15 minute read
How I Got Started: A Look into Building Engineers’ Paths to Success
How I Got Started...
A Look into Building Engineers’ Paths to Success
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Chris Lelle
Chief Portfolio Engineer Lincoln Property Company
As with most people, I had never heard of the commercial real-estate industry until life happened, and I found a home in the industry.
I grew up working in a family-run restaurant that was known for award-winning BBQ. From a young age I was exposed to all levels of the business and participated in numerous BBQ cook-offs. This was a great experience as it exposed me to business processes, the value of hard work, and the joy of competition.
As I reached college age, I found myself seeking to pave my own way in life. I left the BBQ world and headed off to college. I soon realized that was not right for me at that point in my life. As I thought about the next step for me, I remembered that my family has a long line of military service. That led to my decision to join the Navy. This would turn out to be one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.
I was trained as a Machinist’s Mate in the nuclear field and received additional training in chemistry and radiological controls. The nuclear field provided a lot of engineering theoretical training which was put to use while operating the engine rooms. The training program also required theoretical training in disciplines outside of my daily operating requirements.
As my time in service ended, I spoke to several people about job possibilities in the civilian workforce and realized that I had no idea what I was going to do. Fortunately, a recruiting firm that works with veterans reached out to me and signed me up for a “hiring conference.”
This allowed for me to meet with multiple companies that had been hand selected for me to interview with based on the skills that I had obtained in the Navy. One of the companies I interviewed with is a leading commercial real-estate company. They had a thorough interview process which required personality and aptitude tests along with the in-person interviews. This process was really engaging and helped me make the decision to join the firm. I hadn’t worked in commercial real estate previously, but I was quickly able to see that the theoretical training in the Navy coupled with the experience of operating equipment on the ship was a great benefit to the commercial realestate world.
Words of advice for future engineers
Never stop learning. Take the time to learn the details of how all systems and equipment work. This will help in learning how everything ties together. This leads to improved system efficiency, better tenant comfort, utility savings, lower repair costs, and better job satisfaction.
Ensure you focus on your core competencies. You must learn and master the basics of engineering. This will help in you fully developing your potential.
Think outside of the box to find more efficient ways of operating. This will allow you to drive the industry to new heights.
If you do the same things as everyone else, you will be the same as everyone else. Find what sets you apart and become a master at it.
About the Author
Chris Lelle is a portfolio chief engineer at Lincoln Property Company. In this role, he manages the MEP operations of 2.55MM rsf across a 32 building portfolio. Chris enjoys the challenges of energy savings while improving the tenant experience in the office environment. He has been involved with several buildings where greater than 20 percent energy savings were realized through a variety of operational and capital improvements. Outside of work, Chris loves spend time with his family, homesteading, beekeeping, and brewing beer.
Corporate Facilities Manager Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.
As with any profession, there are two key ingredients: Experience and Education. I have always felt that both must compliment each other as you progress in our industry, and I am living proof that both play a vital role in your professional success.
As far back as I can remember, I was always drawn to mechanical projects and the desire to “fix things,” so, for me it was a natural progression to enter the industry as builing engineer and progress into management. I believe one of the biggest blessings was having the determination to absorb as much information as possible, whether it be from mentors or educational courses.
I graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Business Administration which helped connect the analytical aspect of our industry, but the truth is that the RPA, FMA and SMA designation courses from BOMI have been valuable resources for my growth. Throughout my career I have continuously searched for opportunities to enhance my knowledge of systems, operations, and finances, and these courses have been a great resource for all those goals. They have also increased my knowledge and understanding of systems that are not typically discussed in detail because as an engineer you typically work on systems within your buildings. Unless you are exposed to other properties quickly, it may take years to gain the knowledge from other systems or equipment.
Through the BOMI courses I have been exposed to every piece of equipment, theory, and operation in the last 50+ years of CRE which has been a blessing.
I have also been fortunate to work for companies that invest in my growth and understand the importance that education and involvement play in my role as corporate facilities manager.
For me, the best moments are when all the dots connect, and you experience a breakthrough where the education meets the “hands on” moment. We can read about compressors, the refrigeration cycle,budgets, etc., but once you put your eyes and hands on the situation, there is an enlightenment moment that occurs. Everything comes together perfectly. That’s not to say there are not chaotic moments because there are many each day but having the resources to analyze and resolve issues quickly is the key to our industry. That is why it is important to continue growing and never stop learning.
