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SEAW Statewide Equilibrium page 1 Summer 2015

Inside This Issue

annual summer newsletter of the

Structural Engineers Association of Washington

SUMMER, 2015

PRESIDENTTed Bernards (SP)TD&H Engineering509/[email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTTheodore E. SmithSmith & Huston206/[email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTTim Nordstrom (SW)Star Seismic206/[email protected]

SECRETARYKevin Cary (SP)FL Smidth USA, Inc509/[email protected]

TREASURERTheodore E. SmithSmith & Huston206/[email protected]

TRUSTEESEduardo Avelar (SW)Weyerhaeuser253/[email protected]

Tom Corcoran (SE)Integrus Architecture206/[email protected]

Cary Kopczynski (SE)Cary Kopczynski & Co Inc PS425/[email protected]

Daniel Sumerfield (SC)Leslie Engineering LLC509/[email protected]

John Tate (SC)John A. Tate Consulting Engr509/[email protected]

Bill Whipkey (SW)City of Seattle DPD206/[email protected]

SEAW Trustees 2015-16 SEAW Statewide President 2015—2016

Let me start by saying what an honor itis to serve as this year’s SEAW StatePresident! Although my time in theprofession has been relatively short, Ihave developed an immense respectfor my colleagues and the professionwe share. I look forward to serving myfellow structural engineers and wouldlike to personally invite you get in-volved with the leadership and learn-

ing opportunities provided by SEAW.

To introduce myself…

I was born and raised in Spokane andgraduated from Gonzaga University in2006. My professional career beganimmediately after, at a local consultingengineering firm. Working as a con-sultant gave me a great base of experi-ence while working on a wide variety oflocal projects. Towards the end of2011, I started at a new position for aworldwide material handling equip-ment supplier. Working with foreigncolleagues, building codes, and manu-facturers to design and construct safeand reliable equipment opened thedoor to a whole new world of experi-ence for me. With the global miningmarket getting turbulent and havingrecently passed the SE exam, I decid-ed to get back into consulting engi-neering at the end of 2013 and joinedmy current employer, TD&H Engineer-ing. I never would have guessed thatI’d be so geographically boring (fromhigh school, to college, to downtownSpokane is all of 2 miles), but I can’t

say I’d change it either.

Looking ahead at the year to come,SEAW is facing a rare time of transi-tion. Our excellent Executive Director,Lynnell Brunswig, will be retiring thisNovember. For the last 30 years,Lynnell has contributed immensely tothe Seattle Chapter and State SEAW’s

success:

The SEAW Statewide Equilibrium is published annually in July anddistributed electronically to approximately 980 members and relat-ed organizations. Articles, letters, and announcements are accept-ed through the SEAW office at [email protected]. Except where not-ed, opinions expressed in this newsletter reflect those of the authoronly and do not reflect or represent the position of SEAW. Portionsof this newsletter may be reproduced provided credit is given.

Outgoing President’s Message........................................................... 2

SEAW Scholarships Awarded............................................................. 2

Annual Chapter Reports ..................................................................3-4

Lifetime Service Award call for Nominations ................................... 4

Structural Engineers Foundation ....................................................... 5

Seattle Chapter Engineer of the Year ................................................. 6

Annual Committee Reports ............................................................8-13

ASCE/SEAW Golf Tournament ......................................................... 12

News of Note, Membership ............................................................... 14

Employment Opportunities ..........................................................15-16

Membership......................................................................................... 17

◊ Our membership has grown from

300 to nearly 1,000

◊ She was honored with the SeattleChapter’s President’s award in

1988, 1991, and 2012

◊ With our constant change in lead-ership, she has acted as the organ-izational memory for the associa-

tion

I’m sure that many of you have hadthe pleasure of meeting or workingwith Lynnell at one time or another.The next time you see her, pleasetake a moment to thank her for her

years of support.

To make the transition as smooth aspossible, the leadership of the Seat-tle Chapter has already been hard atwork searching for a suitable replace-ment. They have met with multipleindividuals and association manage-ment firms and will have a recom-mendation soon. This will be an ex-citing time for SEAW, as it will openthe door to fresh eyes, new ideas,

and new capabilities.

I hope that you all have a great sum-mer and I’m looking forward to work-

ing with you all next fall.

Ted Bernards2015-2016 SEAW Statewide President


2014-2015 SEAW State President

Tim Nordstrom

Outgoing President’s Message

The old cliché is true: time flies.This past year went by fast.

Consider this cliché and volun-teer. Volunteer to do a one-timeevent with our great organiza-tion: organize a monthly meet-ing or take on a task with acommittee. The commitmentand time spent is rewarding

and the time passes quickly.

Next month I will be attendingthe SEA Northwest Conferencein Boise, Idaho. I encourageSEAW members to attend thisevent and look forward to see-

ing you there; it will be great.

Over the past year I was able toattend at least one monthlymeeting at each of the chapters

here are the highlights:

March was a party with theSouth Central Chapter, cele-brating their 20th Anniversary.The featured Speaker was EdHuston who was also the firstpresenter at the South CentralChapter 20 years ago. Edshowed a history of StructuralEngineering with many enter-

taining pictures.

April was the joint dinner meet-ing with Southwest Chapterbeing hosted by the SeattleChapter. The program includeda tour and presentation of theLink Light Rail extension toSouth 200th Street at Sea-Tac.I love tours and seeing how

SEAW SCHOLARSHIPAPPLICATION INFORMATION

Each December, announcements of the

SEAW Scholarship program are distributed to

engineering schools in the Western United States.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and residents of Wash-

ington State; as an undergraduate in their final year of

study, or a graduate student; enrolled at the time of appli-

cation in a program of study majoring in structural engi-

neering; and having a commitment to making a career in

the practice of structural engineering.

Scholarship application materials are posted under “Quick

Links” on the web at www.seaw.org

structures are built.

May, I attended the SpokaneChapter’s lunch meeting. Thetopic was presented by AISCon the Design Manuals. Themeeting was well attendedand I had several great con-versation with several mem-

bers of the Chapter.

This next year will be one oftransition for me and SEAW. Ilook forward to helping incom-ing president Ted Bernardsand SEAW start a journey with

a new Executive Director.

I look forward to seeing you at

the next SEAW event.

Please consider a Tax Deductible Contributionto the

SEAW Scholarship FundDonations are accepted online at www.seaw.org or by

check made payable to:

Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington (SEFW)% Smith & Huston, Inc.

8618 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle WA 98115.

2015 SEAW & SEFW Scholarship Awards

SEAW and SEFW awardedtwo $3,000 scholarships for2015, to Hilary Tervet andJonathon Waldrip. Scholar-ship committee chair KevinSolberg made the presenta-tions at the June 22nd SeattleChapter Social and Awards

Event.

Hillary Tervet, EIT, graduatedin June 2015 with her BS inCivil Engineering from SeattleUniversity. She plans to at-tend SU in the fall to beginher master’s program. FromFederal Way, Hillary graduat-ed from Todd Beamer HighSchool and also attendedHighline Community Collegeand Bryn Mawr College be-fore SU. While at SU, sheserved as president of theASCE student chapter, partic-ipated in the steel bridge andconcrete canoe competitions,and was on the first-placeteam for the SEAW StudentCompetition. Hillary had in-

ternships at both Sound Transitand King County Metro, and wasable to take a service trip to Nic-aragua with Professionals With-out Borders. She enjoys snow-

boarding.

Jonathon Waldrip, EIT, earnedhis BS in Civil Engineering fromWashington State University inMay 2014, and is now in theStructural Engineering Mastersprogram at WSU, with an ex-pected graduation of May 2016.From Port Angeles, he graduatedfrom Crescent School in Joyce,WA, and participated in RunningStart through Peninsula College.While at WSU, Jon participated inEngineers Without Borders andBridges to Prosperity, designinga pedestrian bridge in north cen-tral Haiti. He interned at Zenovic& Associates in Port Angeles,and served as a research assis-tant and teaching assistant atWSU. His thesis topic is lateralstability and stiffness restorationin timber deck and porch struc-

tures. He played trumpet in theWSU concert band and led agymnastics, dance, and martial

arts club called FreeRunWSU.

Hillary and Jonathon mark the60th and 61st recipients of theSEAW Scholarship Award,which was instituted in 1985.

The Structural Engineers Foun-dation of Washington (SEFW)was formed in 2010 as a char-itable organization to enabledonations to the ScholarshipAward program to be tax de-ductible.


Annual Chapter Reports

Seattle Chapter

-by Tom Corcoran

I hope everyone is enjoying the long, warm days of summer, andthis newsletter finds you and your families happy and healthy. Asyour exiting Seattle Chapter president I would like to take a mo-

ment to review our accomplishments of the past year.

