van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc.

It has been a truly rewarding experience working alongside Kaestle Boos Associates, Newfield Construction and others in the ACE Mentor Program this year. We are proud to have had the opportunity to help guide and inspire the bright, future leaders of the construction industry at New Britain and Berlin High Schools. Looking forward to seeing where their journeys take them and the incredible impact they will have on the industry.

The yearlong ACE Mentorship Program has come to an end and it was pleasure to work alongside Kaestle Boos Associates and van Zelm Engineers to help educate and inspire the talented students at New Britain and Berlin High School as they continue their journey towards becoming the next generation of construction professionals.

This week, seven of van Zelm’s talented women attended the Professional Women in Construction Connecticut Chapter breakfast to celebrate this year’s honorees and engage in an important conversation on Building the Future: Attracting the Next Generation of AEC Rising Stars.

As a firm committed to fostering growth and opportunity in the AEC industry, we recognize the importance of mentorship, visibility, and support for emerging professionals—especially women looking to build their careers in engineering and construction.

We’re proud of the many women at van Zelm who contribute to our firm’s success every day and look forward to continuing the conversation on how to inspire and empower the next generation!

Brenda Wall
Allison Cote
Maegan Hall, P.E.
Kate Riley
Beatrice Chipelo
Jeneen LaRosa
Patty Bilotto, CPSM

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Join Us for the 31st Annual van Zelm Charity Golf Tournament! ⛳

We’re excited to announce that the 31st Annual van Zelm Charity Golf Tournament will take place on June 6, 2025, at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, CT! This year, the tournament will be proudly hosted by van Zelm Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization, with all proceeds directly supporting the Foundation’s mission to promote and advance students pursuing careers in architecture, engineering, and construction.

This event is always a sell-out, bringing together players for a great day of golf, networking, and philanthropy. Whether you’re a long-time supporter or a first-time participant, we invite you to join us in making an impact on the next generation of AEC professionals.

📅 Save the Date: June 6, 2025
📍 Location: Tunxis Country Club, Farmington, CT

Click on this link to register or sponsor: https://lnkd.in/ejcVbVqQ

This week we celebrated Engineers Week with great food, friendly competition, and a nod to the creativity that drives our industry! 🚀🔧

A delicious pasta lunch fueled the team, and we put our engineering minds to the test with a paper airplane contest—seeing whose design could fly the farthest. ✈️ Some soared, some spiraled, but all showcased the innovation and problem-solving skills that make engineers exceptional.

At Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc., we’re proud of our team’s dedication to shaping a more efficient, sustainable built environment. Engineers Week is a reminder of the impact engineers have in our communities and beyond.

Congrats to our winners: Steison Ruiz, Tim DeBarros, Roberto Parra and Rob Jorgensen.

A big thank you to everyone who participated—looking forward to next year’s challenge!

van Zelm Engineers Gives Back! We’re thrilled to share that our team came together in a big way to support our local community. We collected 1,329 pounds of food for the Farmington Food Pantry https://www.ffpct.org/ , and we donated almost 20 turkeys to the Covenant Soup Kitchen https://lnkd.in/eXj3cB_P in Willimantic, CT.

To celebrate this amazing effort and give thanks, we enjoyed a delicious lunch from the Whey Station—the perfect way to kick off the Thanksgiving season!

This effort reflects the heart of van Zelm: collaboration, generosity, and commitment to making a positive impact. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these meaningful causes—we’re proud to help ensure no one in our community goes hungry.

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

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Fun Fact: The dream behind The Gateway Arch became reality thanks to modern engineering! Designed by architect Eero Saarinen and van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc., this iconic monument rises 630 feet into the sky, making it 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and 325 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. As the tallest monument of its kind when completed, the Arch stands as a bold testament to human ingenuity—honoring the past and inspiring the future. Built from February 1963 to October 1965, it is a stainless steel clad, steel and concrete structure with a weight of 17,246 tons.

Pictured here are Dave Madigan and Jean Zangor, who recently attended the I2SL: International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories conference and took a moment to visit this incredible landmark in St. Louis, MO. hashtag hashtag hashtag

More on the design is here: https://lnkd.in/ejeRfNpD

At our annual ceremony this week, we celebrated significant milestone anniversaries, presenting awards to our colleagues for their dedicated service spanning 5 to 40 years. We extend our heartfelt thanks to them for their loyalty, creativity, and commitment to serving our clients.

In addition, we have special awards for engineering excellence, leadership and more. Congratulations to:

van Zelm Engineering Excellence Award: Jean Zangor, PE
Shadford Leadership Excellence Award: Ed Grafe
Outstanding Contribution Award: Tim DeBarros & Jeneen LaRosa
Positive Attitude Award: Mitchell Smith & Robert Snipes

Of course, we celebrated with ice cream!

🌞🎉 What an amazing day at our annual Employee Picnic! 🎉🌞
We had a great time celebrating with our wonderful employees, their families, and our cherished retirees. From delicious food to fun games and heartwarming conversations, it was a day filled with joy, laughter, and community spirit.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and made this event so special. We’re grateful for each one of you and excited for more memorable moments together!

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We are thrilled to learn that The Davis Center for Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic won this prestigious award. Congrats to We Are OPAL Architecture, Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture • Design PLLC and our entire team!

The building includes science labs, art spaces, offices, teaching and collaboration spaces, and a greenhouse. With the College's ambitious goals for sustainability, building performance, and CO2e emissions reduction, this project was built to the stringent Passive House standard for energy efficiency and indoor air quality and is heated and cooled using all-electric air source heat pump systems to consume 89 percent less energy than a comparable code-compliant building.

We are thrilled to learn that The Davis Center for Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic won this prestigious award. Congrats to OPAL Architecture, Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture • Design PLLC and our entire team! The building includes science labs, art spaces, offices, teaching and collaboration spaces, and a greenhouse. With the College's ambitious goals for sustainability, building performance, and CO2e emissions reduction, this project was built to the stringent Passive House standard for energy efficiency and indoor air quality and is heated and cooled using all-electric air source heat pump systems to consume 89 percent less energy than a comparable code-compliant building.

We are thrilled to see another of our projects win an award! Dartmouth College's Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Center won the Building of the Year Award from USGBC New Hampshire Chapter. Congrats to all!

Today was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Norwalk High School project. Dignitaries such as Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Bob Duff, Senate Majority Leader, and Mayor Harry Rilling were on hand to speak.

Designed by KBA Architects with van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc. as the MEP Engineers, this $239 million, 332,628 s.f. school will house both Norwalk High School and P-Tech Program which will accommodate 2,000 students. Project will feature innovative and improved educational spaces and technologies, including classroom/lab spaces, gymnasium, kitchen/cafeteria, auditorium, notarium, and parking. Project is slated for completion in 2027.