MC is proud to announce six major promotions within our team. These individuals exemplify the dedication, expertise, and commitment to our clients that has shaped the last 40 years of MC’s history, and their continued leadership will be key to our future success. Please join us in congratulating the following team members:
Principals:
Nicholas Morabito, PE LEED AP BD+C, with over 20 years of experience at MC, specializing in concrete, wood, masonry, and steel design, which has aided him in leading major education projects and various senior living developments. Nick excels in finding efficient solutions with architects and managing construction challenges. As he expands his role within the company, Nick aims to develop and maintain strong client relationships, and drive the firm’s growth.
Joshua Morabito, PE has been with MC for nearly 15 years and has gained expertise in structural steel, concrete, masonry, and light-gauge framing and specializes in major education projects as well as commercial office and retail buildings. Josh takes great pride in his engineering prowess, but his real passion is maintaining and building relationships with clients in his expanded role as Principal at MC.
Robert Miller, PE SI FRSE has been with MC for nearly a decade and specializes in the remediation, strengthening, waterproofing, and inspection of concrete structures, all backed with experience in managing the design and cost-estimation of concrete remediation projects. Rob is all about efficiency, and takes pride in developing our Revit standards, master specifications, and engineering reference libraries.
Senior Associates:
John Anderson, PE (19 years with MC) and Evan Campbell, PE (8 years with MC) have been promoted to Senior Associates. John and Evan not only bring elite structural engineering proficiency to our firm, but they also are vital to the training of our younger staff members and management of our constantly evolving workload.
Associate:
Tim Sabatino, PE (5 years with MC) recently passed his Professional Engineer exam and has been promoted to Associate. Tim is a problem solver, never one to shy away from a complicated design or unforeseen field condition.
MC is happy to introduce Fieldwire by Hilti to our repertoire of software. Fieldwire allows our office to accurately document field conditions on plan, in the field, automatically syncing to the cloud. Fieldwire allows for seamless communication between our engineers in the field and our engineers in the office. Whether the project is located in Maryland, our second office located in southeast Florida, or any of the numerous states we are registered in.
In our office, Fieldwire is used most regularly to perform condition assessments and quantity take-off of concrete structures. The categories and tasks in Fieldwire allow for easy set-up and organization of all the various repair types that are expected prior to arriving on-site. Our field engineers can then quickly document the location of a defect, snap photos, provide notes, and assign the expected repair type required. Keeping track of where photos were taken on a structure is easy as Fieldwire exports photos with a prefix identifying the plan name from which it was identified. The level of organization provided by Fieldwire allows our office engineers to efficiently understand the issues observed by those in the field and develop engineering estimates, repair drawings, and reports without having been onsite. Fieldwire has quickly become a valuable tool in MC’s efficient workflow.
Happy Labor Day Weekend to all of our employees and partners. May you enjoy the well deserved long weekend with family and friends. In observance of the holiday, MC will be closed on Monday, September 4th, and will resume with regular business hours on Tuesday, September 5th.
The new Science and Engineering Wing at the Park School of Baltimore is wrapping up just in time for classes to begin! This new two-story, 13,000 square-foot addition acts as a link between the existing Athletic Center and Blaustein lecture hall and houses laboratories for physics, chemistry, and biology, spaces for engineering and robotics, as well as an outdoor classroom and other collaborative shared spaces. Morabito Consultants is proud to have partnered with Hord, Coplan, Macht and Southway Builders on this project.
With summer coming to an end and school starting next week, MC is proud to have partnered with TCA Architects, LLC, James Posey Associates, Inc., Fisher, Collins, & Carter, Inc., and Oak Contracting on the newly completed Guilford Park High School located in Howard County. The new 289,000 square-foot facility has a three-story wing housing 40 classrooms to include 10 flex-science classrooms and 3 technology labs as well as a one-story area to house two gymnasiums and an auditorium. The athletic complex includes a 3,517-seat stadium – making it the largest in Howard County! With a LEED Silver designation as the goal of the design, roof mounted solar panels were installed as well as other sustainable design choices, lowering the environmental footprint of the new building.
Please join us in welcoming our recent hire – Alexis Elias, EI! Alexis graduated with his master’s degree in Civil Engineering, with a concentration in Structural Engineering last week from Florida Atlantic University. Alexis is a part of our Florida team and brings a background in forensic engineering. Welcome to the team, Alexis!
