Syska Snippets

In every issue of Connections, we update you on important developments at Syska that you might have missed. Here are some of the latest ones:

An Election We Actually Want to Talk About

Cyrus Izzo, Syska’s co-president, has been elected chair of the Metropolitan Region of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) for 2020-2021. He’s been active in ACEC New York for 27 years, and he has held a number of leadership positions within the organization, including vice chair and director. “Syska and I strongly support the goals of ACEC New York, which are to further the business interests of its membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities,” Cyrus says. “Engineering is playing a critical part in New York’s recovery from COVID-19, so I view our work as more important than ever.”

Val Loh Discusses Smart Buildings on RIMScast

If you’ve ever spoken with Val Loh, senior principal at Syska, then you know he’s smart about smart buildings. Recently, he discussed this topic with an audience larger than usual -- on an episode of RIMScast, the official podcast of the Risk and Insurance Management Society. In the podcast, which you can listen to here, Val covers Syska’s approach to creating smart buildings, pitfalls to avoid, COVID-19’s effect on smart building design, and the role that smart buildings play in the development of smart cities. If you’re at all interested in – or concerned about – smart buildings, then we highly recommend you check out the podcast.

Tim Krawetz at CMAA 2020

Timothy E. Krawetz, senior principal, took part in a panel discussion at this year’s national conference hosted by the Construction Management Association of America. The session, entitled “NYC Health + Hospitals’ Rapid Response to COVID-19: Planning for the Future of Healthcare,” examined lessons learned and covered crisis management, procurement strategies, working in and around active healthcare facilities, asset management, health and safety, and the necessary leadership and collaboration to successfully execute projects.

Meet Salvatore Prestano and John Mezic

Salvatore Prestano

Salvatore Prestano, PE, an engineering executive with more than 30 years of experience, has joined our New York City office as associate practice area director – energy services. Over the course of his career, he has managed energy infrastructure projects for a wide range of industries, including commercial, healthcare, industrial, institutional, aviation, and transportation facilities. His work encompasses projects at the World Trade Center Office Complex, the PATH Mass Transit System, New York University, the State University of New York at New Paltz, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Elmhurst Hospital Center, LaGuardia Airport, JFK International Airport, and Newark International Airport, among many others.

John Mezic

John Mezic, PE, LEED AP, NFPA, an engineer with more than 30 years of experience, has joined our New York City office as associate practice area director – facilities management and commissioning (FMCX). In his new role, Mr. Mezic will help expand the FMCX team in New York. Previously, he served as senior vice president at PMC Group One, an engineering consultancy that specializes in critical infrastructure. During his tenure there, he led a variety of projects, including data centers, trading floors, and high-rise office buildings for such clients as Nomura Securities, NatWest Markets, Cablevision, Warner Media, and National Grid. From 2004 to 2013, he served as the principal owner of Power Concepts, LLC, a company he co-founded in 1996.

Please join us in welcoming them!

Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – A Panel Discussion

The purpose of Syska Hennessy Advocating for Professional Equality (SHAPE) is to promote and foster a collaborative workspace rooted in respect and powered by authenticity. Recently, SHAPE sponsored a panel discussion with industry leaders that focused on diversity and inclusion in the AE industry. Moderated by Simone Sloan, Rph, MBA, diversity and inclusion consultant, the panel included Syska principal Mary Ann Hay, IALD, LEED AP; Robert Misel, AIA, partner at The Miller Hull Partnership; and Stacy Cannon, AIA, principal at Gensler. The hour-long session touched on each firm’s efforts to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion. We view the event as a positive step in the right direction, and we continue to embrace the ways in which individual differences impact and support the community and culture that is Syska.

Recent Promotions

No issue of Connections would be complete without a round-up of senior-level promotions. Here are the latest ones. Congratulations to all!

Sean Marcel to principal (San Diego)

Michelle Baratta to associate principal (Los Angeles)

Rob Cunningham to associate principal (Boston)

Jeff Martin to associate principal (Chicago)

Clint Moreno to associate principal (Chicago)

Fred Noel to director of information technology (New York City)

Vision Awards

We also would like to congratulate the winners of our 2020 Vision Awards, which honor people and projects:

Emerging Professional/Rising Star: Tim Tyrell of our Los Angeles office. This award recognizes an employee for internal and external technical/professional development. Nominator Eric Aukee describes Tim as a “gifted leader.”

Ownership: Jeanette Leung, also of our Los Angeles office. This award recognizes an employee who best embodies all aspects of Syska’s ownership culture. According to nominator Kelly Olson, “Jeanette demonstrates terrific initiative and is passionate about making everyone on the Syska team successful.”

Project Management: Ken Duncan of our Dallas office. This award recognizes a project manager’s contribution to leadership, project deliverables, and client success. “Ken has shown tremendous leadership skills and team building skills,” says Kelly Olson.

Technical Excellence: Ed Fayfman of our New York City office. “I was quite impressed by Ed’s leadership in the ACEC code committee,” comments Linda Foggie. Mary Hart praises Ed’s innovative work that solves client problems, which supports business growth.

Community Award: Kasey Lankes of our Charlotte office. Kasey has played an instrumental role in the office’s partnership with Blessings in a Backpack, a program that provides food for schoolchildren on the weekends who might otherwise go hungry.

Project of the Year: North Central Bronx Hospital. This project encompassed the fast-track conversion of residential space for nurses into ICU wings. You can read more about it in our last issue of Connections by clicking here.

Thank you to this year’s all star panel of external judges: Eric Aukee – Perkins & Will, Kelly Olson – Clark Construction, Mary Hart – Corgan, Lena Kitson – Gensler, Linda Foggie – Turner & Townsend

2020 MARCOM Awards

The MARCOM Awards, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious competitions for creative work, honors excellence in marketing and communications. In the 2020 competition, Syska Hennessy’s Marketing Development Agency (MDA) received three awards: