DeCosta named 2012 Outstanding Engineer

 

 

DeCosta to Receive Southeast Michigan IEEE Power and Energy Society Award

 

 

 

Commonwealth is delighted to announce that President Dennis F. DeCosta, P.E., will receive the 2012 Outstanding Engineer Award from the Southeastern Michigan chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power and Energy Society (IEEE-PES). The award will be presented on January 28, 2013 in Southfield, Michigan.

DeCosta has a long history of involvement in establishing new standards for the industry, including chairing a Substation Committee Working Group and authoring articles in industry publications. DeCosta was among the founders of Commonwealth when it began in 1988. He assumed the role of President in 2001. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 260 employees in six states: California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington. “I enjoy what I do and sharing that passion with others,” said DeCosta, “I thank the chapter for their industry leadership and for this honor."

We are proud of Dennis' accomplishments and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.

For more information about the award, please visit: http://ieee-pes.org/chapters/resources/awards/power-and-energy-society-awards/outstanding-engineer-award

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A very special year

 

When the ball drops as tonight turns into January 1, revelers the world over will be celebrating the successes of 2012 and the opportunities that lie ahead in the New Year. Commonwealth will have an extra special reason to celebrate -- 2013 marks our 25th Anniversary of being employee-owned.

Beginning in January, and running through mid-July, we'll be kicking off the festivities with fun monthly activities for employees at each of our locations. On July 26th, we'll be hosting a party and hearing from dynamic speaker Garrison Wynn at Jackson Community College's Potter Center, in the newly-renovated Robert Snyder Dining Hall. A legacy gift will be presented honoring all founding shareholders and original employees. The celebration will conclude on July 27th with a casual employee family picnic on the grounds of our headquarters in Jackson, Michigan. We couldn't be more excited! We hope you will take a few minutes now and again to visit our pages -- on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and here -- to watch as this exciting year unfolds.

Whether 2012 year was your best year ever, saw some struggles, or landed somewhere in between, we now close the book on another chapter and, with gratitude and optimism, wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

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Congratulations to our grads

Power Generation & Energy Vice President, Sam Barnes, recently had a unique opportunity.

Being on the Board of Trustees at Jackson Community College, Sam was able to congratulate our Power Generation Department Administrator, Courtney V., on stage at her graduation.

The story began when Sam approached the deans asking for them to recommend a student who they thought would be an excellent employee and the rest, as they say, is history.


Commonwealth would also like to congratulate Vilroy H. on his recent graduation.  Vilroy, who works in our Southeast office in Kennesaw, Georgia, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University. 

Just FORE! Fun

The Cascades Humane Society Golf Outing will take place 6/23 and Commonwealth's team has just been announced.  Representing Commonwealth will be the foursome of: Pat Keene, Mallory Hutt, Beth Garver, and Cindy Dillon.  Best of luck, Ladies!  

Backyard office visitors

For today's post, a picture truly is worth a thousand words....  You just never know what you're going to see when you come to work.

We don't just rock. Good causes -- it's how we roll....

If you read our last post about being named a "Rockin' Place to Work," then you know we believe in working hard and playing hard.

Here's more proof...

The photos below are of the "Dream Team," consisting of Bob Uddin, Pat Keene, Jim & Cheryl Trapp, and Sandy Fisher.  They recently represented Commonwealth at the "Fabulous 50's Crazy Bowl" supporting Junior Achievement.  The Dream Team took 3rd place in fundraising to support youth development and, as you can see, had a great time in the process!

Commonwealth, corporately and as individual employee-owners, is committed to making a difference in each others' lives and those in the world around us.  Each year, we support a number of worthwhile causes, from Relay for Life to roadside and river clean-up, to the Cascades Humane Society.  Our employee-led "Connect" group meets regularly to discover, plan, organize, and execute activities and events in 3 focus areas in which we can come together to have fun and enrich lives: Culture, Compassion, and Community.  

We don't just power transmission lines, we power growth, hope, and renewal...what an incredible honor!

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Engineering the future -- one young mind at a time

Young mathematicians square off in local Mathcounts competition

By Leanne Smith

lsmith12@mlive.com

JACKSON — Math comes easy to Justin Friedel.

Last year, as a seventh-grader, he aced algebra. This year, he's taking even more high school math classes.

But on Friday, the Napoleon Middle School eighth-grader found himself in the thick of it in the countdown round of the Jackson Mathcounts competition, where he had 45 seconds to correctly answer a tough story problem.

“It's a lot of pressure,” he said. “But I'm good at math so it's fun, too.”

Justin was among 88 mathematicians from Napoleon Middle School, Jackson Catholic Middle School, Trinity Lutheran School, Onsted Middle School, Grass Lake Junior High School, Western Middle School, Hillsdale Academy, Paragon Charter Academy, Olivet Middle School and the Middle School at Parkside who competed in the local Mathcounts competition at Jackson Community College.

Mathcounts is a national math competition club for middle school students. Teams compete locally for the chance to advance to state and national competition. The Jackson contest is led by the Jackson Chapter of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers.

“We all earned a living with math,” said Rich Cottrell, a retired Consumers Energy engineer who serves as the Jackson chapter Mathcounts coordinator. “This gives us a chance to encourage young people good in math to keep at it.”

The day involves four rounds of either team or individual competitions that cover all aspects of math, from ratios and probability to fractions and percentages to algebra and geometry.

“I look forward to this,” said Maisey Schuler, a Parkside eighth-grader. “I like being able to work as a group. That's more fun.”

In the end, Western's team of Jacob Kuntzleman, Josiah Ottolini, Raegan Kennedy and Alex Garner came in first. Parkside's team of Schuler, Parker Wrzesinski, Kevin Zhang and Brandon Riggins was second.

Both advance to the state competition at Ferris State University on March 17, as will individual winner Ian Hines of Olivet.

Parkside's team is coached by Rob Wheeler, an engineer with Jackson's Commonwealth Associates Inc.

“We've had calculus three and calculus four in college and these kids can get the answers to these questions before we do,” Wheeler said. “It's humbling, but it's fun and it's amazing to watch these kids do math.”

Business Unit News - Power Generation & Energy Group

Barnes to lead veteran team as Commonwealth 

expands power generation services

JACKSON, MI – Commonwealth Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that Samuel R. Barnes, P.E. has joined the company as Vice President of the Power Generation & Energy Group.  “With over 21 years’ experience in the design, installation, and project management of power generation projects, Sam is a tremendous asset to our team,” stated Commonwealth President, Dennis F. DeCosta, P.E. 

Barnes is a registered professional mechanical engineer in the state of Michigan and received his B.S. from the University of Michigan.  Prior to joining Commonwealth, he served as Vice President and Director of Engineering at HDR Engineering/Cummins & Barnard, Inc., in Ann Arbor.  DeCosta continued, “Sam brings the level of expertise in power generation that our clients have come to trust and expect from us in our other service areas, most notably our transmission and distribution work.  He was the obvious choice to lead our expansion into this area.”  “Commonwealth is an exceptional organization known in the industry for its technical excellence, strong client relationships, and professional integrity.  I am pleased to be able to serve in this new capacity and to build a best-in-class group for our clients,” commented Barnes.  Steven P. Yambor, P.E., widely considered a veteran in the power generation industry, stated, “Personally, I saw the vision, knew the potential, and, having previously worked with Sam, knew this was where I wanted to be.”

Commonwealth offers a complete package of engineering and consulting services for clients and is proud to be listed among the 2011 Top 40 Design Firms by EC&M Magazine and the 2011 Top 500 Design Firms by ENR.com.  The company maintains principal offices in Mount Vernon, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; and Jackson, Michigan, along with satellites in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio and Roanoke, Virginia.

