We invite you to take center stage at the new year’s most critical gathering: the joint WA ACI Chapter and SEAW event. Cary Kopczynski of CKC will be delivering a high-level briefing on PRO: An ACI Center of Excellence for Advancing Productivity. This isn't a social mixer; it’s a strategic opportunity.

Topic: Getting Together: ACI's PRO Aims to Improve Constructability through Collaboration 

Date: Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

Time: 

Reception begins at 5:00PM, Dinner follows at 5:45PM

Location: The Museum of Flight | Skyline

9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle, WA 98108

Pricing:

• Member (Chapter and SEAW) Early Bird Rate | $150
• Post Early Bird Member (Chapter and SEAW) Rate | $185
• Non-Member Rate | $199

The SEAW Southwest Chapter invites you to join our annual Trade Show to benefit the Southwest Chapter’s Student Scholarship Fund. In addition to benefitting local students, the Trade Show provides an opportunity for professional engineers, architects, and those in the building and construction industry to share and discover the latest in technology and design innovations – and of course, a chance to pick up new product literature and swag!

The event is free, including the educational seminars, for all attendees who register by February 17th. You can register on the SEAW Calendar Trade Show Event Page. The event page is also the place to go for the latest event information, including the most up-to-date event program and schedule of speakers.

There will be raffle prizes throughout the Trade Show, including an Apple iPad! Attendees must be present to win raffle prizes.

Date: February 24th, 2026

Time: 3:00PM - 8:00PM PT

Location: Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino

5580 Pacific Hwy E, Fife, WA 98424

Photo by Evan Olszko. Attendees at 2025 SEAW SW Chapter Trade Show. 

Left: Members of ASCE Tacoma-Olympia Section join for the event; Right: Jim Farley, Southwest Chapter Vice President, talks with another attendee.

Photo by Evan Olszko. Presentation at 2025 SEAW SW Chapter Trade Show. 

John Duntemann provides a presentation for Trade Show attendees.

Thank You to Our Sponsors for Making this Event Possible

SEAW Dues are Due!

SEAW membership is renewed annually and due on January 1st. Renewals are through the SEAW website. Renewing multiple people in your company at once cannot be done through the website, instead please contact info@seaw.org. When renewing, please select the membership category that best fits your status.

As a reminder, Wild Apricot is the hosting site of our new and improved website / membership platform. If you didn’t receive the emails, check your Spam or Quarantine folders and have your IT department whitelist the SEAW@WildApricot.org email address. If you haven’t set up your account on the new SEAW.org website yet, your username is your email address, and you can select “forgot password” to receive a password reset link. Once you’re logged in, the “log in” button changes to a person icon, which you should click to view and update your profile.

Submissions Open for the 2026 SEAW Seattle Awards

Kyle Johnson

Committee: Seattle Chapter

The SEAW Seattle Chapter is proud to announce the inaugural SEAW Seattle Awards (“SEAW SA”). This will be an annual event that celebrates the significant structural engineering achievements of our members. The award ceremony is an opportunity for the SEAW Seattle Chapter to recognize the successful work we all have accomplished. Members of the SEAW Seattle Chapter are encouraged to submit eligible projects to the annual awards program for consideration. Applications will be submitted through the SEAW website and more information can be found on the SEAW SA website landing page.

Award Categories

• New Construction (Small, Medium, and Large)
• Retrofit/Alteration/Historic Preservation
• Infrastructure
• Special-Use Structures
• Study/Research/Guidelines
• Community Impact
• People’s Choice

Entry Schedule

• Solicitations Open: January 21st - March 31st
• Jury Review: April 2026
• Finalists Announced: May 2026
• The SEAW SA will take place at the SEAW Seattle June Social

Consider Supporting UW Timber Strong

Student Showcase Features SU, UW Students

Connor Lester

Committee: YMG

The SEAW Student Showcase, held this year at the University of Washington Husky Union Building in January, brought together students and industry professionals for an evening of networking and knowledge sharing. The event offered an excellent platform for aspiring engineers to present their research and projects while connecting with industry professionals. This year's showcase introduced a new format: presentations first, followed by a two-hour dinner and networking session. Traditional banquet tables were replaced with cocktail rounds surrounding sponsor booths, encouraging students to engage in meaningful conversations and representatives from local firms.

UW and SU structural engineering students mingle with SEAW members during the Student Showcase held last month.

Photo by Connor Lester.

The evening featured two student teams from Seattle University and two graduate research students from the University of Washington, who all showcased their research and project work in structural engineering.

