As recently as 100 years ago, lawyers, notaries, and others were performing the work of engineers despite their lack of training and qualifications. The resulting inaccuracies led to legislation that regulated who could call themselves an “engineer,” and the first professional engineering license was issued in 1907 in Wyoming.
Today there are more than 800,000 licensed Professional Engineers in the U.S. We’re lucky to have Professional Engineers on our team who are committed to protecting public health, safety, and welfare. Get to know a little about our PEs and what led them to the field.
Allen Smith, Senior Mechanical Project Engineer 
- What led you to pursuing your Professional Engineer license? In the field of design, being licensed is very beneficial as most items are required to be sealed by a licensed engineer. Having the PE beside your name adds more credibility to your opinions and statements.
- What critical issue in healthcare do engineers help address? Healthcare design has a number of requirements including electrical redundancy and reliability, HVAC temperature, humidity, airflow and pressure as well as medical gases. These requirements must be integrated into each new design and renovation of existing facility. Engineers and engineering designers evaluate the spaces involved and work to provide the engineering requirements for each project. A recent example is airflow and pressure related to COVID issues faced by hospitals. Many facilities wanted to quickly create large portions of building that were exhausted and under negative pressure. This created a domino effect of how to replace the exhausted air and how to keep negative suites from pulling hot, humid air in and creating humidity-related issues and the possibility of mold growth.
- What are you working on that showcases the critical importance of engineers in solving problems for /clients? A recent project involved the start-up of a new air-handling unit. The unit and associated HVAC system has demonstrated numerous issues. Even with only partial data on system operation, my engineering experience and understanding has help recognize which parts of the system were not operating correctly and help direct the contractors toward solutions.
- More about me. I have been with Haskell for 22 years. I have a broad range of healthcare-related expertise.
Felicia Segovia, Senior Fire Protection Engineer 
- What led you to pursuing your Professional Engineer license? It was the logical goal after graduation with an engineering degree and having passed the FE exam.
- What critical issue in healthcare do engineers help address? Life safety and compliance with the law (as building codes and requirements are required by law).
- More about me. I started with Haskell Dec. 28, 2020. I am a Fire Protection Profession Engineer (there is a specific PE exam and PE license for Fire Protection). I had no idea what an engineer was when I started college. I applied for a Bio Medical Degree, but when I went to orientation, I was in the Mechanical Engineering group – having no idea I was not where I was supposed to be. Mechanical Engineering was fun and challenging, and the fact I was the only female in most of my classes with many males giving me a hard time about whether I could make it through the classes/program just made me want to stay and complete the degree. Essentially, I always enjoyed math and science, but my engineering degree started out as an accident.
Bryan Smith, Director of Engineering 
- What led you to pursuing your Professional Engineer license? When I entered the construction field after college I got a good recommendation from a mentor to get it early.
- What special skills does being a PE bring to your projects? Being a PE and all the training that led up to becoming a PE equipped me with technical ability and problem-solving skills to tackle almost any problem.
- What critical issue in healthcare do engineers help address? Engineers ensure a safe and healthy environment for the patient receiving treatment and staff providing treatment.
- What are you working on that showcases the critical importance of engineers in solving problems for owners/clients? Lately I have been engaged with clients to evaluate facilities and provide input for strategic future planning decisions. This helps our clients make smart and educated decisions with their assets.
- More about me. I have been with the company almost four years. My expertise is in mechanical systems (pumps, chilled water, steam), and project execution. I wanted to become an engineer after taking a drafting class in high school.
Robbie Isaac, Project Engineer 
- What led you to pursuing your Professional Engineer license? I wanted to reach the highest recognition level for an engineer.
- What special skills does being a PE bring to your projects? PEs are skilled at problem-solving, have thorough knowledge of our licensed technical field, and possess a professional and positive attitude.
- What are you working on that showcases the critical importance of engineers in solving problems for owners/clients? Sometimes a client asks for engineering best practices recommendations, but after more discussions, you realize they desire upgrades that exceed codes, standards and best practices. The engineer has to provide the client with the minimum requirements to solve the problem and then present options to meet the additional requests.
- More about me. I’ve been with Haskell for six weeks. I have 27 years of experience in power plant design and maintenance. My expertise is in process system design of water, fuel oil, fuel gas, and compressed air systems. I became an engineer because I loved solving math problems.
