January 25, 2011

John Rowland named engineer of the year

Rowland

John Rowland was named engineer of the year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington on Friday. Rowland is president of Notkin Mechanical Engineers in Seattle.

He received the honor at ACEC's Engineering Excellence Awards, held in Bellevue.

A mechanical engineer for 38 years and a partner at Notkin since 1985, Rowland is an expert in engineering for health care buildings, according to a press release from ACEC.

He developed and regularly updated health care facility standards that were adopted by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. He served on the DSHS code committee which reviews and revises hospital minimum standards for construction.

He has participated in technical advisory committees for energy code revisions, including Seattle's 2006 revision. In addition, under his guidance Notkin has grown from 18 to 40 employees in the last five years, ACEC said.

“John is a role model for encouraging students to join the engineering profession and because of his efforts to influence the public's perception about the value of engineering, he has enhanced the engineering profession and created a priceless legacy,” said Sparling Board Chair Jim Duncan. “When Rowland served as ACEC chairman of the board, his theme was ‘not all heroes wear capes,' exemplifying the value engineering brings to the built environment.”

Amy J. Haugerud, 2005 ACEC Engineer of the Year, said of Rowland: “I served with him on many ACEC - WA committees and have always been impressed by his intelligence and integrity and by his passion for the engineering profession.”

Engineering is in Rowland's blood. His father was a structural engineer and his son is an engineer in the U.S. Army.

Rowland also is active in ACEC committees, as a mentor and in community service through Rotary, according to the release.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington is a trade association representing consulting engineering, land surveying and affiliated scientific and planning firms statewide.