They say a good leader surrounds himself with great people and Idon't know if the former is true but I do know that I was surroundedby some extraordinary, hard-working folks. We have accomplishedso much more than I thought was possible when I began my termas president. I want to highlight a few of the successes we had this

past year.

The first Student Competition was a huge success, primarily due tothe efforts of Eduardo Avelar from the Southwest Chapter. He pre-sented the Student Competition idea to the Seattle Chapter Boardand it was approved. With the help of other SEAW members, twoteams from UW and one team from Seattle University participatedin a competition to build trusses and load test them in October oflast year. The teams then presented at the January Student/Firmshowcase, with Seattle University taking home the top prize. TheStructural Engineering Foundation of WA contributed $2000 ofscholarship money for the event; all three teams received a portionof it. Not only has the Seattle Chapter decided to continue the com-petition as an annual event, the Spokane Chapter also plans to

replicate the competition for universities in eastern WA.

When I look at all the hard work and commitment over this pastyear, the Northwest Conference epitomizes this level of dedication.In today's environment, in which competition for attendance is sogreat, Peter Somers and the group of folks who planned the eventnot only hosted over one hundred attendees, they also managed to

make a profit.

The YMF had a terrific year improving their Happy Hour attendance,including inviting Board members and Committee Chairs to sharetheir experience and knowledge with our next generation of lead-ers. The YMF has also been working with SEFW’s STEM Outreachprogram providing mentors for high school STEM activities such asthe Mountlake Terrace HS robotics and truss building classes/competitions. And I'm really excited that the YMF has joined withthe ASCE YMF to host a Golf Tournament in August. I see this as agreat opportunity to increase revenue to fund their functions, and

to work with another outstanding engineering organization.

SEAW worked with the Puget Sound Engineering Council creating aformal list of SEAW volunteer mentors for the PSEC mentor nights.University students are given the opportunity to listen to engineersshare stories of their particular profession, including structural engi-neering. This gives the students an inside look at the professions

they are considering pursuing.

The Program Committee did a fantastic job organizing the monthlydinner programs this past year. I was impressed with the caliber ofpresentations given at each dinner meeting. We were provided notonly with the technical aspects, but with a complete global under-standing of the topic. For example, one of our presentations includ-ed a fascinating inside view of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replace-ment Program. The presentation included insight into the engineer-ing and the decision-making process leading up to the project. An-other fascinating presentation that we were lucky enough to receivewas on the Elwha Dam removal, a chronology of events from thetime the dams were built to the time they were removed, includingthe current Elwha River restoration successes. These programs,and other programs enjoyed at the dinner meetings not mentioned

here, provided a wealth of information for all who attended.

At the June Spring Social and Awards Banquet several people wererecognized for their contributions to SEAW. I presented nine Presi-dential Awards to – Darrell Staaleson, Steve Pfeiffer, Paul Brallier,Ardel Jala, Adam Slivers, Kyle Steuck, Andy Taylor, Eric Pope, and TedSmith. This year’s recipient of the Engineer of the Year award is Peter

Somers. Congratulations to all.

I couldn't consider this article complete without publicly thanking ourExecutive Director, Lynnell Brunswig. She saved me more times thanI can count with her knowledge, expertise, and humor when it wasmost needed. Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new trickshasn’t met Lynnell. Thank you Lynnell for showing this old dog sever-al new tricks. Lynnell will be retiring in November of this year. I amsorry for those who come after me that they will not have the privi-

lege of working with her. All our best Lynnell, you’ll be missed.

In closing I want to thank you for the confidence you have shown inelecting me as your 2014/2015 SEAW Seattle Chapter President. Ithas been an honor and a privilege serving you. I leave you in the very

competent hands of your new president Ted Smith.

So long for now….

South Central Chapter

-by Daniel Sumerfield

• The chapter held a social event in August; a picnic at one of themember’s homes. 10 members attended with their families. Good

times were had by all.

• Our October meeting was our first official business meeting. Ro-

land Wright from Hanson Structural Precast was the presenter.

• In November meeting, Roger Roatch presented on APA’s new lat-eral bracing design tool that will be rolled out on their websitesoon. The meeting was intended to be geared for local buildingofficials, to bring them up to date on prescriptive lateral bracingrequirements for light-framed residential construction. Three build-

ing officials attended the meeting.

• The subject of our January meeting was the discovery, cause, andrepair of the Wanapum Dam Cracking. Presentation was very well

received by the group.

• The February meeting was presented by Spraylock Concrete pro-

tection. Meeting was well attended.

• In our February meeting, the idea of reserving one or two meetingsa year for the SEAW committees to present to the chapter was

discussed. The idea was well received.

• In late February, we were solicited by the Mid-Columbia RegionalScience Fair to help sponsor their event in the Tri-Cities. TonyVader volunteered to participate in the judging effort. He reviewedall of the entries and awarded cash prizes to four of the studentswhose projects involved the application of structural engineering

principals.

• The March meeting was a banquet in honor of SC Chapter’s 20thanniversary. Jill Shuttleworth and John Tate worked very hard toorganize the event and invite attendees. Out-of-town guests includ-ed Tim Nordstrom, Cale Ash, Ed Houston, and Ted Smith. Ed Hou-ston gave a presentation on the evolution of building design, from

“Designers” to “Architects” to “Engineers.”

• The April meeting was a joint presentation by Red-Built and Simp-son Strongtie. Red-built discussed best practices for specifyingopen-web trusses. Simpson discussed new and updated products

in their latest catalog.

(Continued on page 4)


• In the May meeting, we showed an NCSEA seminar titled

“Concrete with Little or No Shrinkage, Cracking, or Curling.”

• Chapter elections were held during the May meeting. John Tatewas elected President and Jill Shuttleworth elected Vice Presi-

dent.

• Daniel Sumerfield was selected as the Chapter Delegate for the

2015 Northwest Conference in Boise.

• South Central Chapter will meet again in September. The Septem-ber, October, and November presenters have already beenscheduled.

Southwest Chapter

-by Tim Nordstrom

Membership: As of May 21, 2015 the SW chapter has 100 mem-

bers, 62 of which are SE members.

Monthly MeetingsSeptember: Joint Dinner meeting hosted by the ASCE Tacoma chap-ter. Tour of the Basalite operation in DuPont WA. Well attended by

members of both organizations, with interesting discussion (±30)

October, November, December : No meetings were held.

January: Joint Dinner hosted by the Mt Rainer CSI chapter. Topic:Program Safe Haven, Vertical Evacuation in WA State. Ocosta Ele-mentary School/Vertical Evacuation Refuge. Presenters: Cale Ashwith Degenkolb Seattle, John Schelling, Washington State Emergen-cy Management. Well attended, interesting topic with a lot of dis-

cussion afterwards (±40).

February: Lunch meeting (The Rock Pizzeria) Topic: GalvanizingSteel. Presenter: Randy Wells Galvanizers Company. Attendance

(±15), held at a new location.

March: Lunch meeting (The Rock Pizzeria), Topic was structuralengineering in Afghanistan. Presenter: Scott Douglas. Attendance

(±15)

April: Joint dinner meeting hosted by SEAW Seattle Chapter. Tour ofthe Link Light Rail extension to South 200th Street. The tour and

dinner presentation, attendance (±35)

May: Joint meeting hosted by the Tacoma-Olympia AIA chapter. The

event was a full tour of Quest Stadium in Seattle (±30)

Elections:Elections are underway for 2015-2016. It appears that we will fill allthe positions except for secretary. Eduardo Avelar will be the next

President of the SW Chapter.

Notes:This year, the SW Chapter gained a new Administrative Assistant,Jennifer Whipkey. This has been working out great especially for

getting information out on time.

Spokane Chapter

-by Ted Bernards

The success of the Spokane Chapter is a direct result of the activeparticipation of our membership. Over the past year, the generalmeeting attendance has been strong again – averaging forty-five to

(Continued from page 3)fifty participants. We should be proud of this as it represents nearlyhalf of our total membership. If we take into account schedulingconflicts such as meetings, vacations, and deadlines, I suspect thatover three-quarters of our members are actively involved. This yearfeatured many informative presentations, including: Cost Estimatingand Constructability Reviews; The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Speci-fication; Unbonded Post Tensioning in Building Construction; andHarnessing the Power of the AISC Design Guides to name a few. Allof the presentations were provided by leading experts in their respec-

tive field.

