Tim Staley on Design Innovation and Energy Efficiency

Staley is a Fellow and Leadership Institute Graduate of the American Society for Health Care Engineers. (Jason Burt)

Have clients changed how they approach new construction or renovations post-COVID? How?

Yes, especially our educational and health care clients. In general, there is a need for more adaptability and flexibility in buildings, infrastructure and technology systems. We are being asked to incorporate the technology necessary to support remote work, virtual teaching, telemedicine, remote diagnostics and cloud-based systems. Materials are selected to minimize infection risk and ease cleaning requirements. Spaces are designed for flexibility where primary space use and occupancies can be changed in the event of a pandemic or other type of public health emergency. Heating and air-conditioning systems are designed to provide excellent indoor air quality with higher levels of filtration and outside air ventilation. The challenge for engineers is to meet post-pandemic client needs while managing project costs and system complexity. Addressing this challenge requires design innovation and creativity, which provides a great opportunity for high value-add services.

What is the workforce pipeline like in engineering, and how are you finding workers?

Like many industries, the demand for the engineering workforce is at unprecedented levels, unlike anything I have experienced in my professional career. Our first goal is to continue investing in a culture that attracts and retains the best talent in the industry. Second, we have the privilege of promoting an innovative company vision that is changing our industry. We have found current and prospective employees want to be a part of a company that is having a positive impact on the environment, providing significant value to our clients, and simultaneously offering creative solutions that are helping to define the energy-as-a-service industry. In addition to being an attractive employer, we are also partnering with colleges, universities and technical schools to help recruit new employees to the industry. These partnerships provide excellent intern, cooperative and work opportunities for students and adults who wish to start or transition into an engineering career. Lastly, we are investing in training, technology and tools to help develop our employees and increase production efficiency. Investing in our employees and the tools they use is required for us to successfully achieve the level of scalable growth needed in our industry.

Tornadoes are a constant threat in our part of the world. What can engineering do to help save lives?

Engineering systems that help our clients prepare for and respond to natural disasters are a key part of our business. All professional engineers commit to protecting the interest and welfare of the public, which certainly includes engineering with a focus on the resiliency of client facilities. As mentioned above, the engineering industry has evolved in a post-pandemic world to include many strategies associated with infection control. Building codes for K-12 schools now require mandatory storm shelters to be installed at all school campuses. Health care facility designs now require the construction of certain hardened facilities that are capable of withstanding high winds and debris during severe weather. Utility infrastructure systems for hospitals require specific levels of redundancy and on-site energy storage to help ensure the facility is operable after a natural disaster to serve the needs of the community. Best practices in the engineering industry require a design engineer to not just consider normal facility operations, but also to closely evaluate facility operations in specific upset conditions such as severe weather, natural disasters, mass casualty events, energy supply interruption and much more.

Reaching carbon neutrality is a key goal for many big facilities. How do you help them achieve that goal?

First, we want to lead by example by dedicating the resources necessary to achieve carbon neutrality. Bernhard’s climate action plan defines a path to achieving net zero by no later than 2050 and enabled us to achieve carbon neutrality earlier this year. We want our clients to see this is both our vocation and our advocation. Second, we help our clients achieve their goals by supporting them through all phases of researching, developing and deploying a climate action plan for their own facilities. This includes reviewing the protocols, mechanisms and tracking of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We help our clients stand up the resources and tools necessary for monitoring performance and assist them with evaluating alternative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We assist with the implementation of specific energy efficiency, renewable energy and infrastructure improvements that result in significant GHG emission reductions. For some of our larger clients, we also provide structured finance solutions to help fund their key climate action plan initiatives.

What’s a key leadership lesson you’ve learned?

For me this is simple, always bring your faith to work with you. My faith has taught me to always care about others and to look for ways to build them up. Be committed to investing in the success of your team and encourage them to be passionate about something bigger than themselves. Always be willing to share a smile, show gratitude and appreciate the people around you for their hard work and contributions. I have been blessed my entire professional career by people who have chosen to mentor and invest in me, and I want to do everything possible to pay that blessing forward.