Real Estate Journal — 30 Under 30 — February 22 - March 14, 2019 — 9C
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M id A tlantic
30 U nder 30 Nico Pugliese, PE, AKF Group
“Get involved and participate in groups and initiatives that expose you to different experiences & personalities”
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When I started my career, I’m not sure I could have said this but the availability of information via social media makes it easy to stay up to date with industry trends and technical aspects of the indus- try. Prior to social media being entrenched in everyday life, I’d stay up to date with topics through journals and articles published weekly or monthly. Maintaining a social media network of colleagues and industry leaders, on platforms such as LinkedIn, connects me to their work directly on a nearly instantaneous basis.
hat is your most no- table project, deal or transaction?
What inspiring word of advice would you give to a young executive graduat- ing from college? Get involved and participate in groups and initiatives that will expose you to different experiences and personalities. It’s far too easy to make your work a simple 8 hour a day job that pays your bills. But by putting in a small amount of effort now, you will sow exponential benefits for your future career. What impact has social media/networking had on your career?
Nico Pugliese, PE Electrical Engineer
I was privileged to work on Christiana Care Health Care System Emergency Generator Replacement Project early in my career. My first involve- ment was standing alongside our project managers, technical experts and partner in charge in the first meeting presenting to the hospital staff in 2013, where AKF outlined options, strate- gies, schedules, and construc- tion phasing for the project. At the end of the project in 2016 we had replaced the hospital’s three aging emergency gen- erator systems and consoli- dated into one reliable system that stretched into the inner workings and rooms within the hospital. The plant can provide the nearly 2 million s/f facility with backup power for multiple days. I was able to be onsite the first time the generator plant was tested and fired up. I was able to witness the fruits of the multi-year, untold hours engi- neering, and construction pay off when the generator plant was able to successfully support the hospital in the early hours of a winter morning. How do you contribute to your company and / or the industry? As an Electrical Engineer and Project Manager at AKF, I have many hats. In any one day, we need to switch from a coordinating a major infra- structure replacement project to designing a small tenant office fit-out to conferencing with an owner and architect on their new vision. I’m able to unite with colleagues and clients to solve problems and prepare solutions that meet our clients’ needs. Who do you feel was most influential in your life when choosing this profession? I had a great set of science teachers in middle school who made science and engineer- ing fun and interesting. The experiments and lessons they taught kept me wanting to pursue a degree within the science and engineering field. It wasn’t until my high school physics course, taught by Mr. Cherry, that I really believed that I could be an electrical engineer. Mr. Cherry held an electrical engineering degree and designed his own experi- ments to test various physics constants and laws. It was his
Years with company/firm: 5 Years in field: 6 Years in real estate industry: 6
lessons and mentorship that drove me to apply to an engi- neering degree at Penn State. What outside activities do you enjoy during you free time?
Among many others, I en- joy walking with my fam- ily around our neighborhood. Also, an afternoon at a local brewery is near the top of the list.
Photo © Connie Zhou
ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP MEP/ FP Engineering, Analysis & Testing, Architectural Code Consulting, BIM Management, Building Controls, Central Utilities, Cogeneration, Commissioning, Critical Systems, Energy & Sustainability, Fire & Life Safety, IT /AV / Security, Lighting Design, Special Inspections akfgroup.com
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