Looking ahead, there are many exciting opportunities to get involvedwith SEAW. The Spokane Chapter would like to increase its involve-ment with local schools. At the college level, we would like to bringthe Student Competition to Gonzaga, WSU, and U of I (see the Janu-ary Equilibrium). At the high school and middle school levels, wewould like to continue to support local math and science programs,especially those receiving grants from SEFW (Structural EngineersFoundation of Washington). The Spokane Chapter would also like toincrease its participation in the statewide committees. One idea toassist with this is to have a ‘committee roadshow’ visit Spokane. Thiswill allow our members to meet the committee chair members inperson and to hear what they are working on in the hopes that our

Chapter will provide more active participants.

The annual change in leadership will be as follows:

Outgoing Past-President: Jeff Mitchell of Coffman EngineersPast-President: Ted Bernards of TD&H EngineeringPresident: Kevin Cary of FLSmidthVice President: Matthew Thomas of DCI EngineersTreasurer / Secretary: Joe Scholze of LSB EngineersDirectors: Darcy Morden of Womer and Associates & Jeff Van Leuven

of RSP Structural Systems

I hope that you all have a great summer and I’m looking forward to

seeing you all again in the fall.

Annual Chapter ReportsAnnual Chapter Reports, cont’d

Call for Nominations:

SEAW LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD

Nominations for the SEAW Lifetime Service award may bemade by any SEAW member to the State Board of Trustees byNovember 1st of each year. Qualifications of a nominee in-clude: SEAW Member; service to SEAW on a statewide level;sustained, significant, multiple contributions; committee ser-vice; and nurturing and mentoring abilities. The award may bemade posthumously.

If nominations have been submitted, the SEAW State Boardwill convene a selection panel consisting of the four mostrecent awardees (if possible) and a representative of eachchapter to meet prior to the January State Board meeting.

The award will be presented at the appropriate chapter’s year-end meeting or at the Northwest Conference. The award willconsist of a unique trophy or plaque, a cash award, and acontribution in the awardee’s name to the SEAW EndowmentFund.

Send your nomination by e-mail to the SEAW StateBoard of Trustees at [email protected].


Structural Engineers Foundation

The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington (SEFW),chaired by Dave Peden of Spokane, had an exciting 2014-2015

year.

The annual Fall Forum, SEFW’s central educational event andfundraiser, was held in September2014 at the Grand Hyatt in Seattle, inconjunction with the SEA NorthwestConference. The Forum featured AveryBang, CEO, and Brooke Shore, CorpsEngineers, of Bridges to Prosperity.Their presentation, “Build to Educate,”highlighted their international nonprofitorganization and their experiencesbuilding bridges in third-world coun-tries. Since its 2001 inception, “B2P”has facilitated construction of morethan 160 bridges in 18 countries. TheForum helped serve SEFW’s mission to“enhance the profession of structuralengineering” by showcasing an organi-zation that uses structural engineering

to serve people of the world.

At the Forum, SEFW announced a part-nership with Washington STEM, astatewide organization that promotesscience, technology and math subjectsin Washington schools. The partnershipallowed SEFW to fund field trips for 80+high school students. In both April andMay 2015, two groups of students fromthe Highline School District traveled tothe Seattle Center where volunteersfrom DCI Engineers, the SEFW Board,and the SEAW YMF led a structural engi-neering-focused tour of the Pacific Sci-ence Center, Space Needle, and KeyAre-na. Students were introduced not onlyto the buildings themselves, but also toinformation about careers in structuralengineering and associated technical

fields such as CADD.

In November 2014, SEFW was theprimary funding source for the firstannual SEAW Student Competition,which included three teams of stu-dents from the University of Wash-ington and Seattle University. Theydesigned and built wood trusses withprovided materials and tested themto failure. The students presentedtheir experiences at the January

2015 Student Showcase event.

In January 2015, in response to anRFP seeking to fund programs thatpromote structural engineering,SEFW funded a popsicle stick bridge building competition in theMead School District in Spokane. More than 350 students ingrades 9-12 at Spokane’s Mead High School and Mt. SpokaneHigh School designed and built 280 popsicle-stick bridges. Aftertwo rounds of load competitions, the winning bridge held more

than 400 pounds! SEAW-Spokane provided several member

judges for the final event in February.

Also in response to the RFP, SEFW funded a similar program atMountlake Terrace High School, a STEMschool in the Edmonds School District.Using balsa wood, 90 students de-signed and constructed six-foot-longtrussed bridges to bear a 400-poundload. Two local SEAW YMF volunteersserved as mentors. The winning bridge

held 600 pounds before failure!

Also at MTHS, SEFW provided fundingand a YMF mentor for the FIRST Robot-ics team. Thoughtful structural engi-neering principles were applied to de-sign the body and moving arms for the120-pound robot. The team made it all

the way to the state championship!

In total, in 2015, SEFW-funded activitieshelped 545 high school students fromthree different school districts learn

about structural engineering.

In June 2015, two SEAW scholarshiprecipients were announced. Hillary Ter-vet, EIT, of Seattle University and Jona-thon Waldrip, EIT, of Washington StateUniversity, each received a $3,000award funded by SEFW. Including thisyear, the SEAW scholarship programhas presented $131,000 in awards to atotal of 61 structural engineering stu-

dents.

SEFW’s annual Fall Forum is plannedfor Tuesday, November 10, at BenaroyaHall in Seattle. The featured speakerwill be Ahmad Rahimian of WSP Group,who will discuss his experiences workingon the Freedom Tower on the World

Trade Center site in New York. His presentation will be a greatopportunity to hear the challenges ofdesigning such a culturally signifi-cant structure for the United States.In addition to A/E/C professionals,the lecture will be of interest to uni-versity students, high school stu-dents, and many others in the gen-

eral public.

SEFW continues to seek new ideasand projects to help fulfill its mis-sion. It is a great time to promotestructural engineering. (And, checksoon for SEFW’s newly designed

website!)

The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington was found-ed in 2010. A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, its mission isto enhance public safety and advance the profession of Struc-tural Engineering through Scholarship, Research, Education,

and Outreach.

SEFW Vice Chair Mark D'Amato presents Washington STEM'sGillia Bakie with a grant to fund a partnership to promote

structural engineering in Washington schools.

Several volunteers from DCI Engineers use images and awooden model to explain the structural engineering of the

Space Needle to several high school STEM students.

A Mead School District student in Spokane tests his popsicle stick bridge

to failure in a competition funded by SEFW.


Seattle Chapter Engineer of the Year

The Seattle Chapter of theStructural Engineers Asso-ciation of Washingtonnamed Peter Somers asits Engineer of the YearAward for 2015. Theaward was presented byEd Huston at the June22nd Seattle Chapter So-cial and Awards Event,held at the Lake Union

Café in Seattle.

Prospective Engineer ofthe Year awardees areconsidered for their visibil-ity to the profession, tech-nical expertise, ability tonurture the professional

development of others, and service to SEAW.

Peter Somers is a Principal with Magnusson Klemencic Associ-

ates in Seattle. A member of SEAW since 2001, Peter has just

completed a long and successful term of service on the Seattle

Chapter Board, which he began as a director in 2006-2008. He

returned to the board as vice president and program chair in

2012, and went on to serve as Chapter president in 2013, and

past president in 2014. He is a long-time member of the SEAW

Earthquake Engineering Committee, participated in the plan-

ning and execution of the successful 2007 and 2014 SEA

Northwest Conferences in Seattle, serving as chair of the lat-

ter.

Nationally, Peter has served on the ASCE 41-13 committee

and is Vice Chair of the ASCE 41-17 committee, and is a vot-

ing member of the NCSEA IEBC subcommittee of the Code

Advisory Committee.

Peter’s mentorship reach extends to and far beyond the

younger engineers at Magnusson Klemencic Associates. He

has regularly shared his expertise with the engineering com-

munity at large by his presentations at SEAW Seismic Design

Seminars in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2013, as well as

at three ASCE 41-13 seminars.

On behalf of the Seattle Chapter board and membership, con-

gratulations, Peter, and please accept a heartfelt “Thank you”

for all of your efforts on behalf of SEAW.

The Seattle Chapter Engineer of the Year award was estab-lished in 1982 by then president Bill Mooseker. The Engineerof the Year selection committee is chaired by a Seattle ChapterMember SE who is a past recipient, and includes the sittingSeattle Chapter President and the last five recipients. A com-plete list of recipients can be viewed on the SEAW Hall of Fame

at http://www.seaw.org/hall-of-fame.

http://www.seaw.org/hall-of-fame

www.cascadejoinery.com


www.powers.com


Annual Committee Reports

Disaster Preparedness &

Response

I’m excited to report good pro-gress on a number of long

term Committee initiatives.

