Precis Hires Van Zhao as Manager – Process Engineering
We are pleased to announce the addition of Van Zhao to our team as Manager of Process Engineering. Van’s hire brings high-level experience and technical leadership to the firm’s process engineering group. “Van’s experience and depth of knowledge is a great addition to our growing process team. As manager, she will provide technical leadership focused on ensuring project alignment with GMP standards and engineering design specifications that fit with client objectives,” said Precis Director of Process Engineering, Kristina Pumphrey, PE. Van has more than 17 years of experience as a process engineer, providing process design, analysis, and project management for projects within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Her areas of expertise include basic design to construction administration for advanced cell and gene therapies facilities (allogenic and autologous), active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) GMP facilities, designated pathogen-free (DPF) animal facilities, and research labs. As Manager of Process Engineering, Van is responsible for guiding the firm’s process engineering staff, providing technical leadership and creative engineering expertise, and ensuring successful project execution. Van holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University. She is an active member of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Bioprocessing Equipment Program (ASME BPE), and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChe).
Precis Hires Doug Seaboldt, PE as Director of Structural Engineering
We are pleased to announce that we have hired Doug Seaboldt, PE as Director of Structural Engineering. Doug’s hire brings in-house structural engineering expertise, supplementing the firm’s architecture, MEP/FP, automation, and process engineering disciplines. “Doug will work closely with our architecture and engineering disciplines, as well as our clients, to provide highly responsive, innovative solutions that address their specific project needs from inception to full design and project execution,” said Precis Founding Principal and President Robert Dick, PE. “The addition of a structural engineering group completes our vision of full design service capability.” Doug has more than 30 years of experience as a structural engineer, providing structural design, analysis, and project management for pharmaceutical, institutional, educational, residential, and commercial facilities, as well as parking structures. His areas of expertise include structural design for high-tech building and cGMP spaces, and evaluation and adaptive re-use of existing structures of all building material types, helping owners, tenants, property/facility managers, and design professionals in evaluations, programming, capital reserve studies, maintenance plans, and façade reviews. As Director of Structural Engineering, Doug oversees the structural engineering department and leads the structural design efforts on the firm’s projects. Doug holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He is professionally registered in seven states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Doug is an active member of the Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers (DVASE) and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).
Precis Moves Headquarters to Historic Ambler Boiler House
We are excited to announce our new headquarters at the historic Ambler Boiler House in Ambler, PA. To accommodate our growing team, and further streamline operations, we have consolidated our Malvern and Ambler offices into one new location at 201 South Maple Ave., Ambler, PA. The Ambler Boiler House was built in 1887 as a power generating station for the once thriving Keasbey & Mattison factory. The LEED Platinum adaptive reuse of the building provided the perfect backdrop for our architecture, interiors, and MEP engineering groups to design our new home. The new office offers an industrial workspace, featuring an open floor plan, abundant daylight, numerous conference, meeting and huddle rooms, and a large office breakroom. Spanning almost 30,000 SF and two floors, the space will house all Precis’ Pennsylvania disciplines including architecture, planning, interiors; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, life safety, and process engineering; process architecture and automation. “Having everyone under one roof in such a spectacular building is really the next step in our journey and it fits our hard working, high-tech mindset of creating elegant solutions. We found our home!” commented Bob Dick, Founding Principal at Precis, on the move. After 18 years in our original headquarters building, this move marks a new chapter for Precis. We can’t wait to see what it brings.
Precis Named to the Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 Soaring 76 List
Precis was recently named to the Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 Soaring 76 list of the fastest growing companies in the Philadelphia region. This award recognizes businesses that have experienced significant growth over a three-year period. Last named to the list in 2021, the firm has continued to experience significant growth in revenue, staff, and service offerings. Precis Engineering + Architecture has grown to a firm of 140 professionals, offering comprehensive engineering and architecture services covering the pharmaceutical and biotechnology, life sciences and technology, university, industrial, and commercial markets. Our attention to detail and passion supports our leadership in regulated, clean compliant facilities and their supporting industries. Our growth is the result of the needs of our clients for a full-service provider and trusted advisor. “Finding elegant solutions to complicated facility requirements is our core business. We are proud to support the life changing therapies the biotech, pharmaceutical, and life science industries create. It is easy to get up for work every day when your work has a purpose. We are honored to once again be recognized within this prestigious group of growing organizations in the Philadelphia area.” Bob Dick, President Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees! View the full Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 Soaring 76 list.
