VIA appreciates when our consultants are as committed to an integrated process as we are. Bob Neeld, President of Engineering Ventures, P.C., is one such consultant; he understands, supports, and contributes to our collaborative, inclusive approach to design. Bob’s 30+ years of experience with projects both large and small, and his deep understanding of how to integrate complex building systems, encourage the team as a whole toward innovative solutions. He offers big ideas early in a project, and expertly reasons through details as it progresses. According to Megan, “Bob asks fantastic questions and is a creative thinker. He considers cost, schedule, constructability, historic character, and the environment all together as part of his deliberate and thoughtful engineering process. I’m grateful for his expertise, big smile, fantastic attitude, and mentorship – his spirit and value are unmatched by any, in my experience.”
We are impressed with Bob’s commitment to community and service of others. He mentors young Vermont engineers, many of whom have gone on to start their own firms, and was a valuable resource for Andrea and Ashar as they established their own design firm. Through Engineers Without Borders, he helped salvage historic structures in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and worked to preserve historic churches throughout Cuba. According to Ashar, who has worked with Bob for more than 20 years, “Bob’s broad world view and familiarity with Vermont in particular, ensures that he considers more than just structural needs when helping us solve a problem. He has a keen ability to recognize the complexity of context.”
Bob has been, and continues to be, an invaluable partner; his input consistently inspires us to do our best work. “What I appreciate most about Bob as a structural engineer is that he is a great listener and thoughtful communicator. And, he rarely says, ‘no, it can’t be done,’” shares Andrea. “In addition, Bob’s mentorship and encouragement as we started VIA and continue to operate has been incredibly important. After so many years working together, I not only consider Bob a colleague and collaborator, but a friend as well.” VIA looks forward to many more projects with Bob and his team at Engineering Ventures.