The inaugural Georgia Engineering Awards, celebrating the state’s exceptional engineers, engineering projects and industry achievements, was held Saturday evening at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. More than 400 engineering, business and elected/appointed leaders attended the event, which marked the culmination of the state’s participation in National Engineers Week.

“The success of this event is a testament to the tremendous support the engineering community has for one another and we are excited to be able to recognize the essential work all engineers do every day to keep Georgia and its residents moving forward,” said Michael “Sully” Sullivan, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia (ACEC Georgia).

The evening helped honor the winners of the 2017 ACEC Georgia Engineering Excellence Awards, which recognized projects from across the southeast designed by Georgia engineers. The projects were judged based upon several criteria, including uniqueness and innovative applications, future value to the engineering profession, perception to the public, as well as social, economic and sustainability considerations, among others.

Of the Engineering Excellence Award winners, Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. – a global environmental, design engineering and construction company – took top honors as the Engineering Excellence Grand Prize winner for its work on the Porsche Cars North America Headquarters/Aerotropolis project in Atlanta, Ga. The firm provided environmental, engineering and construction services for both Jacoby Development and Porsche Cars North America in the effort to return the former Ford Motor Company’s Atlanta Assembly Plant to use. The firm’s engineering work, which was also recognized with an Engineering Excellence State Award in the Environmental category, was instrumental in the overall redevelopment of the 130-acre site.

The Grand Prize winner was chosen from eight State Award winners, the top honoree for each category:

• American Engineers, Inc. for the 5-Points Intersection Improvement (Newnan, Ga.) – Small Projects

• Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company Inc. for BAMS Command and Control Complex (NAS Jacksonville, Fla.) – Building/Technology Systems

• CH2M for the Geospatial Asset Inventory Program in the City of Peachtree Corners (Peachtree Corners, Ga.) – Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering Services

• Croy Engineering for the Skip Spann Connector (Kennesaw, Ga.) – Transportation

• Emprise Corporation for General Electric’s Full Speed No Load Gas Turbine Test Stand 6 (Greenville, S.C.) – Industrial and Manufacturing Processes and Facilities

• Hussey Gay Bell for the Sterling Creek 4.0 MGD Water Reclamation Facility (Richmond Hill, Ga.) – Waste and Storm Water

• Pond for Seismic Rehabilitation Air Traffic Control Tower (Charleston, S.C.) – Structural Systems

Eight Honor Award recipients were also recognized during the evening for their projects:

• Croy Engineering for City of Smyrna Security Upgrade (Smyrna, Ga.)

• Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. for Fort Gillem Vapor Intrusion Investigation (Forest Park, Ga.)

• Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc. for Houlihan Bridge Emergency Maintenance and Rehab (Savannah, Ga.)

• Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc. for the Union Grove Road at I-75 Interchange (Calhoun, Ga.)

• Pond for C-I30J Simulator Facility (Marietta, Ga.)

• Prime Engineering, Inc. for Tampa International Airport Fuel Farm Renovations (Tampa, Fla.)

• TranSystems for SR 15A/SR 82 over Curry Creek (Jefferson, Ga.)

• Woodard & Curran for Delta Air Lines Waste Treatment Plant Upgrade (Atlanta, Ga.)

In addition to honoring innovative projects, the event also recognized outstanding industry professionals with the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers’ Engineer of the Year Awards. Doris Willmer, P.E., LEED® AP of Willmer Engineering Inc. was named the 2017 Lifetime Achievement in Engineering Award recipient, while Daniel Agramonte, P.E., M.ASCE of OBG received overall Georgia Engineer of the Year. Eight other industry professionals were recognized for accomplishments in various fields:

• Brandon Davis, Savannah State University – Engineering Technology Student of the Year

• John Hutton, P.E., S.E. with Uzun + Case, LLC – Engineer of the Year in Private Practice

• Julie McLean, P.E. with the City of Savannah – Engineer of the Year in Government

• Wayne Price, P.E., CCS with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc. – Engineer of the Year in Construction

• Iain Risk, The University of Georgia – Engineering Student of the Year

• Julie Secrist, P.E., Southeastern Engineering – Young Engineer of the Year

• Nancy Turner, P.E. with Kennesaw State University – Engineer of the Year in Education

• John Wolosick, P.E., M.ASCE with Hayward Baker Inc. – Engineer of the Year in Industry

Additional awards presented during the program included:

• Engineering Employer of the Year Award: Pond, a full-service architecture, engineering and construction firm headquartered in Peachtree Corners, Ga.

• Overall Volunteer of the Year Award: Rebecca Shelton, P.E., F.ASCE, Deputy Director of Field Operations for the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, for her volunteer service to the American Society of Civil Engineers – Georgia Section.

• People’s Choice Award: Croy Engineering for its work on the Skip Spann Connector in Cobb County, Ga.