers easily slip in and out of on any given day. But it was Nick’s singular expertise in plumbing design – compounded by a work ethic that HUNT President Dan Bower recently described as “heads above a field of very hard workers”, that will be missed dearly as he begins retirement.

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Building on an Associate Degree in Mechanical Technology from Corning Community College, Nick enjoyed more than 20 years of mechanical design experience, including HVAC design and heat loss calculations, component installation detailing, equipment scheduling, and specification documentation.

Even in a company that prides itself on picking up the ball and carrying it, Nick Shaban stood a head above others. His energy, enthusiasm, and simple ethic of hard work will be dearly missed. And we expect him to bring that same attitude to retirement.

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- Dan Bower HUNT President

Celebrating A Life

Former HUNT Marketing Director Bill Cox Passed Away in July 2018

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UNT’s Bill Cox passed away July 21st at his New Jersey home with wife Nancy at his side. He was HUNT’s Director of Marketing from 1987 to 2001 when he retired.

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Following his PhD. studies at the University of Michigan, Bill began his career as a professor of Russian Literature at Lafayette University. This was during the Vietnam war era, and Bill spoke out in support of student antiwar protesters, and he was quoted at the time as saying, “There is a need for older people to express themselves on this issue”.

Not many people actually think, create and articulate new ideas, but Bill had the intelligence and skills to do just that.

- Dan Bower HUNT President

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After Lafayette, Nancy and Bill relocated to Jasper, NY to begin a new life in that rural community. Bill’s exploratory and innovative nature never wavered, and from Jasper he threw himself into a stints as a carpenter, as well as a writer for large corporate marketing divisions. In 1987 he met Bob Hunt who quickly put him to 2010 NYC: (left to right) Cindy Hunt, Dan & Ann Bower, work on expanding HUNT’s Larry Cook, Nancy & Bill Cox K-12 market exposure.

Photo courtesy of Robert W. Hunt

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NEW HIRES

James Burns Architectural Designer

Recruitment at HUNT

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t was an exciting first half of 2018 at HUNT, and with a wonderful array of client projects demanding expertise and shoulders-to-the-wheel, our employee ranks have climbed dramatically in the last several months. With national unemployment rates at historically low levels, it isn’t a surprise that many companies are finding attracting talent increasingly difficult. Consequently, beyond our recent creation of a Talent & Culture position, HUNT has also improved our New Employee OnBoarding Program. Formalizing what is often a dizzying first few weeks of employment, HUNT’s entire team is charged with helping new employees assimilate professionally and socially.

Cross-discipline introductions and group activities are scheduled hour-byhour, and, at the same time, opportunities for the new employees to make constructive and rewarding project contributions are encouraged.

On the following pages – in no particular order -- are snapshots of several new additions to the HUNT team.

Michael Trapanovski, AIA Architect

A fifteen-year Project Architect, Michael Trapanovski, AIA offers HUNT partners and clients an uncommon versatility. His ability to organize and execute design projects from pre-design through project completion is exemplified by efforts the following areas: residential, municipal, and commercial/ industrial. An avid golfer, car buff, and architectural modeler, Michael lives in Penfield with his recently turned 40-year-old wife Wendy, their three-yearold daughter Charlotte, and Casper the cat.

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Barbara Casale Interior Designer

Barbara is a recent bachelor’s graduate whose award-winning academic work HUNT’s team had been admiring over the years at RIT design contests. Carrying capacity with state-of-the-art design concepts and software tools, Barbara has focused on space planning and retail, hospitality, and office design. A busy community and educational volunteer, Barbara nevertheless finds time for music, scrapbooking, photography, and weight lifting. She lives in West Henrietta with her husband Marco & their two children, Katherine and Christopher.

Michael Keith, PE Civil Manager

A Clarkson University Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate, Michael is an experienced designer with over 18 years of Site/Civil project management experience in the northern Virginia and Chicago areas. Michael is skilled at “penciling out” creative site documents, efficient in realistic schedules & budgets, as well as interacting with private developers. Michael lives with his wife, Shari, and two children, Joshua and Alexa, along with their yellow Lab, Belle, in Webster, NY. Michael also enjoys rooting on his beloved “Stanley Cup Champions” Washington Capitals.