For more information:, please visit: www.cai-engr.com.

On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/commonwealthassociates

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/caiengr_dot_com

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That's Music to Our Ears

It's official...

Commonwealth is cool!

Citing our Boiler Room Band, among other things, we snagged the coveted title of "Rockin' Place to Work."

Sure, we knew we like it, but there's something far cooler about seeing it in writing.

You can access the article here.
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A Special "Black Friday" Option

If you will be in the Jackson area and looking for something different to do on Friday, consider brunch at The Granary at Ella Sharp Museum:

BLACK FRIDAY BRUNCH*

9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Hot New Orleans Style Beignets
Eggs Benedict - traditional or with salmon cakes

A Variety of Homemade Quiche to include:

Salmon with fresh dill and hollandaise,

Tomato Herb with Goat Cheese

Traditional Quiche Lorraine

Bananas Foster French Toast

Bagels and Homemade Gravlax

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Homemade Corned Beef Hash

Scandinavian Apple Puff Pancake (Pfannakuchen)

And our regular lunch menu too.

...and touring the W.A. Foote exhibit to learn more about Commonwealth’s roots.  There is a $5.00 admission fee for the galleries.

*The Granary does not take reservations for groups smaller than 6 people.

(With special thanks to Monica Collett for the great suggestion!)

It's that time of year! Are you ready to bring some cheer?!

**NOW ACCEPTING NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS**

Toys for Tots Began in 1947, when Major Bill Hendricks, USCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children.  In the fall of 1947, Bill's wife, Diane, crafted a homemade doll and asked Bill to deliver the doll to an organization which would give it to a needy child at Christmas.  When Bill determined that no agency existed, Diane told Bill that he should start one.  He did.  Marines have conducted successful nationwide campaigns each year since 1948.  Over the 62 years of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys and a powerful message of hope to more than 188 million needy children. 

Commonwealth Associates, Inc. is proud to assist in this worthy cause.  We invite you to participate with us by bringing your new, unwrapped toys for children up to age 12, to our office lobby in Jackson. 

Thank you for caring!  YOU make the difference!

On Location: Jackson, Michigan

This month, for those considering employment with Commonwealth, or simply wishing to learning more about us, we will be featuring a series of posts showcasing our various office locations.  We are pleased to start by introducing you to the city we call "home" -- Jackson, Michigan, location for the headquarters of Commonwealth Associates, Inc.  We trust you will find it, as we do, to be a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

From its historic downtown, to the 600 acres of beautiful, open parkland that stretch across the city limits providing limitless outdoor recreational opportunities, Jackson easily earns its designation as one of Michigan’s “Cool Cities.”  Once known as the “Crossroads of Michigan” due to its location at the I-94/US 127 junction and its use as a major railway hub, Jackson has become a crossroads of innovation led by an eclectic group of entrepreneurs and artists. 

The area features numerous festivals and celebrations and cultural activities abound.  Attend the symphony, catch a Broadway show, or stop by the Shakespeare Festival.  History buffs may wish to explore Jackson’s captivating history with a visit to the birthplace of the Republican Party “Under the Oaks,” or soak in her rich heritage with tours of Underground Railroad and Civil War sites.  Wine lovers can spend the day at their favorite local winery and race fans can try their hand at a lap around the famed Michigan International Speedway.  Love the water?  You’ll find plenty of it to play in here, so grab your gear and set off on an adventure.

In the “Rose City,” there’s something for everyone…making it the perfect place to call home.

Cascade Falls, Cascades Park



Destination: Downtown - an art lover's paradise



Jackson's Civil War Muster

Just a few of the highlights:

• Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History
• Cascade Falls
• Rose Festival
• Shakespeare Festival
• Jackson County Fair
• Hot Air Jubilee
• Carp Carnival
• Blues Festival
• Jackson’s Civil War Muster

Don't forget to visit us on Facebook for more great photos and information!