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ON THE MOVE DEWBERRY NAMES JOSE SILVA HEAD OF CALIFORNIA CIVIL PRACTICE; MIGUEL RAMIREZ TO LEAD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CIVIL SERVICES GROUP Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced the promotions of Jose Silva, PE, and Miguel Ramirez, PE. Silva has been named the civil engineering services lead for California, and Ramirez has been promoted to northern California civil engineering lead. Both employees are based in the firm’s Rancho Cordova, California, office. As an associate vice president and principal engineer, Silva leads a team of engineers and technicians across five offices. He has more than 33 years of experience in transportation planning, design, and construction. Partnering with local agencies, transportation authorities, and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) districts, Silva has worked on and managed a range of locally and federally funded projects.
Silva earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State University and is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, American Public Works Association, County Engineers Association of California, and WTS- Sacramento. Ramirez is an associate and senior project manager with nearly 15 years of experience in the planning and design of transportation projects, including highway, local roads, interchanges, intersections, multi-use trails, and transit facilities. Ramirez has worked for a variety of local agencies, transportation authorities, and Caltrans. In his new role, Ramirez will be responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the firm’s Rancho Cordova office, which offers civil services across northern California. Ramirez earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State University,
Sacramento, and is a member of APWA and WTS-Sacramento. “Jose and Miguel have been instrumental in elevating the service we provide to our clients,” says Dewberry Vice President Dennis Haglan, PE. “They both bring a holistic understanding of our client’s unique challenges and do a fantastic job bringing successful solutions to our clients in California.” Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients. Recognized for combining unsurpassed commitment to client service with deep subject matter expertise, Dewberry is dedicated to solving clients’ most complex challenges and transforming their communities. Established in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 professionals nationwide.
JIM TOBY, from page 3
overall use for the project into account. We frequently see other firms that don’t think through what they are doing. A good engineer is one who designs a system that works flawlessly, but is not visually impactful to the project. A frequent source of frustration we run into is seeing a drainage system that takes precedence over aesthetics. Many times, we have seen an inlet or junction box in the middle of someone’s beautiful lawn, which could be intended for playing soccer or just to enjoy. Aside from being visually unpleasant, it is also a hazard where someone could get hurt. Part of our internal training is to instruct all designers to treat the design as if it were their own – a place they would use – and to review their choices accordingly. We ask them to put their architect’s and/or client’s hat on and really look at the usability of the site. Does the design make sense? Quality is most important for project success. It can have huge implications on time, costs, and usability of the project. One of our spotlight projects is the Children’s Playground at Dolores Park in San Francisco. This project used permeable fall surfaces with drainage beneath it. It works great, but no one can see it! By being creative and integrating the drainage so it is not the key feature you see, the park turned into a world class spot for children and parents to enjoy with ease, knowing that the drainage is going to work even if they don’t see it. When selecting a consultant, we urge our (prospective) clients to look beyond the costs. We do our best to be competitive and constantly check to be sure we are following our budgets, but stress that our quality sets us apart. How important is quality to the design? More often than not, the client will select our firm, even if the other firm is cheaper. Then they keep coming back again and again. This is a smart developer! JIM TOBY is a principal and civil engineer with Lea & Braze Engineering, Inc. He can be reached at jtoby@leabraze.com.
was preliminary. Imagine what can happen to a project if the boundary moves and a building that was designed right up to a setback line forces the team to change things to accommodate a smaller lot. Worse yet, what if this is not discovered until construction starts? All of this can cost a lot of money in time, redesign, or even reconstruction. This is what our developer means by getting what he does not pay for. “A lot of developers look at their consultants as a commodity, and if one is cheaper than the other, they think they are saving money ... Sometimes going with the cheapest bid or with whoever is the quickest will actually cost more time and money in the long run.” The quality of a design can make a huge impact. Almost any firm can get past the permitting process. However, what the governing municipality is looking for could be quite different than what the contractor wants. Municipalities typically review for compliance with their own requirements, however, this does not mean they check to see if the contractor has enough information to build it. This can lead to time delays, cost overruns, and extreme frustration from having to “guess” at the engineer’s intent, assuming they have thought it through in the first place. Easy to read details and construction specifics help ease the construction. The time spent on RFIs or changes to the budget due to lack of specifics or materials can have a huge impact to time and cost of construction. Aside from clarity, the best engineering plans take the
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THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 20, 2021, ISSUE 1409
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