NOMINATED BY: Katie Brotherton

In the maintenance field cost avoidance is the financial metric that, as often as not, is what distinguishes outstanding engineers from rest. Larry Hatton, Chief Engineer at a 358,000 square foot high-rise office building in downtown Portland epitomizes those who strive to bring recognizable value to the services they provide.

The examples are many: over several years Larry has implemented energy saving measures that have reduced overall building energy use by 20% without requiring intensive capital investment; when costly equipment breakdowns occur, like the failure of any one of the 40-ton refrigeration compressors that are on each floor of his building, Larry and his assistant pull a rebuilt one out of building inventory and are able to get the system back in service overnight: an expedited level of service that no contractor can offer and at minimal cost; Larry also maintains a critical eye on all other contractor services ensuring optimal value is delivered and he is always ready to produce cost-effective alternatives to their proposals for what would otherwise be expensive repairs or replacement. It is with efforts like these that illustrate Larry's ability to reduce operating costs and, as a result, increases the value of this asset.