With the New England building boom rolling at such a rapid pace, firms seeking to distinguish themselves are relying on top young talent more than ever. The nine honorees in this year’s ENR New England Top Young Professionals competition show how the region’s best and brightest are taking charge in an ever-changing industry. 

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ENR New England's 2016 Top Young Professionals

After earning a Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan, Joshua Broder returned to his native Maine to run Tilson Technology Management Inc. Also working in Maine, Katryn Mitchell, 34, of Burns & McDonnell is project manager for the state’s largest-ever construction project. STV’s Michael Camoscio has distinguished himself on movable bridge projects, and his colleague, William Goulet, has made a name for himself working on iconic bridges such as Boston’s Longfellow Bridge. VHB’s Jocelyn Mayer and Justin Mosca lead the firm’s annual Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament. The head of EMJ Corp.’s Boston office, Neil Pratt, hopes to serve as his firm’s president one day. Leading PC Construction’s efforts to pursue integrated project delivery work in the water and wastewater sector, Brian Walker, 34, has climbed his way up from project manager to vice president. An attorney for Robinson + Cole, Elizabeth Wright has brought her previous experience as a certified mediator to her successful construction law practice. 

Serving as judges this year were Lorraine Finnegan, director of SMMA's K-12 Studio, Brent Zeigler, president and director of design at Dyer Brown and Benjamin Revette, who was also one of last year’s honorees and is a senior associate at Dewberry.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 ENR New England Top Young Professionals.

Joshua Broder
Bronze Star recipient leads telecom teams
38, President and CEO
Tilson Technology Management Inc.
Portland, Maine

Serving as a U.S. Army signal officer working on telecommunications construction in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, Broder was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts in Afghanistan, where he ran the tactical communications network for U.S. and coalition forces. Shortly after returning to his native Maine, Broder was hired by Tilson in 2006 and managed to keep the 10-person firm afloat during the recession by capitalizing on stimulus funds. Broder has overseen several American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded telecom infrastructure projects, including the construction of 2,300 new miles of fiber-optic cable and 7,000 smart grid wireless nodes. Under Broder’s leadership, the firm has grown to more than 200 employees—nearly 50% of whom are veterans—and now has seven regional outposts across the nation. Tilson has earned a slot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for six consecutive years. From 2010 to 2011, Broder also served as president of the Maine Fiber Co., where he helped complete a 1,100-mile, $32-million fiber-optic network. He has contributed to U.S. Dept. of Energy smart grid projects and is currently playing a supporting role in a U.S. embassy project in Norway. Broder sits on several boards, including the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, a nonprofit research center for marine science, education and fisheries. An expert in cellular and utility network construction and management, he regularly speaks about America’s broadband infrastructure.

Michael Camoscio
BIM expert models movable bridges
32, Mechanical Engineer Manager
STV
Boston

Joining STV nine years ago, Camoscio was immediately asked to provide mechanical engineering services for some of the firm’s most important projects in Boston, including the Fore River Bridge replacement project. Camoscio helped develop a BIM model for the movable bridge connecting Quincy and Weymouth, Mass. The project made STV one of a few consultancy firms nationwide to provide such services. Camoscio has since performed mechanical and electrical inspections for several movable bridges throughout the Northeast. Camoscio also worked on STV’s pilot program to develop a cloud-based sharing platform for large BIM drawings that lets users in different locations share files in real time with no lag. Camoscio was also lead mechanical engineer for the new 150,000-sq-ft bus maintenance facility for the Worcester Regional Transit Authority. His energy calculations for the project led to the installation of high-efficiency boilers, heat recovery units, natural lighting and a solar roof. Camoscio is an active member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar Boston chapter. He also volunteers for Transportation YOU, an initiative to introduce 13- to 18-year-old girls to transportation careers. As part of the initiative, he organized a tour of the Longfellow Bridge rehabilitation project in Boston. Camoscio is a structural designer for the utility supports and framing needed for the historic bridge’s ongoing rehabilitation.

William Goulet
Engineer helps rebuild iconic Boston bridges
30, Structural Engineer
STV
Boston

Goulet’s training in blast, progressive collapse and vibration design has enabled him to contribute to the rehabilitation efforts of two iconic Boston bridges. As the lead structural designer for the Francis “Fanny” Appleton Pedestrian Bridge, Goulet performed the analyses to mitigate the impact of vibrations and thermal stresses on the slim arched bridge. He presented the challenges of the bridge’s design during a talk to the national ASCE Structures Congress in April in Denver and at the International Bridge Conference last month in Maryland. The Appleton pedestrian bridge is located on Boston’s Esplanade next to the historic Longfellow Bridge, for which Goulet managed all temporary construction staging for the span’s ongoing renovation. Goulet evaluated each of the bridge’s 11 arches, ranging in length from 101.5 ft to 188.5 ft, to determine the staging of equipment while demolition of the existing deck occurred as vehicular and light-rail traffic remained open. Goulet has also volunteered to repair parks in Boston and helped build houses for those in need.

Jocelyn Mayer
Civil engineer manages fuel storage
28, Project Engineer
VHB
Watertown, Mass.