Precis Hosts 3rd Annual Back to School Drive
This month, our Ambler office hosted its 3rd annual back to school drive through Philadelphia-based organization, Cradles to Crayons. Each year, we set out to beat our previous year’s goal for the number of backpacks filled. With the help of our office neighbors at Hatch LTK, and the generosity of our staff, we were able to collect 90 full backpacks, plus an abundance of individual supplies. “We really look forward to hosting this event towards the end of the summer each year. As a company, we feel strongly that it’s important to support causes like this that help to provide children with the essentials they need for educational and personal development. All children deserve a fair chance to succeed from an early age. We’re grateful for organizations like Cradles to Crayons for the work they do to support the local community.” – Marketing Manager, Erika Kucowski. Many thanks to the Precis and Hatch teams for their contributions to the success of this year’s drive! Cradles to Crayons mission is to “provide children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the basic items they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play. We supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities.” Cradles to Crayons is always collecting different items throughout the year to help children in our area. If you would like to donate or want to learn about ways to get involved, please click on the link below: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/
Precis Hosts 4th Annual Sam R. Colucci, Jr. Memorial Golf Outing
On Monday, July 31st, we hosted our 4th Annual Sam R. Colucci, Jr. Memorial Golf Outing, honoring the legacy of our late partner, colleague, and dear friend, Sam Colucci. We were grateful to be blessed with a beautiful day at Old York Country Club again this year, letting us know that Sam was there with us in spirit. Those who attended enjoyed a great day on the course, golfing in support of the Cancer Legacy in Action Projects (CLAP) Foundation and their mission to assist and encourage individuals (primarily children) who have lost an immediate family member to cancer to carry out projects or actions that extend their loved one’s legacy. The organization was founded by Sam’s wife, Patti Colucci, in 2019 to honor the legacy of Sam and others who have been affected by the impact of cancer. Thanks to the contributions of our guests, and even some of those who could not attend, nearly $10k was raised to support the work of CLAP. A day of golf was followed by a cocktail and dinner reception where guests mingled and cheered for auction and raffle prize winners. As always, a special thanks to the Colucci family for their significant involvement in the planning of this special event, and to the Darren Daulton Foundation for their continued support and generosity. If you would like to help us support Sam’s legacy, and the important mission of CLAP, you can make a donation here: Cancer Legacy in Action Projects.
Precis Attends ISPE DVC Annual Holiday Soiree; Recognized with Two Awards
Last weekend, members of our Ambler team attended the ISPE DVC Annual Holiday Soiree, held at the historic Union League in Philadelphia. All enjoyed an evening of dinner and catching up with industry friends and colleagues. During the event, Precis was given the 2022 Sponsor of the Year award. Additionally, the firm’s President, Bob Dick, PE, was honored with the Buz Lange Award. This prestigious award is given to an individual who emulates Buz’s leadership, focus on innovation, teamwork, and service. In addition to being a supportive and encouraging leader to the Precis team, Bob has been an invested ISPE member for more than 25 years. He has held positions on the organization’s Board of Directors and on various Committees. These roles have included Chair and Vice President of the Delaware Valley Chapter Education Committee, Member of the ISPE DVC Programs Committee, and Member of the ISPE OSD Baseline Guide Re-write Committee. We are grateful for this recognition and proud to be a part of the ISPE DVC community.
How To Stick-Build Your cGMP Cleanroom
Anyone living in the Pharma engineering world knows that for a state of the art cGMP facility, a modular cleanroom system is the way to go when fitting out graded cleanroom manufacturing spaces and controlled environments. However, if first costs is the driving force, you can achieve this with stick-built if done correctly. In this article, Precis Director of Process Architecture, Mike Brodsky, AIA, NCARB, discusses the pros and cons of Modular vs Stick-built facilities, and guidelines for achieving a stick-built cleanroom design that meets cGMP standards. Download PDF
Enlisting the Pareto Principle
Check out the latest article from our central plant experts: Precis Principal, Josh Capparella, PE, LEED AP BD+C and Mechanical Engineering Manager, Shane Helm, PE discussing chilled water system optimization. The article applies the Pareto Principle to chilled water plant operations to optimize savings against up front capital costs. It provides strategies to improve operational and energy efficiency while avoiding an all-or-nothing approach. Read the full article below to learn more. Download PDF
Team Precis Joins the Greater Philadelphia Architect’s Softball League
This year, Team Precis made its debut in the Greater Philadelphia area Architect’s Softball League, a non-competitive coed softball league in which teams play for the purpose of fellowship and comradery among local AEC industry firms. The Precis team, made up of 38 men and women from the firm’s architecture, engineering, and project management groups, was led by Head Coach and Team Manager, Alex Vasile, (Electrical Engineer), and Co-Captains, Tim Pacella (Sr. Mechanical Engineer) and Shea Harris (Mechanical Engineer). Representing Precis in bright orange and blue jersey’s, the team started it’s 12-game season with enthusiasm and determination to earn its place in the league. Every Wednesday evening, from May through August, the team gathered for a pre-game practice at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park before making its way onto the field to take on the opposing team. Colleagues from Precis and their family members joined in the stands to cheer on Team Precis, grilled hot dogs (courtesy of Sr. Electrical Engineer, Doug Freidly), Philly soft pretzels, and beverages in hand. Jim Moule, Director of Talent Aqcuisition, and the team’s number one fan didn’t miss a single game. After a two-game warmup, team Precis earned its first win over the O’Donnell & Naccarato team who made a strong comeback late in the game, but Team Precis’ secret weapon reliever, Felicity Levy (Mechanical Engineer), came out to throw a nearly perfect 7th inning to close out the nail-biter with Precis in the lead, 18-16. Several more games played persistently through the mid-summer heat led Team Precis to another victory, this time over CBRE in week 9, and thanks to some stellar pitching from Greg Fusco (Sr. Electrical Engineer), homeruns from Brandon Burkey (Mechanical Engineer) and Chase Nell (Architectural Co-Op), and a great overall team effort. Team Precis closed out the season with a .500+ batting average and recognition for some truly impressive plays. Congrats to the entire team on a great first season and kudos to the team’s heavy hitters, Chase Nell (leading the team with 4 home runs), Tim Pacella (3 homeruns), Brandon Burkey (2 homeruns), and Andrew Brouwers (1 homerun), Kenny Dronzek (1 homerun), Jim Geraghty (1 homerun), Shea Harris (1 homerun), Anthony Janeiro (1 homerun). The team is currently preparing for week two of the League’s “play-to-win” post-season consolation bracket. All of us at Precis will be cheering them on!