I have been blessed to experience every aspect of commercial real estate from engineering, property management and now facilities management, and the key factor for my success has always been hard work, dedication to growth, and my commitment to education. I hope we as an industry continue to promote these practices and influence all CRE professionals to continue expanding their knowledge and growing in our industry.
About the Author
Trenton Patterson is the corporate facilities manager at Havertys Furniture. He is an experienced facilities manager with a career spanning multiple segments of the real estate industry, including commercial, industrial, and retail. Patterson has been an active member of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Georgia (BOMA Georgia) for more than a decade and currently serves on the association’s board.
REPAIR. RESTORE. PROTECT.
Engineered Restorations is a specialty contracting company delivering restoration, repair, waterproofing, and protection delivering restoration, repair, waterproofing, and protection services for structures of all types.
STRUCTURAL REPAIR | RESTORATION | WATERPROOFING | PRESERVATION
225 Buford Drive, Suite A, Lawrenceville, GA 30046 770.682.0650 | er-inc.net
Chief Engineer Cousins Properties
It was on an early Saturday morning that I realized my boom box did not record the previous night’s Fresh Party Rap Mix. Those of us native Atlantans, HIP-HOP fanatics remember listening to V-103 on Friday nights starting at 8 p.m. and listening to Quiet Storms after midnight. That was the moment that I tore into my first radio repair, and the moment I fell in love with trying to repair anything broken that was fed by electricity.
As a sophomore in high school, I entered into an electrical/HVAC class which was given three times a week off campus. The program was called Occupational Educational Courses, and it offered different trades like Auto Body, Electrical/HVAC, Cosmetology, Carpentry, etc. So, I participated into the electrical/HVAC Courses until I graduated from high school. I was wiring series-parallel circuits, using an analog multimeter, reading refrigerant pressure gauges at the age of 15. I made up my mind when I was a junior in high school that I wanted to join the United States Navy. As a junior in high school, I took the ASVAB Test and joined the United States Navy as a junior under the Delayed Entry Program. After receiving my test results from the ASVAB, I found out that I qualified to become an electrician’s mate (EM) serving in the United States Navy.
Immediately after I graduated from high school, I took off to Great Lakes, Illinois for boot camp and technical school. I graduated top 10 from EM Technical School and then went to San Diego, California to attend tech school for Denison Electronic Controls. I went on through my military career to attend and graduate from other technical schools.
After I re-entered civilian life, I thought about joining IBEW, but I knew I was not going to be happy with that because I would be limited to just the electrical side. Serving within the different units/divisions in the United States Navy gave me an opportunity to be well rounded in all aspects of engineering. Whether it be working on a motor, elevator, lighting, undercounter freezer, generator, boilers, chillers, motor generator sets, booms and winches, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration, kitchen equipment, pumps, fire life safety systems, high pressure and low-pressure steam, etc.
So, my twin brother asked me after a month of me being out of the military, “what are you going to do?” I said get a job of course! He stated, “I know where you would love to work! Atlanta Hartsfield Airport!”
I thought about it for a couple of days and said “What the hell, let’s give it a try!,”
I applied, took a test and interviewed with Steve Hamner and Jerry Brumbelow. I received a call to inform me that I got the job, and I was so excited. But, I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived on the job. My first project on that job was replacing a submersible pump somewhere out on the facility, but it was cool because my colleagues tested me on that job.
About a month later, they informed me that I would be going to third shift. I was excited because that was the shift that took care all of the preventive maintenance and troubleshooting of everything that could not be maintained or repaired on the first or second shifts at the airport, which was the majority of the maintenance. For two years I worked the 3rd shift at the airport, but during the day, I was also furthering my education in electrical/HVACR by attending Atlanta Area Tech and After the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport I became the lead engineer at the Atlanta Federal Center, which is now the Sam Nunn Federal Building. The company I was working for flew me out to Florida to attend Johnson Controls Institute to further my education in dealing with Metasys Controls.
Furthering my education was not the responsibility of the different companies that I have had the opportunity to work for, but furthering my educations was my responsibility. We as engineers have to invest in ourselves whether by attending BOMA classes, tech schools, colleges, and even coming early or staying late to get some on-the-job training.
On-the-job training is something that I relished as a young engineer. Whether it was coming in early or staying late to assist a vendor. If given the opportunity as an engineer, we should take advantage of gaining that experience. It also educates us as engineers on how to interact with our vendors who are our partners as well. When we call on them, we must be able to communicate to them what the problem is and identify trends. We must be able to give recommendations and scopes of work to what for repairs.
