April 2017

The Latitude 33 team at Mira Mesa Lanes bowling alley.

On Friday, March 3, Latitude 33 hosted their quarterly team building event by heading out to Mira Mesa Lanes for some friendly competition at the bowling alley.  Five teams of five players each did their best to split, spare, and strike their way to victory.  While all teams put up a good fight, team I can’t believe it’s not gutter ultimately won bragging rights.  Thanks to all for joining our fun event!

The Latitude 33 team representing the firm at the premiere.  From left to right are: Shannon Davis, Evan Wickstrom, Vanessa Tarronas and Adam Fischlin

Latitude 33 was a proud sponsor of the ASCE Dream Big: Engineering Our World movie premiere during Engineer’s Week in February.  The film takes viewers on a journey of discovery to witness how today’s engineers are shaping the world of tomorrow. The film is designed to:

• Inform the public about what engineers do, helping to heighten interest
• Inspire young people to consider a career in engineering
• Answer the demand for K-12 engineering education resources

The event was well attended and the film received rave reviews.

Brian Schroth has been promoted from Designer to Design Engineer. Brian continues to show great versatility and has been a huge asset to many groups within Latitude 33. He has shown the ability to adjust to new challenges and isn’t afraid to take on tasks outside of his comfort zone. Brian is an exemplary employee and we are lucky to have him as a part of the Latitude 33 family.

Austin Baber has been promoted from Designer to Design Engineer.  He has done an outstanding job with design, report writing, client management, and proactively looking ahead at tasks to be completed or follow up that needs to occur with clients and other consultants.  Austin has also been an integral part of our new Drone Services team.

Aric Barreras has been promoted from Design Engineer to Sr. Design Engineer. Aric has been with Latitude 33 for four years and has shown tremendous growth over his career. He has been heavily involved in numerous projects throughout Pacific Highlands Ranch and has been a huge part of Latitude 33’s success within the community. He is hard working, and is a great example for younger engineers looking to succeed in this challenging field.

Clay Ost has been promoted from Senior Project Engineer to Project Manager.  Clay has been with Latitude for over five years and has flourished in his role not only technically, but as a leader.  He has earned the respect of key legacy clients and has shown the ability to juggle large projects and demanding deadlines.  Clay has become a go-to resource for water quality knowledge, and his expansive skillset has become a key component in the growth of his team and the engineers he mentors.  Clay is an essential asset to Latitude 33 and a welcome addition to the Project Management team.

Latitude 33 is pleased to announce that Melissa Krause was recently promoted to Associate Principal.  Ms. Krause has taken the lead on building and maintaining relationships with the firm’s public and private developer clients.  Melissa has spent the past 20 years successfully managing projects for large residential developers in San Diego County.  Her experience and ability to “think like the client” has added to Latitude 33’s already successful planning team.  She will contribute to strategic planning, and be an integral part of the leadership team moving forward.  Ms. Krause was a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s 2015 Women Who Mean Business Awards.  Ms. Krause earned her B.S. in History from Northern State University, and her M.S. in Instructional Technology from National University.  She is currently involved with the American Planning Association and the BIA.

Katie Yee is now a shareholder of Latitude 33 and Chief Relationship Officer.  In this role, Ms. Yee will pursue new prospects, and work to maintain positive client relationships.  Internally, Katie will assist in the strategic planning and direction of the firm as well as focusing on shaping company culture.  Ms. Yee was named among the top “40 Under 40” by the San Diego Metro Magazine, and a finalist for “Consultant of the Year” by the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from San Diego State University, and is actively involved with Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), The BIA, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Downtown San Diego Partnership (DSDP).

Latitude 33 Planning and Engineering has kicked off 2017 with five new project awards.  With a 50 percent increase in revenue and 20 new staff members in the last three years, Latitude 33 announces these new project wins as the company is experiencing steady growth.  These new projects are a result of the team’s strategic approach to becoming more diversified.

Since the beginning of 2017, Latitude 33 has been awarded the following projects:

• City of Encinitas As-Needed Civil Engineering Services – Having already worked with and within the City of Encinitas for projects at San Dieguito Unified High School District and Scripps Encinitas, Latitude 33 was chosen to provide civil engineering design, consultation and support services on an as-needed basis to the City.

• The City of Imperial Beach Senior Center – In partnership with Katz Architects, Latitude 33 was awarded this public works project.  This is the company’s second civic building project in the City of Imperial Beach.

• UCSD Gilman Drive Sewer Improvements – This large infrastructure project is a direct result of Latitude 33 identifying a sewer capacity issue for UCSD and the City of San Diego.  The company was able to identify how this capacity problem affected the current campus and the university’s future plans.

• Nuevo West Graduate Student Housing – In partnership with Hensel Phelps and Mithun Architects, Latitude 33 will be providing services for the second phase of the East Campus student and faculty housing project.

• Pacific Highlands Ranch Library – Recruited by Hanna Gabriel Wells Architects (HGW), Latitude 33 and its team were awarded this civic building project.

Matt Semic, PE, Principal at Latitude 33, states, “In recent years, Latitude 33 has expanded its market sector diversification with more project awards in civic buildings, public works, healthcare, education and military sectors.  We are excited to bring our expertise to a growing roster of clients and projects in the San Diego region.”

Sean Drake(far left), Latitude 33 Project Engineer and Sean Scaramella (far right), Latitude 33 Project Manager with the Jacobs Engineering Team at the Naval Air Station Lemoore with F-35C jet on January 25, 2017.

For the past three years, Latitude 33 has been working with NAVFAC Southwest Division and Jacobs Engineering Group on several projects at Naval Air Station Lemoore to support the incoming F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program. The first planes arrived on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. The pilots made a low-altitude flyover and mini air show before landing and taxiing to a hangar as part of an arrival ceremony. The event was attended by Latitude 33 team members Sean Drake and Sean Scaramella, and marked the historic arrival of the first F-35C squadron on the west coast. For more information about the event, click here.

Special thanks and recognition to Brad Sager, Bryan Bostenero, Laura Wood, Jason Gordon, Kyle Boyce, Brian Schroth, Shannon Davis, Angela Inciong, and Sean Scaramella for all their efforts throughout the years on these projects.