One of the youngest members on VHB’s Stop & Shop fuel facilities team, Mayer has performed site planning, design, local permitting and construction services, including observing underground fuel tank installation and testing. She developed a template to assist the design of pump and tank plans, which streamlined efficiency and saved time and money. She has managed three tank replacements for Stop & Shop and has assisted in the design and construction of more than 30 fuel facilities. Focusing on permitting, site design and construction oversight, Mayer has also worked on solar, retail, residential and office projects. The site/civil designer oversees and mentors younger VHB engineers. She does extensive community service work, including coordinating in-office events to make holiday cards for nursing home residents and blankets for the homeless. She has also organized clothing drives for low-income men and women transitioning into the workforce. For the past four years, Mayer has helped organize VHB’s Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament, an annual event that has raised more than $1 million during a 25-year period in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Katryn Mitchell
Civil engineer heads Maine’s largest project
34, Project Manager
Burns & McDonnell
Portland, Maine

Starting as an assistant project manager on the largest construction project in Maine’s history in 2011, Mitchell worked her way up to project manager for the $1.4-billion transmission project. She successfully closed out the program that provided more than 75 communities with more than 450 miles of new and rebuilt 345-kV and 115-kV transmission facilities. Completed on time and under budget, the project included five new substations, major upgrades at six substations and more than 40 ancillary substation upgrades. Her team is currently managing a $72-million complex and deferred component of the project, including the construction of a new 115-kV substation. Mitchell has also managed full-scale biological groundwater treatment plant projects and done site remediation and land development work. On track to receive a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Southern Maine, Mitchell also finds time to give back to her community. She volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, ACE Mentor Program, Autism Speaks and the American Cancer Society.

Justin Mosca
Health care sector leader shows promise
34, Project Manager, Civil Engineer
VHB
Watertown, Mass.

Recently selected to serve as the firm’s health care sector leader for New England, Mosca has come a long way since starting at VHB as a co-op student 13 years ago. As a project manager with the firm’s Watertown, Mass.-based land development team, Mosca is also responsible for civil engineering design, permitting and construction coordination for projects such as North Shore Medical Center. He successfully led that project after the principal-in-charge took an unexpected leave. The complicated, multiphased project with tight constraints included severe grading, access and ledge issues, along with wetlands and a spaghetti of utilities that had to function during construction. He’s also worked on the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the University of Massachusetts Lowell Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center. He is the co-chair of VHB’s largest charity event, the VHB-Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament, which raised $75,000 last year during the 25th anniversary event for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He also ran a pro-bono effort to build a fully accessible, barrier-free playground in Westford, Mass., in the memory of a colleague’s child. Mosca also created and managed a firm softball team and golf league and is a volunteer tee ball coach.

Neil Pratt
Tennessee-to-Boston transplant thrives
38, Executive Vice President
EMJ Corp. 
Boston

Relocating to Boston in 2015, Pratt moved his family from Chattanooga, Tenn., to lead EMJ’s Boston office. Aside from providing day-to-day leadership and management of the office, Pratt works with the firm’s executive leadership on policies, procedures and operations. Shortly after joining the firm’s Dallas office in 2003, Pratt simultaneously supported eight project managers and their projects. He was quickly promoted to project engineer and then became an assistant superintendent before becoming an estimator when the department became understaffed. At the time, Pratt approached the firm’s president to say “my goal is to have your job. I want to mentor under you and eventually run this company.” Pratt was named director of construction management in 2008 and moved from Dallas to Chattanooga, where he helped start EMJ’s small projects and strategic construction services division. He was named executive vice president two years later. Pratt is also a board member at First Things First, an organization that assists single mothers. In Chattanooga, he completed a program that brings professionals together to cultivate leadership and community growth. He also assists with facilities repairs, mentoring and reading to children at a local elementary school. He has also built houses in Mexico with a program called Amor Missions.

Brian Walker
Firm’s youngest VP leads water sector
34, Vice President
PC Construction
South Burlington, Vt. 

Advancing from project manager to vice president in a 12-year span, Walker is currently the youngest VP working at PC Construction. Walker leads the company’s strategic pursuit of new integrated project delivery work in the water and wastewater sector. He also oversees all water and wastewater business development and manages the firm’s estimating, preconstruction and purchasing capabilities. Walker recently helped the firm win its single largest project, the first phase of Atlanta’s $300-million water supply program. PC Construction has provided 70 value engineering ideas to the city, totaling $46 million in savings. Walker is an active member of industry organizations such as the Design-Build Institute of America, Water Environment Federation and the American Waterworks Association. Despite a busy travel schedule, Walker volunteers at two local schools to construct musical and theatrical sets and has volunteered to build school and community playgrounds. For six years, Walker helped plan holiday giving programs for families in need in the community. Walker and his wife are also foster parents and have opened their home to children ranging in age from infants to teenagers.

Elizabeth K. Wright
Attorney has unique skill set
36, Associate
Robinson + Cole
Hartford

Resolving numerous small claims, summary process and juvenile probate matters as a certified mediator has given Wright a distinctive approach to her construction law, commercial litigation and surety and fidelity law practice. She counsels building owners, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and sureties in all aspects of contracts and litigation. Wright worked on contracts for several high-profile projects. She represented Providence College during design agreements for a new humanities building and with Dartmouth College to help update the school’s construction and design forms of agreement. Wright mentors several junior associates and participates in a pro-bono program sponsored by the Massachusetts Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to help domestic violence victims obtain restraining orders. She sits on the board of directors for the Professional Women in Construction, Connecticut chapter, and co-chairs the chapter’s programs committee while serving on its scholarship committee.