Harini Kadambi, EIT Civil Engineering

James joined HUNT as a UB and RIT-trained Architectural Designer. At an April 2018 ceremony celebrating RIT’s architecture program having gained accreditation, Jim captured his own awards – both RIT acknowledgments and “tongue-incheek” praise from his fellow students. Now working on his M/Arch at RIT, James’ experience includes over 18 years of design/build residential and commercial projects. He enjoys a wide variety of personal interests including water and snow skiing, dogs, sailing, and music. Jim lives in Cohocton, NY with his partner, Kristy, and their 6-year-old daughter, Parker.

Harini joins HUNT with degrees from Purdue (Biochemical Engineering) & SUNY ESF (Water Resource Engr.). Her previous work experience includes stints at both Nestle-Edy’s Ice Cream, where her tasks focused on production support for quality assurance and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products in Research & Development.

On the personal side, Harini and Ohley, a Great Dane and Lab mix recently moved to Horseheads where she hopes to continue to pursue her interests in music, volunteerism, and hiking.

Shih-Jung Wu Architectural Designer

Bradley Marshall, EIT Mechanical Engineering

Shih-Jung Wu offers HUNT’s clients a sophisticated ability to bring stateof-the-art software tools to bear on projects. He holds degrees at Taiwan, Pratt Institute at NYC, and Rochester Institute of Technology (where he won five individual awards).

His design experience includes retail outlets in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and China. Shih-Jung grew up in Taiwan and now lives in Henrietta, NY. A fan of golden retrievers, he is currently training for a triathlon and enjoys spending time cooking and making architectural models. Somehow, he also finds time for his girlfriend Dan.

Bradley joined the MEP department working on mechanical engineering and just passed his Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, the first step to becoming a Professional Engineer.

Before working at HUNT, he worked as buyer and assistant project manager in the pipeline industry.

Bradley grew up in Binghamton and is now living in Corning NY. Bradley has a goldfish named Daisy and a Samoyed named Kojack.

In his spare time, he enjoys snowboarding, golfing, volleyball, softball, camping and hiking. Bradley and several other HUNT employees recently enjoyed a trip to Bergen, Norway!

Jeffrey Naylor, PE Construction Inspector

Mark Ross, PE Structural Engineer

James Peckham, PE Civil Engineering

Suhua Zhao, RA Architect

Brian Schwingel Specification Writer

A Construction Inspector (CI) who joined HUNT in March 2018, Jeff Naylor, PE attended Corning Community College and has been a Professional Engineer since 2005. He nicely fits a gap in HUNT’s Structural Department. CI is a little publicized, but much-valued, component in HUNT’s project toolbox, with Jeff and his colleagues tying together the practical application of what may have been months or years in the planning.

Jeff lives in Watkins Glen with his wife, Susan, and in his spare time he enjoys woodworking and gardening.

Mark is a Structural Design Engineer with 13 years in the bridge design/ build industry. He enjoys being part of a team, as well as working independently. His excellent interpersonal and communication skills have been honed through various project management opportunities. He brings a Cedarville University Mechanical Engineering degree to HUNT’s structural group. Mark is an East Smithfield, PA resident who also enjoys carpentry, hunting, woodworking, and a variety of athletic activities.

In May, James, a 2010 Clarkson University graduate, was welcomed in the Towanda Office in the Civil Department. Prior to coming to HUNT, James worked at Borton-Lawson Engineering & Architecture for six years as a Civil/ Structural Engineering in the Oil and Gas Department. James relocated from central PA, and now resides in the Elmira area with his wife Pamela, son Dominic, and white Husky puppy Albus and black Dachshund, Griffin. James’s hobbies include HeroClix, reading, and soccer. In his spare time, he travels to various states to compete in HeroClix Events.

With degrees from Shanghai, China (BA) and Miami University of Ohio (M/Arch), as well as nine years of project design and management experience in Texas, Suhua Zhao is a registered architect who adds international & national depth to HUNT’s architecture department.

These worldwide design efforts are balanced by K-12 educational designs, highlighted by auditorium and elementary school projects. Suhua lives in Painted Post with her husband, Hector DePedro, and their three children, Shawn, Sharon, & Sheldon.

Brian Schwingel started at HUNT in the spring of 2018 to aid the architecture department as the newest HUNT Specification Writer. With 20 years of experience in management of building supplies and a retired NY State Trooper, he has become a great asset to the team.

Growing up in Wayland, NY, he now lives in Horseheads, NY with his wife Marlene. Together with their Labrador Retriever, Wilson, they enjoy hobby farming. They care for dairy goats, chickens, and honeybees.