Development of a Statewidevolunteer registry, tentativelynamed Washington SafetyAssessment Facility Evaluation(WASAFE), was begun in early2015. We are following therecommendations of the PostDisaster Safety AssessmentProgram (SAP) Developmentfor the State of Washington(Dec 2014), a report that sum-marizes the volunteer emer-gency workers and non-governmental organizationcapabilities. The program willbe similar to programs in Mis-souri and California in thatindividuals will be required totake an approved ATC-20class that should include Inci-dent Command training, and arefresher course every 5 years.For engineers to be “full mem-bers”, a PE license will be re-quired, but those without a PEor SE will be able to register.Thanks to the WA Departmentof Health (DOH), we will beusing the DOH WAserve elec-tronic system for registration,call-up, and maintenance ofour volunteers’ list. A test ofthe registry was performed inJune, with an automated emailmessage to those who areregistered in the CaliforniaSafety Assessment Program(SAP) Evaluator program. Inaddition to the DOH, our part-ners include AIAWA, ASCE, and

WABO.

Committee members ScottDouglas, Paul Braillier, andJoyce Lem are representingSEAW in Cascadia Rising2016, a 2-year exercise thatculminates in a 4-day simula-tion of a 9.2 magnitude sub-duction zone earthquake andWashington Coast tsunami.The simulation will take placein June 2016. The intent is tomodel and practice the re-sponse of regional emergencymanagement agencies withother. Our committee hopes to

reconnaissance missions spon-sored by SEAW, subject to writ-ten guidelines authored by thecommittee and approved by theState Board. Individual dona-tions to the SEFW fund are tax-

deductible.

Special thanks this year tothose who attended and partici-pated in committee meetingsand activities. In addition tothose mentioned above, mypersonal thanks to: John Riley,Scott, Luke Ruggeri, DaveSwanson, Erik Bishop, MegHaley, Cale Ash, Jon Siu, JillShuttleworth, Ed Huston, andDOH partner Kevin Scarlett.Welcome also to Jackie Celin(hurray she’s back) and new

member Brad Ehlers.

The SEAW Committee coordi-nates and works with the AIADisaster Preparedness andResponse Committee. Our com-mittee is a mix of consultingengineers, building officials,and our AIA partners. An-nouncements, meeting notes,and agendas are sent to the50+ on the Committee’s emaildistribution list. The Committeemeets monthly in downtownSeattle, averaging 6 to 10 at-tending. Audio participation isavailable via GoToMeeting. Weneed and welcome more com-mittee members to help! Formore information, contact Joyce

Lem at [email protected].

Earthquake Engineering

Over the past year the Earth-quake Engineering Committee(EEC) has worked on severalimportant issues related to thepractice of earthquake engi-neering in Washington State.The EEC has also sought toprovide timely information toSEAW members throughpresentations and announce-ments at EEC meetings. SomeEEC activities over the last year

include:

◊ Studied best practices fordesign of connections be-tween flexible diaphragmsand concrete or masonry

have our statewide volunteerprogram in place by then so wecan practice call-up(s) usingWAserve. Imagine a 4-day Hun-ger Games and the following“inject” event on Day 2: “This isSeattle DPD calling the KingCounty Emergency OperationsCenter. We are reporting wide-spread damage to buildings inthe downtown core, PioneerSquare, and Belltown and re-quest the assistance of 50structural engineers for rapidbuilding safety assessments….”The County could respond byusing WAserve and workingwith our NGO coordinators toaccess SEAW volunteers in theregistry. The committee alsointends to use the 2-year plan-ning time for the exercise fornetworking with our State’semergency management com-munity. Our goals are for us tobecome more familiar withthem and for them to becomeaware of our capabilities. Thusfar we’ve received a warm wel-

come.

This year we also asked andlearned from the State AttorneyGeneral’s Office that the GoodSamaritan Law that protectsindividual volunteers does notextend to NGOs like SEAW. PaulBrallier is leading the effort toget legislation passed to protectNGOS, garnering support from

ASCE, WABO, and AIAWA.

Individual committee memberstaught several private ATC-20trainings this year. One SEAWclass in ATC-20/45 and Califor-nia SAP Evaluator was taught inMarch by Paul Brallier and Edu-ardo Avelar. Thanks to everyonewho attended and who helpedwith putting on the classes. OurATC classes include California’sSAP Evaluator training to givestudents the opportunity to joinCalifornia’s volunteer registry.We will include SAP training anduse California’s registry –it’sfree to join—until our Washing-

ton program is up and running.

Separate Disaster ResponseFunds were formally estab-lished by SEAW and by SEFW.These funds may be used for

walls;

◊ Discussed a code changeproposal for hold-downforce amplification in thedesign of wood framing onpost-tensioned concrete

podium slabs;

◊ Studied lessons learnedfrom the Napa, Californiaearthquake; and discussedvolunteer responses of EECmembers to the recent Ne-

pal earthquake;

◊ Participated in two ballotson revisions to the 2015

NEHRP Seismic Provisions;

◊ Reviewed and assisted theSeattle Department of Plan-ning and Development withnew definitions of buildingheight for seismic design

classifications;

◊ Coordinated EEC activitieswith activities of the Wash-ington Chapter of the Earth-quake Engineering Re-

search Institute;

◊ Hosted presentations atEEC meetings on topicsranging from the UW “M9Project”, to research onbraced steel frames, to rap-id construction of precast

concrete structures.

EEC meetings are generallyheld every two months, on thefirst Tuesday of the month.Announcements of meetingdates and times are made inEquilibrium. The next threemeetings of the EEC will June30, September 1, and Novem-ber 3. Meetings are from12:15 to 1:45, and they aregenerally held at the 4th floorconference room of theWestlake Center Office Tower,1601 Fifth Avenue, Seattle.All SEAW members are wel-come to attend. If you wouldlike to be on the EEC e-maillist, contact the EEC chair,Andy Taylor, at

[email protected].



Annual Committee Reports cont’d

YOU can help SEAW uphold the highest standards

of Structural Engineering.

Join a Committee TODAY!

community. He will focus onthe priority issues, but will alsoreport on other issues thatwere debated this year thatimpact the design industry,and developments regarding

government competition.

Note: Cliff Webster is a lobbyistfor AELC of which SEAW is a

member organization.

During the 2015 legislativesession in Olympia, SEAW’sLegislative committee tracked94 bills total (50 Unique, re-member a bill has to bepassed in both the house andsenate. Therefore each bill hasat least two versions, some-times they are similar, some-

times they are not).

Education

The Education Committee ischaired by Ardel Jala. Thiscommittee was responsiblefor organizing the technicalsessions for the NorthwestConference hosted by SEAWin Seattle on Sept 18-19,2014. There were (9) speak-ers covering a variety of top-ics. The committee would liketo thank all the speakers andvolunteers for assisting with

this event.

The committee assisted withabstract review and securingspeakers for technical ses-sions of the SEAOC 2015Convention to be held inBellevue, Washington this

September 9-12.

The committee has beendormant this spring but willmeet every other month asplanning begins for astatewide Foundations semi-nar. New members are en-couraged to join at any time.Meetings are held in down-town Seattle and concurrent-ly via GoToMeeting. If youare interested, please con-tact Ardel Jala at

[email protected].

Legislative Committee

As I am writing this, our StateSenate is taking up the capitalbudget just passed by theHouse. This year has been aseries of special sessions, ex-tensions and not a lot of ac-

tion. A transportation package

Spokane Chapter members,ACEC Washington will be host-ing a Legislative update July21, 2015 from 8:30 am to10:30 am in the Landau Roomat The Lincoln Center. Admis-

sion is free.

Legislative Update for Eastern

Washington

Cliff Webster will recap thesession and assess the im-pacts on the A/E business

(Continued from page 8) So far, none of the bills beingtracked by the SEAW Legisla-tive committee have made itthrough to the Governor’s deskfor a signature. This is not tosay that there hasn’t been billspassed, they just are not per-taining to the practice of Struc-tural Engineering in Washing-

ton.

Three items of note are:

◊ The capital budget appearsto be passing at the finalminutes of the 2nd SpecialSession, preventing a gov-ernment shut down over the4th of July weekend.

◊ A Transportation packageappears to be a possibilityduring the current session.