Please join us in congratulating both Frank Morabito and Robert Miller in receiving the Florida Board Recognized Structural Engineer (FRSE) designation!
Last year, the Florida Board of Professional Engineers FBPE established a Structural Engineering Recognition Program for Professional Engineers who have gone above and beyond the required minimum professional engineer licensing standards. Obtaining a FRSE designation requires either being a licensed Special Inspector, passing NCEES/state recognized “SE” exams, or a minimum of 5 years of experience designing structurally significant engineering projects.
While recognition from the program is not required for a structural engineer to practice structural engineering in the state of Florida, Miami-Dade County has taken a step further, mandating the FRSE designation for engineers conducting building recertification inspections.
Choosing Morabito Consultants means choosing the pinnacle of assurance. We value your peace of mind and believe that true expertise can’t be confined by the minimum standards; it’s about exceeding expectations. Having engineers with the FRSE designation is the embodiment of our dedication to delivering unmatched quality and safety. Together, let’s build a future that stands strong and resilient, one project at a time.
The second quarter Company Highlights newsletter came out last week. Did you miss it? Check out this link to view and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next issue!
https://mailchi.mp/morabitoconsultants.com/mc_newsletter_2023q02
MC has been at the forefront of technology from day one, starting with the purchase of an Eagle MS Dos based computer, modem, and printer. Frank and Maria developed spreadsheets to track employee time for payroll and invoicing. The computer was also utilized to run structural analysis of 2-dimensional moment frames for multi-story buildings, a process that would take over 8 hours to complete. Calculations would be run overnight, hoping that the input was properly prepared so they could be reviewed the following morning. Despite the limited computer software available for design work in 1985, MC’s solid education and strong theoretical background allowed efficiently completing hand-written calculations for all projects.
MC’s major breakthrough came in the fall of 1984 when we were hired to work on the design of Scarlett Place Condominiums in a design-build capacity, alongside Scott Dance of Dance Brothers, Inc. This project, a 17-story post-tensioned concrete-framed building, enabled MC to acquire advanced post-tensioned concrete design software. As a result, MC was able to expand their team, notably bringing on Ken Bauer, who remains with the firm to this day. During the completion of this project, MC relocated their offices to 2519 N. Calvert St., where they remained for a decade.
During their tenure on N. Calvert St., MC added several young design engineers and draftsmen, and significantly enhanced the office technology through the adoption of computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering design software. Although CAD workstations were costly, the investment proved worthwhile as it greatly improved MC’s work output. In those days, plotters utilized pens that were slow and required constant monitoring, as one never knew when a pen would run out of ink, necessitating a restart of the plot. There were occasions when MC had multiple significant projects underway, requiring the office to remain open overnight for five consecutive days. Several employees were always present to ensure that the drawings were completed accurately, plotted, and delivered to clients on time. As computer systems advanced and their costs decreased, MC began procuring computer stations that were shared between two workstations, with a monitor mounted on a rotating collapsible/expandable arm, allowing two engineers to utilize this valuable design tool simultaneously.
In 1995, MC had the good fortune of acquiring the 2526 Saint Paul Street office building previously occupied by Hord Coplan Macht. This move enabled MC to invest in individual workstations for all engineers, draftsmen, and support staff, resulting in the production of 100% CAD drawings for all projects. MC’s design portfolio encompassed a wide range of projects, including schools, hospitals, distribution centers, tilt-up concrete warehouses, hotels, continuing care retirement communities, housing, distribution centers, parking garages, and high-rise construction. MC comprised an efficient, adaptable, hard-working group of engineers who adhered strictly to regulations and delivered high-quality designs on time and at a fair cost. As our reputation grew, staff expanded to 27 individuals, until the economic downturn in 2009 prompted a significant shift in MC’s work philosophy. By that point, 40% of our staff consisted of draftsmen responsible for producing contract drawings based on marked-up drawings and sketches from MC engineers. However, by 2010, MC had reduced their staff to 15, with only one draftsman remaining. The era of Revit and BIM (Building Information Modeling) had arrived, making it more efficient for the engineers to handle their own drafting rather than relying on sketches that had to be translated into CAD drawings by draftsmen. Now in 2023 we are proud to have a dedicated staff of 22 full time employees, including 15 registered Professional Engineers!
MC would like to wish all our clients, associates, and colleagues a happy Independence Day. In observance of the holiday, we will be closed today, July 4th, and will resume normal business hours tomorrow. Stay safe and enjoy the festivities!