As a chief engineer we must encourage our building engineers to further their education in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
Theory is great but some Engineers would love to walk into a laboratory or Central Plant to receive some formal education to test that theory.
I have been in the engineering field for 32 years and have come to realize that you may have all the technical skills and administrative skills in the world, but if you have not mastered the skill which is SERVICE, then it’s all for naught! There’s nothing greater than service and sacrifice.
Our engineers must be able to sacrifice to receive the promotions and accolades that they desire. Our engineers must be able to provide a service that is unmatched in the industry. How do they do that? By having the correct approach and mindset to handle any and all situations. That is not being afraid to fail because that is how we become great at what we do. You must be tried and true at whatever you choose to do in life, and this is the life and career that I have chosen.
I have enjoyed the opportunities this career has given me, including but not limited to working at buildings like Home Depot Corporate, Atlanta Airport, Sam Nunn Federal Building, One Alliance and Two Alliance Center.
But my most challenging opportunity that was given to me by Cousins Properties was becoming a floating chief engineer. It allowed me to use all the skills in my arsenal and it also grew me as a chief engineer. I was able to grow relationships with all the different teams in the Atlanta portfolio while providing a service to all of our tenants in all of the different markets in Atlanta. This all prepared me for my new challenge of being the chief engineer at North Park Town Center.
Lead by example, et the example, and be the example!
About the Author
Roderick Murphy has been in the commercial engineering field for 32 years. He has spent 8 years in the United States Navy as a Snipe (Electrician’s Mate). He has been with Cousins Properties for 7 years as a Floating chief engineer and became the permanent chief engineer at North Park Town Center in July 2021.
Senior Chief Engineer JLL
The start of my career path began at a technical high school in Massachusetts in the late 1990s. The school offered several career pathways, from Automotive trades, to carpentry, electrical wiring, HVAC, and a dozen others. After reviewing all the offerings, I decided HVAC/R was the best path for me. After graduation from the program, I worked with a local HVAC contractor and performed service work for several customers at regional malls doing filter changes, rooftop service work, and refrigeration work in the food courts.
I moved to the Tampa Bay area in late 2000 and worked as a commercial HVAC service technician. I learned about larger systems, chillers, and commercial office building systems. After a few years of working 50+ hours a week out of a service vehicle, I decided to expand my knowledge and experience, and took a position with a hotel chain. I learned basic maintenance and procedures on other building systems. It was a fun place to work, but the hours were long, and it was a high stress environment.
In 2004, I received a call from a temp agency about an open building engineer position with a large commercial management company. I worked closely with the facilities manager, and learned about budgets, forecasts, KPIs, accruals, contracts, etc. I went through a few transitions, like the company I worked for being bought out by another company, and my client acquiring a competitor. In 2007, I transferred with my employer to a facilities account to manage engineering functions for a large manufacturing company. I was able to learn about a diverse portfolio of commercial office, data centers, manufacturing plants, testing and logistics facilities, and sales offices. This gave me a really good overview of all the different building types, and how important having the right management and engineering teams contribute to the overall success of our clients.
In 2010, I took a position with a company providing contracted services for federally owned properties. The contract I was involved with was a five year, firm-fixed price, combined services contract. We provided all the operations and maintenance, janitorial, and landscape services. We received a set payment each month, and had to take care of all our responsibilities before any profit could be made. This gave me a whole new perspective on building and equipment maintenance, hiring the right people for the job, and the skill sets required while attempting to perform as much work in house as possible to save on contracted labor.
I took a chief engineer position at a large, class A property with a leading commercial real estate property management provider in 2017. My knowledge continues to grow as I gain experience with capital planning, budgeting, project management, tenant leasing activities, and understand things from an asset management perspective. Over the past decade working in the industry in the Atlanta market, I have been given the opportunity to be a part of BOMA Georgia, and meet and network with many of the best minds in commercial real estate on a regular basis. These folks sharing their knowledge and experience, and encouraging me to continue my education, get involved with varying committees, and learn from the endless supply of local service partners has had the greatest impact on my career. Being involved on the BTO committee, completing he SMT, SMA, and BOMI-HP courses were beyond helpful for me to have the knowledge and confidence tackle any issue that comes up throughout the day. The people and resources that are available are the keys to success.
About the Author
Aaron Moriarty has been in the Commercial Engineering Field for 18 years. He has been with JLL for the past 4 years and recently transitioned to the role of Senior Chief Engineer. He has a variety of experience with different types of properties around the Atlanta metro area. Aaron also holds the SMA, SMT and BOMI-HP designations.