Daniel Yanosh, PE Civil Engineer

Shawn O’Hara, IIDA Interior Designer

Sam Vergason Landscape Designer

Amanda Rathford, EIT Civil Engineering

Luke Thomas Civil Engineering

Daniel brings over 15 years of project management and project design experience built on a Clarkson University BS and Orange County CC Associates in Engineering. His portfolio is highlighted by industrial, retail, and residential experiences, and his water expertise is equally varied.

Currently an Irondequoit resident, Dan grew up in Orange County, NY. Gus, a chocolate Lab, keeps Dan and his wife Meredith and two children, Alyssa and Joey, busy when they are not playing soccer or golf.

Dan is an active leader in the Irondequoit Soccer Club, a member of the Irondequoit Conservation Board, and he also enjoys refereeing.

Shawn brings ten years of experience to HUNT’s Interior team. His knowledge stems from interior design, architecture, advertising, as well as his own design business. Shawn uses his skills to provide finish selections, furniture layouts, casework, and lighting design to K-12 projects. Shawn grew up in Mt. Upton between Binghamton and Syracuse, where his mother still lives.

Two cats, Natasha and Boris, keep him busy at his apartment when he isn’t practicing photography, painting, or mt. biking. A ‘foodie’ he is often at the center of office food contests and has elevated the “java” conversations too.

Sam Vergason joined the HUNT staff as a Landscape Designer in January.

Sam obtained his BS in Landscape Contracting at Penn State University which accompanies his CCC Degree. Sam grew up in Spencer, NY and now resides in Athens, PA. Hobbies he enjoys include writing music, playing the acoustic guitar, creating pottery, and working on his Harley. Sam is also interested in real estate development -- having recently investigated parcels in suburban Ithaca, with the hope he can utilize the skills of his HUNT coworkers. Sam has one older brother, Aaron Vergason, and a young niece and nephew, Honor and Jesse.

Amanda enjoys two bachelor’s degrees – Construction Management & Civil Engineering from Alfred State and the University of Buffalo, respectively. Prior to HUNT, Amanda worked most recently in Pittsburgh, PA; consequently, she brings a familiarity with both Pittsburgh’s vertical and burgeoning technology environment, as well as HUNT’s community building capacity.

A Southern Tier native Amanda, her husband, Ryan, and son Rhett live in Corning. A crocheter, Amanda and her family also enjoy watching movies and exploring the Finger Lakes region.

Luke Thomas, a recent graduate at Penn State, Harrisburg started in the Towanda Office adding to the Site/Civil department.

Before joining the HUNT team, Luke interned at PennDOT for two years as a construction inspector.

Luke grew up and currently resides in Forksville, PA, & he greatly enjoys weekly trivia night, hunting, and fishing. In addition, Luke participates in regular bass fishing tournaments on the beautiful Susquehanna River.

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Community Building in the Genesee alley A

Districts’ Capital Projects & Workforce Development

rare northerly flowing river, the Genesee travels roughly 180 miles from northern Pennsylvania and topples over six waterfalls before emptying into Lake Ontario. HUNT is pleased to have worked in innumerable communities along that serpentine stretch of dairy farms and cute hamlets, with K-12 efforts ongoing in mid-2018 at Letchworth, Warsaw, Geneseo, Livonia, Caledonia-Mumford and Greece.

Those capital projects have been complemented in the last several years by a cooperative, economic and workforce development project spearheaded by Genesee

Valley School Board Executive Director Tom Cox, local economic

development officials, and HUNT’s own planning and business development team. In 2015 the GVSBA’s Cox and HUNT’s John Cake, AIA began a series of seminars that highlighted the Valley’s economic, cultural, and physical assets and called upon school board officials to play a more active role connecting their schools with the local business communities (with the schools often being the largest employers in town). These sessions also underlined the various districts’ own growing awareness and implementation of work-force development curriculum.

Meanwhile, HUNT’s engineering and architecture teams have worked on the following GV capital projects.

At Letchworth, Superintendent Todd Campbell and Facilities Director Todd Brandt have steered their campus through a wide variety of building improvements, including: window, casework, roof, and toilet room replacements and renovations, parking lot/asphalt upgrades, and a track-surface replacement. Upcoming improvements slated for 2018-19 include campus security cameras and access control hardware.

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At Warsaw CSD Superintendent Joe Englebert and team are

shepherding a number of campuswide projects, highlighted by the addition of an elementary school, pre-kindergarten program and the relocation of the district offices into a historic, 100-year-old carriage house.

