NSBE - Convention 2011 - (Page 20)

arthur Hall of philadelphia Gas Works Off to a Fast Start in Energy By Lynette Locke rthur Samuel Hall is an engineer with a breath and depth of experience that belies his young age. As an engineer for Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW), he has taken advantage of an excellent opportunity to expand his knowledge, expertise and career to the benefit of himself and his employer. PGW is the nation’s largest municipally owned gas utility in the country. They manage a distribution system of approximately 6,000 miles of gas mains and service pipes supplying approximately a half-million residential, commercial, municipal and industrial customers; as well as operate two liquefied natural gas (LNG) winter peak-shaving storage facilities. Their customers count on PGW to provide clean, safe natural gas for cooking, heating, clothes drying, refrigeration and air conditioning, as well as “I like the ability to be handsan alternative fuel for on in the design and initial vehicles and a variety planning stages to completion of other industrial and commercial uses. of construction.” PGW generates annual revenues exceeding $925 million and provides career opportunities for more than 1,600 employees. Hall joined PGW in 2006, immediately after graduation from the University of Pennsylvania. Since that time, his responsibilities have included project management, from design to the completion of construction; preparation of technical specifications and budget estimates; and design for capital and maintenance projects for the Facilities and Gas Processing Departments. He has been trained by PGW in project management, basic piping design, basic welding, fundamentals of HVAC, fundamentals of instrumentation and controls, AutoDesk, AutoCAD and Microsoft Visio. The choice to be an engineer was easy for Hall. He grew up with family and friends in the field. “I knew I wanted to become an engineer. I was one of those kids who would take things apart and put them back together just to see how they 20 • nsbe magazine • convention 2011 a worked,” he says. “Some of my hobbies in youth were building model cars, rockets and airplanes, as well as (radio-controlled) cars and boats.” Hall earned a degree in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics with minors in math, computer science and engineering at Penn, where he was also a member of NSBE. He understood the need to broaden his educational background. One can see that same curiosity and intellectual rigor in Hall at work at PGW. “What I find most interesting about my current position is that it has a good mix of field and office work. I like the ability to be hands-on in the design and initial planning stages to completion of construction,” he says. His wealth of skills has not been lost on the company. Michael J. Moody, manager of Facilities at PGW, has watched Hall develop. “He has been able to learn from more experienced engineers and observe work done in the field to reach a level not normally expected of someone so new to the field,” Moody says. But with all of that, he says, Hall remains as cool as the other side of the pillow. “His calm demeanor under most trying circumstances is an invaluable asset,” Moody says. PGW continues to cultivate Hall’s talent. He says several individuals in the company have been “very influential” in his development, among them, his director, R.S. Rajan, and Phil Shepard, Engineering Services representative at one of the Gas Processing plants. Hall advises new engineers to take advantage of internship and co-op experiences while still in school to find out what discipline and types of work and/or work environments they’re suited for. He also stresses the importance of finding a mentor. “I would advise anyone entering engineering to find a seasoned person within their field that they can learn from about processes and technical information and just bounce ideas and ask questions,” he says. Hall is now gaining experience to apply for M.B.A. programs and the Professional Engineers License later this year. He believes having these credentials will open doors to more exciting possibilities in the future. About this, we have no doubt. ■ www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Convention 2011

Nsbe - Convention 2011
Contents
The Essence of Engineering
Flipping the Script on Retention
Nsbe’s New High-Tech Hook-Ups!
The Programs Zone
David Anfield of Walmart
Kerry Nichols of NAVAIR
Arthur Hall of Philadelphia Gas Works
Kevin Engram of Illinois Tool Works
Dr. Kevin M. Carter of MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Nsbe Calendar
Membership News
Mack Named Clarkson University Trustee
National Advisory Board Update
Nsbe Honors a Diversity ‘champion’
Things to Do in St. Louis
Golden Torch Award Winners
NSBE’s Steve Earl: Building for Home and Community
Employer Profiles
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Convention 2011