NEWSLETTER
April, 2016
GOUVIS ENGINEERING QUARTERLY  NEWSLETTER

Veteran Employee Anniversaries
Mike Houshmand, Senior Vice President:  33 Years
Indra DeGaine, Accounts Receivable : 24 Years
Huan Nguyen, Senior Vice President :  21 Years 
Phong Pham, Project Manager: 16 Years
Troy Dong,  Senior Project Manager: 16 Years
Daniel Tanuwidjaja,  Project Manager: 15 Years
Hieu Pham,  Project Manager: 14 Years
Hoang Nguyen,  Director of Gouvis Engineering Vietnam: 14 Years
Sal Dayeh ,  Director of Field Operations Northern California:  14 Years
Tung Vuong,  Project Manager: 11 Years
Adam Kral,  Operations Manager, M.E.P. : 10 Years
Julia Pham , Project Manager: 10 Years 
Thanh Huynh,  Project Manager: 10 Years
Dong Vo , Project Manager: 6 Years  
IN THIS ISSUE
The Retirement of Lynda Rice 
 

Lynda Rice was with Gouvis Engineering for close to 9 years as our brilliant receptionist who answered every telephone call with a care and unfailing enthusiasm  that was truly admirable. 
Her infectious warmth brought many smiles and laughter to our company. We would like to congratulate Lynda on her retirement. We will miss her cheerful spirit and wish her all the best on this new chapter ahead. 
Gouvis News
Green Home Builder Magazine Interview with Mr. Saeed Bekam 


THE GHB Interview with Saeed Bekam

Saeed Bekam is the President and CEO of Gouvis Engineering Consultant Group and has been a pioneer in bringing innovative ideas to the field of structural engineering. He is a member of SEAOSC, ICC, ACI, and the BIA.

Green Home Builder: What are some ways Gouvis Engineering has developed cost effective and energy efficient ways to build?

Saeed Bekam: We have always looked for ways to engineer the homes as energy efficient and cost effective as possible. Our involvement in The ABC Green Home projects has enabled us to look outside the box and we don't take the standard practice for granted.
With our in-house written computer programs, we have been able to generate analytical calculations, drawings, and standards with the least amount of framing members for resisting gravity and lateral loads while keeping end users comfort in mind. Our standard general notes and specifications have been tried and tested to meet building codes and allows the contractors to use different methods in building the project.

GHB:What's in the works for the rest of 2016?

SB: We anticipate 2016 to be another good year for the housing industry and have developed programs to tie in structural, mechanical, and plumbing engineering requirements into a one unified system. This method reduces material wastes and call-backs during construction.


EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
 DANIEL TANUWIDJAJA
 Project Manager


Daniel is a Project Manager here at Gouvis Engineering where his focus is residential and landscape structures. Daniel has been with the company since 2001 after his graduation from the University of California, Irvine where he received his degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Structural and Transportation Engineering. We are happy to announce that Daniel will be celebrating his 15th anniversary with Gouvis this coming June! 
Aside from being a talented engineer, Daniel is also a very talented photographer taking many of our company photos at our events. His upbeat personality and sense of humor make him a delight to be around and we are very lucky to have him as part of our team here at Gouvis.  
More about Daniel:
TELL ME SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU R FAMILY:
I have a 4 year old daughter who is the light of my life. For those of you who have been to our company events, she will be the little girl who cuts in front of everyone at the face painting and the first to be on the dance floor. She is a tiny little girl who can eat twice as much as the older boys and not afraid of strangers. I see my "what could've been" in her. I am also expecting a baby boy due in August. My wife is the brain in the family. She received her CPA in her earlier twenties and currently works for the chancellor's office for the Cal State University. I am the cook in the family. 

WHAT WAS THE LAST VERY MEMORABLE THING THAT YOU DID? 
I went back to Indonesia for one month in December 2014 after 14 years. It was very memorable because I met many old and new relatives (cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces). I also got to show off my awesome daughter to them. She was 3 at the time and I am a proud parent.

MOTTO OR PERSONAL MANTRA? 
I always believe in what comes around goes around attitude. Recently I was introduced to the 12 laws of karma and I feel that they would enrich everyone's life regardless of their religion. So I am trying my best to try to fulfill them one day at a time.

WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR ROLE AT GOUVIS DO YOU ENJOY THE MOST?
I enjoy the interaction with clients, architects and people from the field. In my attempt to provide the best service for our clients, I prefer talking over the phone rather than email. I feel that people understand my point better when I speak with them over the phone. I have been very fortunate to be able to interact with many different people within different levels within a project.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PROJECT AT GOUVIS?
It's been hundreds of projects since I started working in 2001. This may sound like a cliché, but I take every project seriously and enjoy working on each and every one.

FAVORITE FOOD?
I have many. I am a foodie. Having a favorite food is kind of boring, instead of favorite food, I have a "food bucket list". And a deep fried foie gras sandwich by Joe Beef in Montreal is at the top of my list.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR OUR INDUSTRY? 
I hope that our industry will finally recognize the good service and structural designs that Gouvis Engineering provides.

FAVORITE HOLIDAY/TRADITION?
My favorite holiday is Christmas because we get to go out and travel with the family. Our family also has a tradition during Chinese New Year to turn on all of the lights in our home (New Year's Eve) and wear something new (clothes, shorts, etc.).

ON MY DAYS OFF, YOU CAN FIND ME:  at home eating, or eating out.

Skydiving  IS SOMETHING ON MY BUCKET LIST.

A SECRET TALENT I HAVE IS:
I used to do wedding photography on weekends. I self taught and practiced photography and photo editing. In 2010, I booked my first wedding. I took photography as an outlet to think outside of the box. If 15 years of engineering can teach me how to follow the code and the fact that 1+1 is equal to 2, doing photography taught me to cherish every moment and try to capture them in a picture. My style of photography is journalistic. Most of the pictures I take are candid in nature. I stopped doing wedding photography last year, but I never stopped being a photographer. You can find my work at  www.danieltanphotography.com.

AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT ME IS: 
I am a really good badminton player (despite my look). And I used to win a couple of tournaments.

IF GIVEN A CHANCE, I WOULD LIKE TO BE president FOR A DAY BECAUSE I want to know if Area 51 really exists. <>


In Loving Memory
Nicholas Angelo Gouvis
August 25, 1930 ~ March 7, 2016
Gouvis Engineering would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Nicholas Angelo Gouvis. We are deeply saddened by this loss and our thoughts and prayers go out to those he leaves behind. In 1960, Nick founded Gouvis Engineering in Long Beach, California.  Since then, the company has grown to employ close to 100 staff and is responsible for the structural design of thousands of residential projects. 
 
Nick retired in 1995 to spend time with his family and remained in good health until a couple of months before his passing. 
 
A visionary man, Nick Gouvis was the father of Structural Engineering for Residential Developments. We not only celebrate his life and contributions to the field of engineering, but also honor the legacy he leaves behind. 
 
Nick was a Korean War Veteran.  For anyone wishing to contribute to the Paralyzed Veterans of America in the name of Nicholas Gouvis , please visit www.pva.org for more information. 

 

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality."