HGC Principals Awarded Team Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo

Hundreds of students, staff, faculty, alumni and donors gathered at Federation Hall on November 22 for the annual University of Waterloo Engineering Awards Dinner.  In addition to more than 1,200 students being recognized for their academic and extracurricular successes, the event also saw Engineering Dean Pearl Sullivan present a Team Achievement Medal to HGC’s four Principals and distinguished Engineering graduates in recognition of their outstanding contributions to one of North America’s largest consulting engineering firms specializing in noise, vibration and acoustical consulting:

• William J. Gastmeier (BSc 1974, Physics; MASc 1976, Electrical Engineering)
• Robert B. Howe (BASc 1984, Mechanical Engineering)
• Brian V. Chapnik (BASc 1988, Systems Design Engineering; MASc 1990, Systems Design Engineering)
• Robert D. Stevens (BASc 1992, Mechanical Engineering; MASc 2003, Mechanical Engineering)

“We founded HGC in 1994 and have at times been surprised we are still going strong. Of course, seven engineering degrees from UofW amongst the four principals certainly helped, but one of the main reasons is that we all enjoy the challenge of dealing with many technically interesting projects – noise and vibration is usually a small aspect of a project so this “niche” gives us opportunities in a broad spectrum of industries – mitigating noise in many of the high-rise residential and office towers in Toronto, quieting large refineries scattered around the world, improving architectural acoustics for many schools and hospitals, and even addressing the “controversial” sounds from wind turbines.

In his speech Brian also expressed gratitude to the University of Waterloo for its contributions to HGC’s continuing success. “There is no doubt in my mind that Engineering at Waterloo has given the four principals and our company a strong start and a bright future. The majority of HGC’s employees are University of Waterloo Engineering graduates and the company has hired over 50 students for co-op placements since the company’s founding in 1994. The principals have also contributed to the education of students at the University’s School of Architecture and other local institutions. On behalf of Bill, Brian and Rob, I would like to extend our appreciation and thanks for the alumni award.”