Celebrating 75 years of history

Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt is celebrating its 75th anniversary! Through the years we have expanded our scope of services and community connections while staying true to our rich company culture.

Back in 1950, engineer Howard Eckerlin started a structural engineering consulting firm with his protégé Larry Klepper. It was operated out of a small office rented above Eastwood’s Palace Theater marquee. The firm added staff over time, including the current principals: James D’Aloisio in 1987 and James Palumbo in 1995. (Follow the full timeline of our principals and milestones by clicking here!)

KHH has expanded the variety of services we offer, including site, civil, landscape architecture, building envelope systems, and special inspections. We have also gradually performed more forensic investigations and condition reviews. This comprehensiveness creates a unique synergy between our structure and site staff, delivering success from building to ground.

The Central New York region has a lot of buildings with history that we’ve had the privilege of leaving our mark on. We were involved in the design of many prominent buildings such as Syracuse University’s Bird Library, Upstate Medical University’s Golisano Children’s Hospital, and UHS Wilson Hospital’s new Main Tower. The stories of our projects and their impact on the community continue to inspire our staff and clients.

With this milestone, we celebrate the legacy of Howard, Larry, and all the other professionals that have shaped Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt into the company it is today. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to our clients and colleagues as we look forward to what the future holds.

KHH Employee Anniversaries

Join us in celebrating three milestone anniversaries this year!

Cindy MacConnell

30 years

Jim Palumbo, R.L.A., ASLA

30 years

Deb Lamont

20 years

LEED v5 – In Sync with SE 2050

The newest version of USGBC’s LEED Rating system has been released and is available for use. It builds on the previous versions, however, v5 represents a quantum leap in encouraging and requiring quantification and reduction of both operational carbon and embodied carbon. In fact, half of the available credits and mandatory prerequisites involve building decarbonization.

Earlier this year, KHH proudly recertified with the Carbon Leadership Forum as an SE 2050 signatory firm, joining over 135 other structural engineering companies across the country in committing to “understand, reduce and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in our projects by 2050.” This involved updating our Embodied Carbon Action Plan.

For more information, see LEED v5 | U.S. Green Building Council and SE2050.

New NYS Uniform Code and Energy Code on the Horizon

Big building code changes are coming! As of this writing, the Department of State has just ended their Public Comment Period for replacements to the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (the “Uniform Code”) and the State Energy Conservation Construction Code (the “Energy Code”). The proposed new codes, based on the ICC 2024 Codes, are tentatively scheduled to go into effect at the start of 2026.

All referenced documents will be upgraded to newer versions, including the key structural reference ASCE 7-22 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. This document would revise wind loading and snowdrift loading, among other changes.

This will be the first change to the codes in six years. We’ll all need to prepare!

Frost Heave and Frost Depth

CNY has just endured a harsh winter with extended periods of below-freezing temperatures. Frost penetrated the ground deeper than it has in recent years, resulting in frost heave failures of decks, garages, and other structures. So how deep should foundations extend to avoid frost heave problems?

Most engineers in CNY say 4 feet. However, in some cases this is slightly excessive, and in other cases, not adequate.

There are downsides to extending deeper than what is necessary for bearing and to avoid frost heave. We studied how locating footings 1 foot deeper than necessary could affect material quantities. Click the button below to see what we found!

Who's New at KHH

Glenn Mannerberg, P.E.

Grace Rosati

Glenn is a Senior Structural Engineer with 40 years of experience in the industry. He graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Outside of work, Glenn enjoys reading, playing guitar, and auto restoration.

Grace is an Administrative and Marketing Assistant. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Graphic Design from Cazenovia College. Grace’s interests include creative writing, art, and animals.

2025 Summer Interns

Gargi De has her Master’s degree in Civil Engineering (Structural) from Syracuse University, where she is currently pursuing her PhD. Some of her interests are painting, photography, kickboxing, and traveling.

John Gammon will return to R.I.T. for his final year working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology. His hobbies include music, weightlifting, and tennis.

Jordan Russell will be entering his junior year at SUNY ESF studying Landscape Architecture. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, mountain biking, running, and caving.

We're hiring!

Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt is seeking a Civil Engineer (Site Development) and a Structural Engineer.

For more information, please visit our Careers page.

315-446-9201

khhpc.com