Jessie Jones
JONES

Jessie Jones

“I have noticed a growing decline in the number of quality engineers coming into the industry. It seems that there are fewer students continuing their education in math and sciences, and the percentage of engineers graduating from college is even less than when I graduated four years ago. To change this, the people in my industry need to spend more time volunteering to get kids involved at a younger age. Teachers and schools can only do so much; we need to lend a hand to build the future of engineering.”

25
Sustainability Engineer
The RMH Group Inc., Lakewood

Time in Current Position: 3.5 years
Time in Industry: 4 years
Education: B.S. in architectural engineering, University of Wyoming, 2006
Hometown: Rapid City, S.D.
LEED Accredited: Yes, LEED-NC, LEED-EB and LEED-CI
Important Projects: Republic Plaza, Denver; 198 Inverness, Denver; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Church History Library, Salt Lake City
Community Service: ASHRAE
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: ASHRAE Rocky Mountain chapter, sustainable engineering committee chair; USGBC Colorado chapter; Women in Design; Women in Sustainable Energy; Designer League Volleyball

 
Sean Kennedy
KENNEDY

Sean Kennedy

“Some of the biggest challenges the industry is facing in its near future are the ability of clients to qualify for project financing with reasonable lending terms considering the devaluation of property values and the requirements for owner addition equity. On the other side, due to the lack of work, many firms are competing for the same projects. This has become a large challenge for construction firms trying to make reasonable fees. There is a precedent-setting risk of commoditization in unrealistically low expectations for fee margins. This hinders the ability of subs, GCs and small businesses to find reasonable, short-term operating funds.”

36
Senior Project Manager
The Beck Group, Broomfield

Time in Current Position: 3 years
Time in Industry: 14.5 years
Education: B.S. in building management, Purdue University – West Lafayette, Ind., 1995
Hometown: Orland Park, Ill.
LEED Accredited: No, but has completed LEED-training courses and plans to take the accreditation test
Important Projects: Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington Ill.; St. John Ice Arena, St. John, Ind.; Landmark Residential Tower, Greenwood Village, Colo.; Meridian Residential Tower, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Community Service: Flag football coach; took a trip to El Salvador to drill wells with Living Water; hosted a Keith Ford Charity event; Rebuilding Together, volunteer; U.S. Tennis Association, community involvement
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: AGC of Colorado, Safety Council; Design-Build Institute of America; Downtown Denver Partnership; USGBC; Erosion Control Supervisor, stormwater certified

 

Rick Khan
KHAN

Rick Khan

“With project budgets being tightened, project schedules getting shorter and buildings become more complex, one of our biggest challenges will be trying to maintain the increased momentum of the building process. Architects and engineers have shorter times to design while construction teams have to more to build with less information. This increasing trend promotes being reactive to problems when they occur, which usually takes more time and effort to resolve rather than spending more time planning in a pro-active framework that increases communication of the plan, safety, quality and productivity.”

37
Integrated Construction Manager
Mortenson Construction, Denver

Time in Current Position: 4 years
Time in Industry: 14 years
Education: A.S. in architectural and construction science, SUNY Farmingdale, New York, 1993; B.S. in architecture, NJ School of Architecture, NJIT, 1996
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
LEED Accredited: Yes
Important Projects: Research Complex 2, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora; West Campus Housing, University of Northern Colorado; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago; Trinity Hospital, Indiana
Community Service: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, First Tee, Junior Achievement, CABPES Foundation and ACE Mentor
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: Building Smart Alliances, AGC, National Science Foundation

 

Michael Lane
LANE

Michael Lane

“As everyone recognizes, there is a balance that needs to be struck between environmental concerns and providing sufficient and affordable energy to keep our nation prosperous. Many people feel those are mutually exclusive goals. Until we as a nation formulate some sort of consensus about what tradeoffs we are willing to make, the only projects that will go forward are those mandated by government policy or extreme operational need, and that is not good for anyone.”

37
Plant Electrical and Controls Department Manager
Stanley Consultants Inc., Centennial

Time in Current Position: 2.5 years
Time in Industry: 15 years
Education: B.S. electrical engineering, University of Wyoming, 1994
Hometown: Lone Tree, Colo.
LEED Accredited: No, but has completed LEED-training courses and plans to take the accreditation test
Important Projects: Provided program and project management services to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for redevelopment of all electric utilities within Iraq through a joint venture created by Stanley Consultants; design work at the University of Colorado in Boulder
Community Service: Colorado Army National Guard, which included a six-week deployment to St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina
Professional Affiliations, Memberships: Society of American Military Engineers, Denver and Colorado Springs posts