October 31, 2013

A&E 2013 Surveys: Fossatti Pawlak Structural Engineers

Photo courtesy of Fossatti Pawlak [enlarge]

Fossatti Pawlak was the structural designer for this $4.8 million pump station completed in Snohomish in 2011.

Specialty: New construction, renovation and restoration; seismic upgrades; structural investigation

Management: Pete Pawlak, president

Year founded: 2011

Headquarters: Seattle

Projected 2014 revenues: Expected to increase 20 percent to 25 percent

Projects: Addison on Fourth apartments seismic renovation, Seattle; Kirkland Nissan dealership conversion; Regency Hilo skilled-nursing facility, Hawaii

Fossatti Pawlak President Peter Pawlak answered a few questions from the DJC about his firm:

Q: How’s business? Which services are most in demand?

A: Business is up over the past two years. The single-family residential sector is very active and we have seen an uptick in industrial projects as well as podium structures.

Q: What’s your most challenging project now?

A: Converting a 1970s athletic club into a Nissan dealership. There is plenty of high-bay space but also plenty of opportunities for resupporting the existing structure to work with the new floor plan.

Q: Is there a type of work you’d like to do more of?

A: We would like to grow our work with developers, be it multifamily or adaptive re-use, and our health-care practice, primarily hospital work.

Q: What’s your staffing situation?

A: We are coming into a growth period and recruiting is tight.

Q: Founder Robert Fossatti passed away earlier this year. How is his influence felt at the firm?

A: Bob liked to keep the office lively and the work enjoyable; I would say that continues. He was a very likable person and enjoyed meeting people. What we no longer have in the office is an accomplished accordion player.

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