Todd Liebert, AIA, NCARB
Chief Executive Officer
As we navigate COVID-19 together, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank our valued team members whose efforts amid this challenging landscape are immensely appreciated. Our Board of Directors and Principal leadership team have pivoted at a light speed to respond to clients and their current needs, as well as position CPL for future opportunities.
In addition to our essential discipline design experts in the healthcare, municipal, higher education, K-12 education and transportation sectors, our IT, finance, HR, administrative and marketing teams have been crucial in helping us stay as efficient, connected and as operational as possible. As we eagerly prepare to phase back to our new normal, we send good thoughts and well wishes to our partners across our offices and markets.
Dan Duprey, P.E.
President, Chief Operating Officer
During this pandemic, transportation needs including design, reviews and inspections have continued, and in many cases, have ramped up in certain regions. Our professionals have been safely working on critical projects to ensure construction can stay on track and we can quickly rebound after this crisis.
Even though some office staff have been working remotely, we still remain busy and productive. While a few design projects (considered to be non-essential) have been put on hold, most projects in Georgia, North Carolina and New York continue to progress. Construction projects are all considered to be essential and are also moving forward. In fact, we can’t find enough inspectors to fill the needs on construction projects. If you know of any inspectors looking for work, please call us!
Rick Henry, P.E.
Senior Vice President
I would like to thank all of our team members for their hard work during this time. They are well aware that municipalities and their respective infrastructure systems don’t pause – even during unprecedented times like these. Our clients expect and deserve the support needed to keep their facilities and systems such as water, wastewater, roadways and other utilities operational. We are part of these communities and are proud to represent them.
On another note, when we are given the all clear to start coming back into offices, I want to assure all of those who have been working from home that our offices are a safe place to work. We have added sanitizing stations, extra coffee machines and microwaves, and have ramped up weekly cleaning measures in every office to include the disinfecting of frequently used surfaces such as door handles and handrails. During this time, I have personally been to both our Rochester and Buffalo offices, and can attest that our people have been safe and very considerate of each other’s health and personal space.
Kevin McOmber, P.E.
Senior Vice President
Infrastructure remains a vital priority to all our public clients, and as such, our designers have kept a heavy foot on the gas throughout this pandemic to ensure we remain full speed ahead on these critical projects. While we have seen a few design projects put on hold, other areas of our business have expanded.
Many of our Georgia team members work in our client’s office space (City Hall), and even though these public buildings are closed, our staff have continued to serve the public in a very professional manner. Across the board, our architects, engineers, landscape architects, planners and municipal experts have all taken ownership of their responsibilities and continue to exceed expectations. It has been said that the best way to judge a person’s character is to observe their actions during times of adversity. I am proud to say that the character of our people is strong, and we remain thankful for each and every one of them.
Tim Knapp, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Senior Vice President
The spotlight on our healthcare infrastructure in the U.S. has never shone so bright as it has over the last eight weeks. While there is much to be proud of, this pandemic has also exposed significant structural weakness in our system. Some of these weaknesses are related to inadequate detection/prevention/treatment programs available to all of our citizens, while others are related to the inability of hospitals and healthcare systems to adequately handle a large surge of critically ill patients. As healthcare architects and engineers, we are critically evaluating how to alter or augment our client’s existing physical facilities to be easily converted in the future for when, not if, this happens again.
I am so proud at how quickly CPL and all of our teams were able to pivot from “normal” to the “new normal” of conducting business in the virtual world. It hasn’t been easy for everyone, but we have used this event to identify our own internal weaknesses, so that “when” this happens again, we will be in a better position to serve the needs of our clients while maintaining the strength of our teams.