March 8, 2000

Julie Huang, president - CivilTech

Julie Huang, president, CivilTech
Founded: 1991 Staff size: 15 Location: Bellevue Focus: Structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, construction management, software engineering and Web site development

By ANNU MANGAT
Journal Staff reporter

Q: What kind of software development are you doing?

A: We developed more than a dozen software programs, including database management software, resource planning and tracking programs, and a timesheet and invoice tracking program.

We created a new program called PlanTrack for project and facility management. That's the direction we want to go. We created it for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but we have other agencies interested in it.

We also have a series of programs for engineering analysis. We try to present information in a way that's very visual. We don't want engineers to waste their time learning our program. That's our goal -- whatever we provide, we want to make it easy for you to use.

Q: Why did you establish your own firm?

A: We were working for bigger companies before. We feel that in the bigger companies, your freedom and creativity are limited. In the larger companies, you sit in a cubicle, doing the same thing again and again. We started our own company to push our creativity to higher levels.

It's risky starting your own firm, but you feel proud of yourself. Compared to how I was when I worked for a big firm, I feel totally changed. Before, I was really shy; it used to be hard for me to make a phone call. Every person has limitations, but sometimes you just limit yourself because you don't have a chance. Sometimes when you have a chance, your capabilities are much greater than you think.

Q: What's the most complicated project CivilTech has done?

A: The Denny Way CSO project -- it's a big, multi-million dollar project. At first, we were contracted for engineering services but we also did software, Internet and intranet development and document review. This project, which is ongoing, involves more than 40 teams and agencies.

A: I think from the technical point of view, it's creativity and efficiency and also economical design. We want to save money for our clients, small or big -- especially in the private sector. We want to show our clients that we are talented engineers, that we can save money, so they will always come back to us.

We want to be creative to the team members, the larger companies, so we can help solve technical problems.

On the business side, my wish is to keep our clients happy and to keep our employees happy -- that is a challenge. You need to be profitable and you need to be sure that everyone is happy. If everyone is happy, it keeps them motivated.

Q: What new uses will engineering software have?

A: There are several areas where high tech could be very useful in engineering. One is Web technology. The engineering community should have more information available on the Web. For example, a database of soils information could give geotechnical engineers information about prior borings on a site, so the project could save money by avoiding repeat drilling.

A structural plans database for constructed buildings and bridges would save structural engineers from having to hunt for the information -- they could just view the plans on the Internet. A lot of designs and details are standard and similar; if they were easily available, engineers could be much more efficient and not repeat the work someone did before.

Another area is management software. This software can be very helpful, especially in juggling resources such as personnel and equipment. Our PlanTrack software program lets managers assign people and equipment to project sites with just a few mouse clicks. And it can adjust schedules and assignments automatically if someone gets sick or a piece of equipment breaks.

A third area is engineering analysis and design software. The old programs took a long time to learn and to input the data. New programs need little or no time to learn, and they can do the tedious calculations and free up the engineer for more creative work.

This is the direction our engineering software is going.

Q: What do think of the trend toward design-build in projects?

A: We're on a couple of teams for design-build projects. Right now, I don't see the negative effects. I see more of the positive side. It can be a challenge for the engineers to do very effective and economic designs, which really engineers should be doing anyway.

Q: How has Initiative 695 affected you?

CivilTech principal James Su drew the renderings for King County's Web site on the Denny Way/Lake Union combined sewer overflow project. The firm developed and now maintains the Web site.

So we are really working hard to diversify where we work, and we are pursuing more private projects. We are a certified DBE in other states -- Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and soon in Montana, too. We also have a satellite office in California.

I-695 impacted the engineering community a lot. Every company had been preparing for Referendum 49; D.O.T. was going to give out three times more than they usually do. Now, engineering is really hurting.

Q: What are some of the challenges involved in your work at SeaTac?

A: For the Central Terminal project, the challenge is in constructing a new building next to existing ones, particularly the basement and tunnel. We recommended a cost-effective shoring method, soil nailing, which has never been used in an airport terminal building. This shoring wall will become the permanent basement wall, saving a lot of money. Another challenge is coming up with a good underpinning method to support existing footings while constructing new structures.

Safety is another big concern. Because the terminal is still in use, we had to do the geotechnical work at midnight.

Q: Were you affected by the passage of Initiative 200?

A: Yes, definitely. Now there's no requirement for woman or minority involvement. The bigger firms can show a large number of projects; we're young and small, so we just can't compete with them. Before I-200, we at least had a chance to prove ourselves and get some experience to show others what we can do.

Q: Do you face discrimination?

A: I do sometimes feel it. It's a challenge for me not to think of that and just try to convince people of the quality of our work. The biggest challenge for me is that it's not easy to make the relationships with owners and the other team members. But, we have good friends in the engineering community. When 695 passed, they came to us and tried to help.

Sometimes, it's not others; we need to do a lot of work ourselves. We need to spend more effort getting closer to other people, networking. Sometimes that's hard because of cultural differences.

Q: What work did you do at King Street station?

We did the shoring wall design. It was a challenging project -- it was done during the rainy season and water table was very high. Despite the difficulty, the project was very successful, and the contractor, DBM, was very happy with us and has hired us for other work.

Previous columns:

• Todd Jacobsen, president of Utility, 03-01-2000
• Jim Duncan, Sparling, 02-23-2000
• Callie Ridolfi, Ridolfi Engineers, 02-09-2000
• Barbara Swift, Swift & Co., 01-26-2000
• Jeffrey Gilman, Peratrovich, Nottingham & Drage, Inc., 01-19-2000
• Blaine Weber, Weber + Thompson Architects, 01-12-2000
• Michael Gibson, The Architecture Group, 12-29-1999
• Ming Zhang, Mulvanny Architects, 12-22-1999