Specialty Engineering from the Contractor’s Perspective
Your customers – the contractors – are becoming more sophisticated as construction projects become more complex. Contractors now have to deal with advanced technology, increased security and safety, increased oversight and scrutiny and new regulations at the state and local levels that are way beyond anything in the building code. They must comply with green building programs and regulations, more complex electrical and mechanical systems and do this while dealing with labor shortages, supply chain issues and global material price fluctuations. The old paradigm was that engineered shop drawings were a necessary evil: something that they had to include in their price, but not necessarily something they wanted to have done.
Today, more sophisticated contractors realize that having an engineering partner looking out for their best interest can be a sound investment, especially when that engineer understands the new reality of the modern job site.
In this presentation, industry veteran Don Allen will give examples of contractor/engineer interactions, and share what went right and what could have been done differently. Through these stories, Allen will help you empathize with your contractor customers and better understand what they must go through to win and successfully complete their projects.
Don Allen, P.E., S.E., LEED AP
Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI)
Don Allen has worked in cold-formed steel (CFS) specialty engineering since 1990. He has been involved in projects in Africa, Europe and North America. He has presented on CFS in Colombia, China, Egypt, and now Arizona. Having worked for hundreds of specialty contractors over the years, and now representing a contractor-focused association, Allen understands the issues CFS specialty contractors face every day. As Director of Technical Services for the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI), Allen works with contractors daily, helping them to be profitable and safe in an increasingly complex and competitive construction marketplace.
