Tampa's Scott Martin Receives Governor A.W. Gilchrist Award for Engineering Leadership in Florida

Additional Honorees Announced

TALLAHASSEE, FL, UNITED STATES, August 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tampa structural engineer Scott Martin, PE, LEED AP, DBIA, is the 2024 recipient of the Governor A.W. Gilchrist Award, a prestigious recognition bestowed by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida).

The award recognizes a Florida professional engineer for their leadership and service to Florida’s engineering community.

With more than 25 years of experience, Martin is a structural engineer and project manager on building projects and is the Design-Build Market Leader for Walter P Moore & Associates. His volunteer service includes serving as President of the Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA) in 2013, and President of the ACEC Florida from 2022-2023.

Under Martin’s leadership, he championed FSEA’s efforts to promote and pass legislation for enhanced licensure for Florida’s structural engineers. Additionally, following the 2021 collapse of Champlain Tower South in Surfside, he helped organize and lead a group of 25+ engineers, architects, building officials and other professionals to develop consensus building inspection guidelines. These guidelines were ultimately adopted by the Florida Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. Martin also joined forces with the Florida Engineering Society to develop a multi-organization statewide magazine, Florida Engineering, that increases visibility of engineering issues statewide.

“Engineers like Scott Martin are behind the everyday and the extraordinary, and the Governor A.W. Gilchrist Award allows us to honor him for the amazing contributions he’s made to help ensure Florida remains a top state to live, work and raise a family,” said Allen Douglas, Executive Director, American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida.

The award was presented during a ceremony in Aventura. During the same ceremony, three additional honors were presented:

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR:
Halff Team Leader Melissa Pennington, PE has been named the ACEC Florida Young Professional of the Year. Her passion for empowering those she interacts with, partnered with a task-oriented mindset, allows her to be a trusted advisor for her clients and her team. She is proud to improve lives and communities within her backyard of Tallahassee and throughout the southeast. She participates in STEM outreach, acting as the Halff University Champion for Florida A&M and Florida State University. As Florida’s 2024 Young Professional of the Year recipient, Pennington will now compete in the national ACEC award of the same name.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD:
Vanassee Hangen Brustlin, Inc. has received the ACEC Florida’s Professional Development Award for the outstanding contributions they’ve made to the advancement and improvement of the engineering profession through employment policies and practices.

ACEC FELLOW:
Shahin Hekmat, PE of Miami has been named an American Council of Engineering Companies national fellow. Mr. Hekmat has been sharing his engineering design and project management experience for more than 30 years in both the public and private sector. He has been a tireless advocate of the engineering profession and science education, donating much of his time to speaking at local high schools and colleges. He’s a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Miami’s College of AEC Senior Design Class, and is an adjunct professor at Florida International University’s School of Architecture.

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ABOUT ACEC Florida: The American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida is the voice of engineering in the Sunshine State. ACEC Florida brings together more than 300 leading engineering companies, representing more than 20,000 employees, who are working to bring the extraordinary to the everyday lives of Floridians. Learn more by visiting www.acecfl.org.

Edie L Ousley
Yellow Finch Strategies
+1 850-251-6261
edie@yellowfinchstrategies.com