Please join us in celebrating the appointment of William Gaspar, PE, LEED AP as Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (FACI) at the Virtual ACI Concrete Convention in March.
An ACI Fellow is an individual who has made “outstanding contributions to the production or use of concrete materials, products and structures in the areas of education, research, development, design, construction or management.”
William’s current role as Branch Manager and Principal Engineer for ECS’ Fredericksburg, VA office allows him to showcase his diverse background spanning more than 30 years in construction materials testing, geotechnical and structural engineering and architecture. Areas of specialty include geotechnical design, concrete foundations deep and shallow, structural concrete and masonry design, steel and cold formed metal framing, continuous thermal/air barrier systems, special inspections and building code compliance.
William, a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia, earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and served as an officer with the US Army. He is the past President of the Virginia Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and present Director of ACI VA Certification, serves on four ACI Committees and three sub-committees and is active with the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) and the National Structural Engineer Association Council.
“Being nominated and elected a fellow by the Institute is a distinction direct in line with my professional engineer license,” says Gaspar. “Others have identified and understand the knowledge, experience, dedication and commitment to all sectors from design through construction within the concrete industry.”
We talked with William to learn what inspires him.
Who inspires you?
My father for his dedication, commitment and unconditional love to family be that from blood or friendship.
What was the last book you read?
“Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life” by Jon Kabat-Zinn
What’s your favorite movie?
Braveheart—–FREEDOM!
What are you passionate about?
God, family, woodworking and being outside.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Having kids, two girls (19 and 18) and a boy (16). The rest of the crazy things are just normal for me.
What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now?
A prominent slope failure on 95 South over the Rappahannock River.
What’s the greatest bit of advice a parent or mentor has given you?
As First Sergeant Lane once told me, “Place yourself in a compromising position and you will be compromised.”
Why did you decide to become an engineer?
Because of my love for solving problems.
What’s the most exciting project you ever worked on and why?
Either renovating a 200’+ pre-civil war clock tower with a widow’s walk of sandstone or renovating a pre-civil war Courthouse Clocktower: to see pride in the workmanship and spending hours ascertaining how they built it without modern equipment and allowing me to restore its’ beauty through my talent and design.