2015-17 TransportationNegotiated CompromiseNew Law Budget StrikingAmendment is now availa-ble on http://fiscal.wa.gov/

Project List, http://fiscal.wa.gov/

BudgetTProjList.aspx

Bills & Documents, http://fiscal.wa.gov/BudgetTBillsSenate.aspx

◊ The “Good SamaritanLaw”. The executives ofAIA, SEAW, ASCE andWABO are reviewing thefinal draft of the proposedchanges to Washington


SEAW Committee Chairs

Building Engineering Chris Duvall [email protected] Advisory John Hooper [email protected] Prep/Response Joyce Lem [email protected]

Earthquake Engineering Andy Taylor [email protected] Ardel Jala [email protected] Buildings Bryan Zagers [email protected]

Legislative Tim Nordstrom [email protected] Practices Mike Bramhall [email protected]

Public Information Darrell Staaleson [email protected] Kevin Solberg [email protected] Load Engineering Matt Leslie [email protected]

Strategic Plan Monitor Cale Ash [email protected] Kyle Steuck [email protected] Lynnell Brunswig [email protected]

Western Council Ed Huston [email protected] Engineering Scott Douglas [email protected]

Liaisons/Representatives:PSEC Peter Opsahl [email protected] Chun Lau [email protected]

BSSC Tom Xia [email protected]/WABO Charlie Griffes [email protected] Engineers Foundation David Peden [email protected]

WA Seismic Safety Committee Stacy Bartoletti [email protected]

http://fiscal.wa.gov/BudgetTProjList.aspx

http://fiscal.wa.gov/BudgetTBillsSenate.aspx


tee has:

◊ Published an Equilibrium arti-cle on the energy code andprovisions about continuousinsulation. (Rachel Vranzian/

CPL)

◊ Attended a thermal bridgingseminar as a committee as

part of the energy code work.

◊ Hosted meetings with Architec-ture 2030, Climate Earth, andMKA on the latest develop-ments in Life Cycle Analysis(LCA) for buildings, and in par-ticular the role and future ofEnvironmental Product Decla-rations (EPDs) – the ‘nutritionlabel’ for environmental im-

pacts of building products.

Looking forward, we are work-ing on a project with concretemix designs to use as a baselinefor LCA activities. Our researchon thermal bridging will contin-ue, including keeping in touchwith NWCMA on their efforts tomodify the energy code to ac-count for items like veneer brickties. The committee is also plan-ning activities related to the ex-panding use of LEED v4 whenthe old version sunsets in Octo-

ber 2016.

Additional committee infor-mation, upcoming events, andother news and resources areposted to our committee blog athttp://seawsustainabil-ity.blogspot.com , or contact KyleSteuck([email protected]) for

more information.

Public Information

1. Facebook.

Our Facebook page is doing alittle better. We are currently at1,774 ‘Likes.’ Finally, because Iwas beginning to despair that wewould ever get off theground. The question always is,“If you tag me in a photo, willeveryone one in the universe beable to see the picture? And willit steal my soul?” The answer is,yes, everyone will be able to see

your picture. But it probablywon’t steal your soul. So whatdoes that 1,774 numbermean? Well, since the averageperson has about (100)friends, it means that we canreach quite a few people with

every post.

Now what we need is content,that is stories. For Facebook,that means a few pictures witha paragraph. The pictures needto have a description and thenames of the people. The bestphotos, that is the photos thatgenerate the most interest areones with people doing inter-esting things. Like our recentsite visit on the new section ofLight Rail Station at Angle Laketo the South of SeaTac whichshows our own Scott Douglaswho pronounced the rails

"Afgan Good." – 466 ‘Likes.’

Here is the link to the picture

of Scott:

https://www.facebook.com/148377318650886/photos/a.274927022662581.1073741835.148377318650886/469679863187295/?

type=1&theater

Not as good as the Facebookpage for USMA at West Point,but better than last year. Andplease! Don’t post a picture ofa meeting! Unless people areengaged in doing something

interesting.

The people I talk to say theyare all interested in hearingabout SEAW and ourwork. This is your opportunityto show the community a littleabout your company or thework you do. You can post aconnection detail you designedor a photo of some archaicframing you found during anassessment of an old building.Anything about engineer-ing. Don’t try to make it per-fect. Just take the picture,write a sentence, then post it.

Done!

2. PIC Communications.

I attempted to switch commu-nications to Facebook and

State law RCW 38.52.180.This law is meant to providegood Samaritan coverage forNGO’s and coordinators pre-paring for a disaster. Withfinal approval and signaturesthe law will be sent to theAELC for presentation to theState Legislature. Changesare due by July 15, 2015.

The Legislative Committee willbe helping move these chang-

es through the legislature.

If you would like more infor-mation please contact Tim at

[email protected].

Sustainability

The Sustainability Committeeseeks to educate members inthe aspects of sustainabledesign that impact structuralengineering, including codes,local projects, design trends,and new technology. We con-duct research and compileinformation to share with thecommittee and association at

large via articles and lectures.

We hold face-to-face meetingsin downtown Seattle everymonth, with a summer break.See the SEAW events calendaror Equilibrium for dates andtopics. Web and voice confer-encing are available for thosewho are interested in joiningremotely. There are about 10active committee memberswith an additional 40 corre-

sponding members.

In addition to regular meetings,we have toured local projectshosted by the design teams.This year, we toured AutoSport,an adaptive reuse project inSouth Lake Union (Lund Op-sahl) and Block 34, a newbuilding with historic façade

preservation (CPL), also in SLU.

The past year has focused onenergy use and carbon im-pacts. These impacts are relat-ed to the ongoing operationalenergy use as well as the ener-gy and materials used to con-struct a building. The commit-

(Continued from page 9) then to Google Groups. Well,that flopped. Sorry about thatguys. We are going back toemail until we can find some-

thing better.

3. Mentor Nights.

I was asked to form a commit-tee of volunteers who werecommitted to participating inPSEC Mentor night. We cur-rently have twelve and we canfield four engineers to anyMentor Night. We had two suc-cessful Mentor Nights and wehad a lot of fun answeringquestions from university stu-dents who were interesting instudying civil/structural engi-neering. It was a great way toget to know other members

SEAW.

Shalini Prochazka from Simp-son Strong-Tie participated andbrought samples of Simpson

connectors.

Noopur Jain from AECOMbrought a 3D model of the

bridge she was working on.

Tim Nordstrom from StarSeis-mic brought structural draw-ings and an Excel spreadsheetand showed an interactive

design for a BRB’s.

Darrell Staaleson from Staale-son Engineering, P.C. brought astructural drawing of a heavytimber truss with shear plateconnections and a mockup of

the shear plate assembly.

The students were greatly in-terested in all our presenta-tions. And I think our enthusi-asm for structural engineeringwas contagious. We are look-ing forward to doing six Mentor

Nights next year.

Darrell Staaleson, P.E., S.E.

[email protected]

Professional Practices

The committee has been onhiatus and will resume in Au-gust. Contact Mike Bramhall,chair, at [email protected] for infor-mation.


Annual Committee Reports, cont’d

https://www.facebook.com/148377318650886/photos/a.274927022662581.1073741835.148377318650886/469679863187295/?type=1&theater

mailto:[email protected]


Scholarship

The SEAW Scholarship Com-mittee has been active overthe past year promoting thescholarship to university stu-dents, reviewing applications,and interviewing candidates.Current membership consistsof Siri Ashworth, Jessica Jen-ness, Bill Mooseker, DavePeden, Ben Piermattei, andKevin Solberg. The committeereviewed six applications inMarch for the 2015 award.The students were from UW(1), WSU (1), Gonzaga (2), andSeattle University (2). Threecandidates were shortlistedand interviewed on April 15th.The committee unanimouslyvoted for two candidates toreceive a scholarship award. Abiography of the recipients canbe found elsewhere in thispublication. Due to the nation-al trend of increased tuitioncosts, the committee has rec-ommended to the board thatthe scholarship award be in-creased to $5,000 (currently$3,000). This is slated to takeeffect starting with the 2016award. The committee gener-ally meets via conference callat various intervals throughoutthe year, with the busiest timebetween December and April.The committee conducts candi-date interviews in Seattle and/

or Spokane member offices.

Dave Peden stepped down aschair in 2014, but remains anactive member of the commit-tee. We thank him for his dedi-cated leadership and service to

SEAW.

Kevin Solberg, Chair

[email protected]

Wind Engineering

The SEAW Wind EngineeringCommittee (WEC), with 39members on the mailing list,has continued meeting everytwo months, typically on thethird Thursday of the month indowntown Seattle. All WECmeetings are broadcast over

(Continued from page 10) Go-to-Meeting, thus if SEAWmembers are not able to par-ticipate in person they are en-couraged to participate re-motely, particularly membersof the South Central or theSpokane Chapters who at pre-sent have no representation on

the WEC.

Don Scott, a SEAW SouthwestChapter Member, is the ASCE7 Subcommittee on WindLoads Chair. Don has summa-rized many of the change pro-posals and resulting commit-tee votes for the soon to bepublished ASCE 7-16. At pre-sent ASCE 7-16 is scheduled tobe out for public comment thiscoming October. Membersshould be prepared for signifi-cant changes to the ASCE 7-16Wind Chapters, includingchanges in the wind speedmaps, component and clad-ding factors, and added design

criteria for attached canopies.