Up Valley, at Geneseo Superintendent Tim Hayes, and his Tim Curtin-led facilities

team recently carved a modern transportation center out of a neighboring property, facilitating the move of all employee and busses from an aged, off-campus garage to the main campus.

Moving upriver, the expansion of Livonia’s auditorium lobby into an existing courtyard seeks to improve audience and student circulation, as well as address life-safety issues.

Superintendent Matt Cole’s project list also includes new tennis courts, the re-purposing of the existing tennis courts, and a dramatic reconfiguration of the elementary school nurses’ suite.

Finally, at Caledonia-Mumford CSD, roof replacements and longterm infrastructure planning and budgeting are centerpieces of Superintendent Bob Molisani’s current five-year plan. These maintenance issues underpin an even grander long-term vision to realize the following capital project improvements: athletic field upgrades and additions including new synthetic turf, installing a shock-pad system, and designing perimeter drainage; and, rigging, lighting, and sound/acoustic improvement to the main Cal-Mum auditorium.

Pressed up against the Genesee as the river approaches Lake Ontario, Greece CSD continues to make district-wide facilities improvements.

Since the 2015-2016 Performing Arts renovations, HUNT has been involved in number of projects across the area, with Superintendent Kathleen Graupman, Lou Bianchi, AIA, and their facilities team most recently targeting a new transportation hub.

Corning-Painted Post Elementary Schools

Hugh Gregg, Severn, and Erwin Valley Upgrades Keep Pace With Widespread District-Wide Modernization

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orning-Painted Post’s recent district-wide capital projects have drawn widespread praise, with Superintendent Mike Ginalski, the C-PP community and facilities team being credited with leading a dramatic planning, design, and construction effort that has resulted in a visual appealing and operationally effective new program. While many of the highlights are on vivid display at the high school and middle school, a concurrent effort at the elementary schools are worth a snapshot too.

At Hugh Gregg the District can point to a number of successes, beginning with including the students in the visioning and concept phases. According to Superintendent Ginalski, a student-compiled “time capsule” was located on site for the enjoyment and education of future generations. Meanwhile, HUNT

design and Welliver efforts led to the following improvements: the creation of a dedicated art and music room, school-wide security improvements, renovated main office and health and parent conference offices, technology infrastructure upgrades, and traffic patterns.

Severn Elementary School’s

work also saw exterior site and traffic pattern improvements, and inside the building a new, larger cafeteria and kitchen has improved student life. An enhanced security system underpins a welcoming lobby. Furthermore, at Erwin Valley a classroom addition and secure main lobby have emerged, and security throughout the building has been improved by the walling in of open classrooms. Exterior upgrades at Erwin focused on the bus loop and outside parking outside, with a former gravel lot being paved.

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This five-year effort is the epitome of a team effort - Jeff Robbins, AIA HUNT Principal-in-Charge

“This five-year effort is the epitome of a team effort”, according to HUNT’s Principal-in-Charge Jeff Robbins, AIA. “In addition to Superintendent Ginalski, district partners, and the Welliver folks, I need to underline the effort of HUNT’s Reuben Kabithe, Executive Project Manager, Jacob Zurlick, Scott Cyr, Ethan Smith, and Andrea Acevedo. We are excited about aiming this same team and energy at the district’s other three elementary schools too – Frederick Carder, Calvin U. Smith, and Winfield Street. Each of those already have either Phase 1 completions and are in the bidding process.”

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HUNT Rochester is Growing HUNT Design Team Expands Into Larger Space Ben Gustafson, PE to Lead Rochester Office

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n response to both a robust project list and strategic vision for the High Falls’ team, HUNT has expanded to include an additional floor within the Gorsline Building at 4 Commercial Street, Rochester. This expansion allows HUNT to accommodate new engineers, architects, and interior designers, as well as increase the depth and breadth of services to its clients in the region.

Furthermore, as another step in a multiple-year succession plan, HUNT has charged Ben Gustafson, PE with office management responsibilities. Vice President John Cake, AIA will continue with his K-12 project design and management efforts, and lend his 30 years of experience to the office’s growing architectural group. Gustafson, a professional civil engineer, has been a HUNT team member since 2009, and he was named a Principal in 2015.

“I can’t think of a time when we’ve had as powerful a team in Rochester,” asserted HUNT President Dan Bower, “with Ben’s energy and focus on our community building initiatives, John’s encyclopedic knowledge, and a top-flight professional design staff, we are really well situated to help existing and new clients”.

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