Patrick Williams, PE, SE
In celebration of National Engineers Week, Passero is honored to share the story of our Associate & Structural Department Manager Patrick Williams.
“From a young age I wanted to be an architect because I thought architects were the primary creators of the built environment. My mother's artistry and my father's practicality were major influences on my development. When I took an introductory college course in engineering, I realized that my natural talents were better suited for a career in structural engineering. During college I worked full-time as a structural drafter for a steel joist manufacturing company, and later as a structural designer for an engineering firm, solidifying my career aspirations. I am fortunate to have had several mentors who were generous with their time and expertise, sharing their experiences and offering invaluable guidance on potential career pathways.
Structural engineering is intricate and demanding, with technical and analytical computations, theories, principles, and complex building codes and standards. It is very easy to be consumed in the technical day-to-day challenges of this profession. I remind myself every day that the essence of structural engineering is to protect the health and safety of the public within the built environment, fulfilling one of our most essential societal needs.
While I've had the opportunity to work on numerous projects across the globe, including in Qatar, Italy, and Hawaii, the most personally significant project for me and my family was a biomedical research expansion project close to our home. Being able to visit the site regularly with my family, watching my sons observe the construction progress, and knowing that I played a part, is something that I will always cherish. It was an honor to lead a project site tour that my father attended, allowing him to see one of my projects firsthand.
What I enjoy most at Passero is my ability to grow, mentor and lead a team of talented structural engineers working with a diverse set of clients and project markets, in numerous locations throughout the United States. When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, volunteering in my sons’ youth hockey programs, participating in Spartan races with my wife, beekeeping, and producing maple syrup at our home.” – Patrick Williams, PE, SE, Associate & Structural Department Manager
Rob Asselin, PE, LEED AP BD + C
In celebration of National Engineers Week, Passero is honored to share the story of our Senior Structural Engineer Rob Asselin.
“Since I was young, I've had a fascination with building things. Like many kids, I started by stacking blocks or cups and then graduated to playing with Legos, Lincoln Logs, and other similar sets, where I would explore the fundamentals of structural engineering through play.
When I started my college education at Lehigh University, I pursued a combined degree in architecture and engineering, drawn by my childhood passion for building. However, I discovered that I preferred my engineering coursework, which exposed me to concepts like load path, building modeling and analysis, and structural material properties. This led me to pursue a Master's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
My diverse undergraduate education provided me with a solid foundation for learning more advanced analysis and design techniques, while simultaneously immersing myself in graduate research. On my first day as a graduate student, my professor asked the class to define what it meant to be a structural engineer. After a brief moment of silence, he explained that a structural engineer's job is to make a building stand up, just barely. At the time, I found this amusing, not realizing how true it was.
As kids, we all learn to build structures. However, as structural engineers, we must create systems to solve complex design challenges while minimizing costs and following building codes. I am passionate about being a structural engineer because I enjoy the unique challenges of solving problems every day, collaborating with skilled and imaginative design professionals, and, most importantly, satisfying my inner child that loved stacking blocks.” – Rob Asselin, PE, LEED AP BD + C, Sr. Structural Project Engineer