At present the committee isworking on an alternative ap-proach to determine ExposureD in the Puget Sound Area.This approach will not be asgeneral or conservative as thepresent ASCE 7-10 Section26.7.3. A white paper may bedeveloped to document this

alternate approach.

The committee has also start-ed generating Kzt maps, simi-lar to those already developedfor the cities of Seattle, Taco-ma, and Mercer Island. Theseare being developed for juris-dictions that are willing toadopt the maps as part of theircode. These maps are con-servative, the maps will makeclear that the structural engi-neer will always have the op-tion of calculating more pre-

cise Kzt values.

The last item on the WEC’sagenda is to quantify windspeeds for the special windregions along the WashingtonCoast and Columbia River Ba-sin. At present the SEAOCWind Committee is addressingtheir special wind regions inCalifornia. The SEAW WEC will


be monitoring SEAOC’s variousapproaches on this effort before

embarking on this task.

All members, whatever their lev-el of experience, are encouragedto participate at in WEC meet-ings either in person or via Go-to-Meeting. Please contact theWEC chair, Scott [email protected], tojoin the WEC and to receive infor-mation on Committee activities

and actions.

WABO-SEAW

The SEAW/WABO committeecontinues to meet once a monthwith about five SE's and fiveWABO representatives present atany given meeting. The primaryeffort has been the production ofWhite Papers on various issuesthat warrant attention from theWABO or SEAW members. TheseWhite Papers can be found onthe SEAW website and should be

of interest to all.

White Paper 11 on the subject of“Designing for Heavy VehicleLoads on vaults, bridges, build-ings and structures” was issued

in March.

White Paper 10 on the subject of"Guards and Connections" wasissued last year and highlightsthe need for proper structural

design of guards.

The committee is currently work-ing on several new White Papersincluding design for ballastedrooftop elements such as solarpanels; deferred submittals; anddesign procedures for wood

frame on podium structures.

Previous White Papers have ad-dressed such interesting topicssuch as plan review philosophy,electronic signatures, permitsubmittal requirements, anddesign of hold-downs in podium

wood frame structures.

We typically meet from 11:30 to1:00 on the second Thursday ofthe month at Bellevue City Hall.Contact person is Charlie Griffes,

[email protected]

Building Engineering

The Building Engineering Com-mittee (BEC) is looking forpracticing structural engineersto participate in our commit-tee. Join us! We meet periodi-cally throughout the year work-ing with the practicing engi-neers in this state on codedevelopment and clarifica-tions. We also advise on fu-ture code changes toNCSEA. The BEC needs yourparticipation! Conference call-ing and remote access will bemade available. We invite en-thusiastic and ambitious struc-tural engineers from across thestate to join us in making adifference. Contact Chris Du-vall for more information: 206-618-6063 [email protected].

State Finance Report

As Lynnell’s planned retire-ment approaches, the Stateand Seattle Chapter leadershiphave decided to contract with afirm that specializes in man-agement of non-profits organi-zations to handle the executiveand administrative functionsthat Lynnell has provided formany years. Lynnell and yourtreasurer will be working withthe new firm during the transi-tion, which will include chang-ing the bookkeeping fromQuicken to QuickBooks. We’reexpecting the Treasurer posi-tion to become even more ofan oversight position than it is

now.

Each year the State Treasurerdevelops a budget and cashflow projections so the boardcan understand the financialconditions the organization islikely to encounter during theyear. I’m sure no one will besurprised to hear that the ex-penses of the organization goup a little every year. A modestdues increase of $10 per yearfor the state organization wasapproved and went into effect



last year. The increased in-come from the dues increasehelps pay for the expenses ofthe organization, but dues in-come alone doesn’t come

close to paying our expenses.

Income from SEAW ContinuingEducation Seminars provides acritical but highly variableamount of income, dependingon how many seminars arepresented and how many peo-ple attend them. Gross in-come from a couple majorseminars sometimes exceedsthe State’s annual dues in-come. SEAW’s intent is to pre-sent at least two major semi-nars each year, in addition toperiodic ATC-20 and ATC-45presentations. However, lastfall the NW Conference tech-nical program was the focus ofthe committee and we didn’thave a State-sponsored fallseminar. Unfortunately for theState, net proceeds from theNW Conference are splitamong the member organiza-tions, which in Washington isthe Chapters and not theState. This spring’s intended

(Continued from page 11) State seminar didn’t happeneither. Our Continuing Educa-tion committee is now, as di-rected by the State Board, devel-oping an all-day seminar on avariety of Foundation Systems.We’re eagerly looking forward tothat event, both in terms of itbeing a valuable educationalexperience and it being a muchneeded financial boost to SEAW.SEAW seminars provide amongthe most PDHs for the buck.More importantly, our volunteercolleague presenters provide uswith the best and most usefulinformation per hour of our time.I wouldn’t want to miss this one.I’m also looking forward to thesymposium being planned by ourmembers who were involved withthe earthquake disaster reliefwork in Nepal. Watch for infor-

mation about it.

As usual, The State SEAW pro-vides funding to continue thework of the Earthquake Engi-neering Committee, the newlyreactivated Wind Engineeringand Building Engineering Com-mittees, the Education Commit-tee, the Scholarship Committee,the Disaster Preparedness and


Response Committees, the Exist-ing Building Committee, and thePublic Information, Snow Loadand Sustainability Committees;to support the Architect EngineerLegislative Council, NationalCouncil of Structural EngineersAssociations and Western Coun-cil organizations; to produce anewsletter; and to support thescholarship fund and administra-tive functions. The TechnologyCommittee continues to improve

the website and database.

Thanks to all who serve on allthe committees for the benefit of

our profession.

We still have 143 members whohave not paid their 2015 dues.If you’re one of them…please payyour dues. You’ll find directionsfor logging in and paying else-where in this newsletter. SEAWthanks all of you who have al-

ready paid.

Please contact me with anyquestions you may have about

SEAW’s finances.

Ted Smith, Treasurer

[email protected]

Snow Load Engineering

The past year has been a tran-sition year for the Snow LoadEngineering Committee. Com-mittee chair John Tate re-signed his post after manyyears of service, and his formerposition remained vacant forseveral months before MattLeslie, of the South CentralChapter, volunteered as thenew committee chair. So far,aside from Mr. Leslie, there areno other official members ofthe committee, although someSEAW members have ex-pressed an interest, and nomeetings have been held since

the transition.

It is anticipated that the up-coming year will be fairly event-ful, as the Committee is plan-ning on beginning the processof updating the current SEAWSnow Load Map to includemore recent snowfall data,including the significant 1996-97 snow event.

Anybody interested in joiningthe Snow Load Committee isencouraged to contact MattLeslie,[email protected].


http://www.seattleasce.org/ymf/ymf_golf_tournament.php


public. The Public InformationCommittee has largely led thiseffort although partnership withthe Structural Engineers Founda-tion of Washington and the YMFalso provides opportunities toengage with the public. Thereare many other events in whichSEAW could engage such asscience fairs, mentoring pro-grams, and social media that theorganization and our memberscan consider to increase visibilityof our profession.

Leadership Succession andCommittee Effectiveness

Many of our members find per-sonal and professional satisfac-tion from taking active roles incommittees or rising to leader-ship roles within the organiza-tion. In order to encourage thisparticipation and be respectfulof the volunteer efforts, SEAWhas focused on providing tools,procedures, and technologies(e.g. GoToMeeting) that reducethe burden on our volunteersand/or allow them to becomemore effective in their roles. Thisis an ever-evolving effort as theneeds of the committees, theorganization, and the individualsleading them change over time.

Optimize OrganizationalEffectiveness and Structure

The last goal identified in thestrategic plan is to achieve thebest structure of the State Asso-ciation, Chapters, and Commit-tees to accomplish SEAW’s mis-sion and vision, and serve mem-bers most effectively. To put itanother way, we want the organi-zational structure to support thegoals of SEAW and not impedeprogress towards them. As theSEAW changes over time, so toowill the organization behind it.

I have personally enjoyed mytime working with SEAW at boththe chapter and the state levelsand strongly believe that strate-gic planning has been a valuableeffort for the organization. SEAWplans to engage in a comprehen-sive update to the plan withinthe coming year. There will beformal opportunities to provideyour input but in the meantime Iencourage you to let us knowhow we have done over the lastseveral years and where we canimprove. Please pass along yourinput to your chapter leadership,the state board, or send me anemail at [email protected].

Respectfully submitted,

Cale Ash

2014-15 SEAW Strategic PlanMonitor

Western Council

The Seattle Chapter hosted the2014 Northwest Conference ofStructural Engineers at theGrand Hyatt in September of lastyear. Peter Somers, conferencechair, and his committee pre-sented an educational, tech-nical, and professional confer-ence which had great opportuni-ties for social interaction. TheStructural Engineers Foundationof Washington provided its 2015Forum as the Thursday nightprogram. The Friday night dinnerand cruise on Lake Washingtonprovided a great way to wrap upthe conference and unwind.

The Northwest Conference Coun-cil (NWCC) met on September18, 2014. The SEAI, as the nextconference host chaired themeeting. The NWCC is the policymaking body for the annual con-ferences. SEAI will host the2015 Conference in downtownBoise on July 16 -18. The con-ference theme is “Jump Into theFuture”. I hope to see many ofyou there.

-Ed Huston, NWCC Seattle Chap-ter [email protected]

NCSEA

The National Council of Structur-al Engineers Associations(NCSEA) is now in its 23nd year ofexistence, and is currently com-prised of 44 regional or statestructural engineering associa-tions throughout the UnitedStates.

I reported from my last annualreport that there are some of ourSEAW members that do not real-ize that they are members ofNCSEA through their member-ship with SEAW. Guess what,there are still SEAW membersthat do not realize that they aremembers of NCSEA. One of thebenefits of the NCSEA member-ship is the STRUCTURE maga-zine that is a publication byNCSEA to its members. One indi-cation that you are a member ofNCSEA is receiving the STRUC-

SEAW Strategic Plan

Since being approved in early2012, the SEAW Strategic Planhas served as a valuable docu-ment for the State Board. Thefive main goals identified in theplan have become regularagenda items that guide eachboard meeting. One of my rolesas Past President over the lastyear was to serve as “strategicplan monitor.” In this capacity Iprovided regular status up-dates to the board on progresstowards the following goals:

Continuing Education/Professional Development

Developing and delivering edu-cational opportunities formembers is a core function ofSEAW. Our members rankedthis most-highly in the surveysleading up to the 2011 strate-gic planning activities. Theboard recognizes this im-portance and places high prior-ity on ensuring regular accessto seminars with a goal of hav-ing two state-wide offeringsannually. Much of the planningwork for these seminars takesplace within the EducationCommittee who then coordi-nates with other committees orgroups for developing the tech-nical content.

Membership Growth andEngagement

A sign of a healthy memberorganization is the overallgrowth and engagement of themembership. Our memberstypically engage with the organ-ization during committee meet-ings, lunch/dinner meetings,and seminars. The state boardmaintains focus on having anengaged membership as avehicle for sustained growth.SEAW will likely surpass 1,000members for the first time inthe very near future, this indi-cates that our members feelthat being part of SEAW is valu-able to their careers.

Advocacy and Public Outreach

One of SEAW’s outward-lookinggoals is that the structural en-gineering profession is visible,respected, and highly valuedwithin the design and construc-tion industry and the general

(Continued from page 12) TURE magazine at your mailingaddress listed on your SEAWmembership. Also, a reminderthat one of the major benefitsbeing a member of NCSEA isthat you are entitled to receivediscounts up to 25% (ICC mem-ber rates) on publications pur-chased through ICC, includingBuilding Codes and referencedstandards since SEAW is amember organization ofNCSEA.

This year’s NCSEA annual con-ference will be held in Las Ve-gas, NV from September 30 toOctober 3. The annual confer-ence has been renamed toNCSEA Structural EngineeringSummit to reflect that thereare many seminars/workshopsthat will provide valuable con-tinuing education opportuni-ties. Take a look at the website www.ncsea.com for addi-tional information regardingthis year annual conferenceand other NCSEA-sponsoredupcoming events, includingwebinars and seminars.

On the continuing educationside, NCSEA offers to membersonly (members of NCSEA Mem-ber Organizations, Affiliate,Associate or Sustaining Mem-bers), unlimited access to alllive webinars over the courseof one year. Cost is $750 persubscriber per year. This is aneconomical way to obtain con-tinuing education if you are onyour own or is a small firm.Please visit NCSEA website fordetail information on this offer.

NCSEA welcomes volunteersthat are willing to actively serveto promote the cause of struc-tural engineering by participat-ing on one of the committees.Opportunities for you as NCSEAmember to serve on a commit-tee are posted each fall. If youare interested in getting in-volved with an NCSEA commit-tee, please check out the web-site at www.ncsea.com formore information.

Submitted byChun Lau, SEAW Delegate toNCSEA



News of Note

As of 7/10/15 Seattle Southwest Spokane S. Central Total State

Member SEs 333 57 40 7 437

Member PEs 145 25 37 25 232

Associates 121 7 18 0 146

Affiliates 27 4 5 3 39

Life Members 47 5 12 0 64

Honorary 8 1 0 0 9

Students 16 1 3 0 20

Complimentary 5 0 1 0 6

TOTALS 702 100 116 35 953

2014 TOTALS 695 105 114 30 944

SEAW 2015 Membership Statistics

This year, the annual Struc-tural Engineers Association ofCalifornia Convention will beheld at the Hyatt in Bellevue,and we are excited to collabo-rate and share knowledgewith our colleagues in thegreat Northwest. The con-vention starts on Wednesday,September 9th and runsthrough Saturday, September12th. We are encouraging ouryounger members to attendby offering special eventsand sessions, a Young Mem-ber Mentor Roundtable andDesign Competition, and adiscounted registration. Hereare some highlights:

Wednesday: Introduction toMass Timber and Wood High-Rise Buildings Mini-Seminar,SEAOC Committees andBoard Meeting, WelcomeReception in Exhibitor Hall:Sideways in Seattle with Lo-cal Craft Beer Tasting.

Thursday: Opening PlenaryThe M9 Project | CascadiaMegathrust Earthquakes:Reducing Risk through Sci-ence, Engineering and Plan-ning, Four (4) TechnicalTracks (AM and PM), Busi-

ness Lunch, Cruise Aroundthe World Dinner.

Friday: Four (4) TechnicalTracks (AM and PM), YoungMember Mentor Roundtable,Excellence in Structural Engi-neering Lunch, Closing Plena-ry One World Trade Center,Evening at Chihuly Glass andGarden hosted by Computersand Structures.

Saturday: President’s Cup,Convention Golf Tournamentat China Creek, Young Mem-ber Design Competition.

Register today before Dis-count Registration periodends, on August 15th. http://convention.seaoc.org Wehope to see you in Seattle!

Bob Glasgow, M.S., S.E. Chair2015 SEAOC Convention

SEAOC Annual Convention coming to Bellevue,September 9-12

SEAW Online Member Profile Tips

Renew Membership and Pay Dues:

• Log in to the SEAW website

• Click the "My Membership" link

• Click "Pay My Dues" On the payment page, you’ll have achoice to pay online or receive an invoice by email. Youcan forward your invoice to your accounts payable person,who can then click on the “Pay Now” link and pay onlinewithout needing your log in information.

Lost Password?

• Click on member login on home page

• Click “Forgot your password?” link in the login area andenter the email address that SEAW uses to contact you.Your login information will be emailed to you. If you nolonger have access to that email address, contact theSEAW office at [email protected].

Update Member Profile Information:

• Log in. The “Hello” page will show your name, chapter,membership classification and membership expirationdate. (Life and Honorary members have no expirationdate).

• Click on the “My Membership” link under the Hello banner

• Hover over the “My Profile” tab and select “Edit Profile” toview editable fields.

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Annual Committee ReportsOpportunities

Field Engineer, SeattleSimpson Strong-Tie is lookingfor a motivated individual tojoin our team. We are currentlyhiring for a Field Engineer posi-tion based out of the Seattle,WA area. For more informationplease visit our webpagewww.strongtie.com and toapply today!

Opportunities for Mid-level Design Engineerand Senior Project

Manager:Seattle Structural is a down-town Seattle firm looking forqualified professionals to joinour talented group practicingacross a number of differentindustries. Seattle Structuraloffers an excellent opportunityto work on a variety of publicand private institutional,healthcare, educational, andcommercial projects both do-mestically and internationally.We offer a competitive salaryand a relaxed, collaborative

work environment. Benefits in-clude medical, transit reimburse-ment, and retirement matching.Seattle Structural is a firm thatmakes it easy to become personal-ly invested in the achievements of

your company.

Seattle Structural is an Equal Op-

portunity Employer.

We are filling two positions. Candi-dates must meet the following

requirements:

• Mid-level Designer: 5+ years’

experience.• Senior Project Manager: 10+

years’ experience.• BS or MS in Structural, Civil/

Structural, or Architectural Engi-

neering.• Experience in steel and concrete

buildings, lateral analysis, deepfoundations, and marine pro-

jects are desired.• Working knowledge of CAD and

Revit preferred.• Strong emphasis on client ser-

vice.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Strong technical skills.

Please address inquiries to:

Howard Burton, PresidentSeattle Structural PS Inc.1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 425

Seattle, WA 98101

[email protected]

SE Entry Level andProject SE positions,

EverettREID MIDDLETON, INC., a Top25 Puget Sound civil and struc-tural engineering firm based inEverett, Washington with a 60-year history of service to publicand private clients throughoutthe Pacific Rim, including Hawaiiand Alaska is seeking Entry Lev-el Engineers and a Project Struc-tural Engineer.

To apply, send a cover letter andresume [email protected].

Entry Level Engineers, Structur-al Engineering: We are lookingfor two highly qualified and moti-vated entry-level engineers

(Designers) to join our structur-al engineering team. Require-ments for this position includethe following:• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil or

Structural Engineering.• Licensing as an Engineer-In-

Training.• Knowledge of AutoCAD and

Microsoft Office software.• Master’s Degree in Structural

Engineering (preferred).• Experience with structural

analyses and design softwaresuch as Visual Analyses,ETABS, SAP, SAFE, Perform3D, and Revit Building Infor-mation Modeling (BIM) soft-

ware (preferred).The successful candidate mustpossess excellent interpersonaland communication skills andthe ability to participate within ateam of engineers and draftersto engage in structural analysisand design of structural sys-tems in concrete, wood, mason-

ry, and steel.

The candidate must have theability to work collaboratively in



a team environment and theability to work independently aswell. We are looking for problem

solvers.

Project Structural Engineer:Qualified candidate must have aBachelor's Degree in Civil orStructural Engineering or relatedfield of study plus 4-12 years ofexperience in the duties of thejob offered, or eight years ofexperience as a Structural Engi-neer, with experience in the fol-

lowing:

• Developing project proposals,budgets, estimates, andschedules

• Structural modeling, analysisand design of civil engineeringand construction projects uti-lizing structural engineeringprinciples, including static anddynamic behavior and stabilityof structures, and computerassisted modeling, analysisand design software

• Producing construction draw-ings, reports, and specifica-tions

• Design of military, healthcare,education, commercial andcivic facilities

• Completing seismic screen-ings, evaluations, rehabilita-tion, and upgrades using ASCE31 and ASCE 41

• Construction administrationduring build phasesMust be registered as a Pro-fessional Engineer in the Stateof Washington (Structural

Engineer preferred)

The successful candidate pos-sesses excellent interpersonaland communication skills, theability to lead a team of engi-neers and drafters to engage inthe structural modeling, analysisand design of structural, water-front, and civil projects, the abil-ity to work collaboratively in ateam environment and the abilityto work independently and useinitiative to find solutions toproblems. Required computerskills include knowledge ofREVIT BIM, AutoCad, ETABS,Word, Excel and Power Pointsoftware. Other desirable skillsinclude proficiency and practicalexperience with SAP and VisualAnalysis applications and famili-arity with permitting and grant

assistance.

About the Company: Establishedin 1953, Reid Middleton is anemployee-owned, nationally-recognized Civil and StructuralEngineering, Planning, and Sur-veying firm. We are headquar-tered in south Everett with offic-es also in Anchorage, AK andHonolulu, HI and with significantwork in San Diego, CA. Our north-end location offers an easier,more convenient and affordablelifestyle than found in other Pu-get Sound urban communi-ties. Our firm’s market-focusedorganization includes a diverseportfolio of Aviation, Civic/Municipal, Commercial, Educa-tion, Healthcare, Industrial, Mili-tary, Transportation and Water-front projects. To learn moreabout us, visit our website atwww.reidmiddleton.com. We arealso on Facebook and LinkedIn;links to these sites and our ReidOur Blog are on the home page

of our website.

Reid Middleton is a federal con-tractor subject to the require-ments of the Vietnam Era Veter-ans Readjustment AssistanceAct (VEVRAA). EOE/Minorities/

Females/Veterans/Disabled

Structural Engineers,

Portland, ORKPFF Portland is looking for bothexperienced and entry-levelstructural engineers who aremotivated and interested in an

opportunity for growth.

KPFF is about freedom. Free-dom to work on what inspiresyou. Our engineers work on avast spectrum of projects thatare located around the globe:from anchorage of mechanicalsystems to complex, non-linearanalysis of high-rise structures,we do it all. We have all the ben-efits of a large, stable firm butnone of the red tape that comeswith it. Providing first-class ser-vice to our clients is what we'reabout. KPFF is experiencing solidgrowth and continues to inno-vate and adapt to better serveour clients. We are a group ofdedicated, friendly, collaborative,hard-working engineers and weare looking for exceptional engi-neers to join us. Please use the

appropriate link below to view

the job details and apply.

Our current projects include:

• Airports• Arenas/Stadiums• Long-Span Structures• Bridges• Government Facilities/

Embassies• Commercial Developments• High-Rise Structures• Mixed-Use Developments• Corporate Campuses• Healthcare/Medical Facilities• Education Facilities (K-12 +

Higher Ed)• Museums/Convention Cen-

ters

Experienced Structural Engi-

neer apply Here:

http://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc05/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=KPFF_2&cws=63&rid=7

3

Entry-Level Structural Engi-neer apply Here:http://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc05/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=KPFF_2&cws=63&rid=151

Location: Portland, ORKPFF is an equal opportunityemployer

BIM / CAD Modelers,

Portland, ORKPFF Portland is looking for bothexperienced and entry-levelBIM/CAD Modelers who aremotivated and interested in an

opportunity for growth.

KPFF is about freedom. Free-dom to work on what inspiresyou. Our engineers and model-ers work on a vast spectrum ofprojects that are located aroundthe globe: from anchorage ofmechanical systems to complex,non-linear analysis of high-risestructures, we do it all. We haveall the benefits of a large, stablefirm but none of the red tapethat comes with it. Providing first-class service to our clients is

Opportunities, cont’d

what we're about. KPFF is expe-riencing solid growth and con-tinues to innovate and adapt tobetter serve our clients. We area group of dedicated, friendly,collaborative, hard-workingprofessionals and we are look-ing for exceptional modelers tojoin us. Please use the appro-priate link below to view the jobdetails and apply.

Our current projects include:

• Airports• Arenas/Stadiums• Long-Span Structures• Bridges• Government Facilities/

Embassies• Commercial Developments• High-Rise Structures• Mixed-Use Developments• Corporate Campuses• Healthcare/Medical Facilities• Education Facilities (K-12 +

Higher Ed)• Museums/Convention Cen-

ters

Experienced Modeler applyhere:http://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc05/ats/careers/requisi-tion.jsp;jsessionid=C7E8EA90347EB424C07FBBB0763537A6?org=KPFF_2&cws=63&rid=96

Entry-Level Modeler applyhere:http://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc05/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=KPFF_2&cws=63&rid=255

Location: Portland, ORKPFF is an equal opportuni-ty employer



http://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc05/ats/careers/requisition.jsp;jsessionid=C7E8EA90347EB424C07FBBB0763537A6?org=KPFF_2&cws=63&rid=96



STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ASSOCIATIONof WASHINGTONPO Box 44 • Olympia WA 98507 • 206/682-6026 • www.seaw.org

In accordance with SEAW bylaws, membership applications are vetted by the Membership Committee, granted probationary status bythe chapter board, and posted for membership comment. Membership is considered accepted 30 days after posting if current yeardues are paid and no member objections have been received.

Membership Postings

Chris AunanSpokane AssociateCoffman EngineersUniversity of PortlandBSCE, May 2015

WA EIT

Nathan A BonckSeattle AssociateSeattle StructuralU of Wyoming AE/Str , May2013

WY EIT

Koren CoppsSeattle AssociateCary Kopczynski & CompanyUniversity of Florida, BSCE2001, MSCE 2003

FL PE

Carl HarrisSeattle AssociateDCI EngineersWSU, BSCE expected Fall2015

WA EIT

Charlie D MisnerSeattle AssociateKPFF Consulting EngineersWSU, BSCE, December2012; MSCE, December2014

WA EIT

Timothy Patrick OlsonSpokane Member PECoffman EngineersWSU, BSCE, 2009; MSCE,2010

WA, MT PE

Hillary TervetSeattle StudentSeattle University, BSCE

2015; MSCE expected 2016

Kevin S VaughnSeattle AffiliateSika CorporationUniversity of Washington, BA

Political Science, 1996

Jonathon WaldripSeattle StudentWSU, BSCE 2014;MSCE expected 2016

http://www.pressuregrout.com