The University of Washington students presented two diverse research projects. Donet González started us off presenting his research, “The Effect of Ground-Motion Duration on Likelihood of Column Shear Failure,” which dug into how long-duration earthquakes affect the shear behavior in circular RC bridge columns. Attendees learned how upcoming large-scale tests at UW Structural Engineer Lab will focus on flexure-shear failure mechanisms. Immediately following, Daniel Goxiola shared his research, “The Use of LIDAR-Based Measurements of Large Bridge Girders,” which discussed the use of LIDAR to measure the roll and twist angle of 149-foot long girders with shocking accuracy.

Seattle University students presented two evaluation studies. The first team – Jennifer Farias, Luisa Molina, Daniel Nyombo, Luis Coronado, and Eric Lillo – conducted a “Seismic Evaluation of Seattle City Light's Tolt Powerhouse,” assessing the building’s structural vulnerabilities in accordance with ASCE 41 provisions and assessing the existing structural performance under seismic loads. The second team – Kady Larsen, Luke Alwood, Landon Alegre, Pablo Coronado Guatzin and Adenike Adejumobi – focused on the seismic evaluation and potential retrofit of a light-framed house used by Operation Keep 'Em Warm and Fed, identifying existing structural deficiencies and potential retrofit solutions to repair a two-story house built in 1894.

The event was a resounding success, with a 1:1 representation of students and industry professionals. SEAW extends its appreciation to all the students who presented their work and to the industry professionals who contributed their time and expertise. SEAW would also like to thank the table sponsors for their generous monetary support that makes events like these possible. Events like these continue to foster collaboration and learning, bridging the gap between academia and professional practice.

This event was sponsored by AUE, CKC Structural Engineers, Coffman Engineers, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Degenkolb, Dibble Engineers, HDR, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, MLA Engineering, Quantum and WJE.

SW Chapter Tours Maritime Center

Andrea Sauter

Committee: Southwest Chapter

On January 8th, the SEAW Southwest chapter hosted a joint event with CSI Mt. Rainer chapter and AIA SWW to tour the Maritime Center development in Tacoma. This 21-acre site will be home to the Port of Tacoma’s new Business Center and Tacoma Public Schools’ Maritime | 253 Skills Center.

The waterfront site sits on the Thea Foss waterway with sweeping view of downtown Tacoma. Development of the site involved months of soil remediation to clean up the former industrial site, followed by months of ground improvements to prepare the building pad. The building pad elevation was also raised by 1 to 2 feet to address sea level rise and tsunami design concerns. 

The Port Business Center building is three stories of composite steel construction with buckling restrained braces (BRB) and features an extensive rooftop PV array. At the time of our tour the building structure was substantially complete, with exterior curtain wall and metal stud framing ongoing. Construction of the Business Center is expected to be completed in early 2027. The Maritime | 253 Skills Center is two stories of wood frame construction, with glulam beams and areas of CLT, and wood shear walls. The building features expansive labs and classrooms to train high school students from Pierce County in maritime careers. At the time of our tour the building structure was complete, with interior painting and finishes ongoing. The Skills Center is expected to be open for the fall 2026 school year. Development of the complex site also includes shoreline restoration and public access promenade, relocation of a BNSF rail spur, and a new dock.

The SEAW SW Chapter was able to tour the Maritime Center development in January. The Port Business Center is in the center of this aerial with the Maritime | 253 Skills Center for Tacoma Public Schools further on the right. Photo courtesy BN Builders and Port of Tacoma.

The tour was hosted by the general contractor BN Builders, architect TCF Architecture, and structural engineer AHBL.

WaSafe Building Safety Evaluators Upcoming Trainings

Joyce lem

Committee: Chair, DPRC

WAsafe is the Washington state program that organizes and trains a cadre of engineers, architects, and other industry professionals so they can assist local jurisdictions with the field work following a major disaster, determining whether buildings are safe for occupancy. SEAW is a key member organization of WAsafe.

You can learn how to do post-disaster building safety evaluations by completing the WAsafe Building Safety Evaluations (ATC 20/45 Plus) class at one of these in-person trainings:

• Monday, March 16th, 2026, 8:30am - 4:30pm, at the Lynnwood Convention Center. This is a class offered at the Annual Education Institute (AEI) that the Washington Association of Building Officials (WABO) sponsors. Go to WABO AEI for details and to register. Early registration prices expire on February 13tth, 2026.
• Tuesday, May 19th, 2026. Snohomish County PUD Auditorium, Everett. Details to be determined.

Then join the WAsafe registry of Building Safety Evaluators (BSEs) so you can help your community following an earthquake (or other disaster). For more about the WAsafe program, visit the website wasafecoalition.org.

Another training option is taking the combined ATC-20 / ATC-45 class on Friday, April 3rd, 2026, 8:00am-4:00pm, at the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management campus in Bremerton. For details and registration, click this link. To qualify for enrollment in WAsafe as a BSE, you will need to complete the separate, online WAsafe Program and Processes module (approximately 1-hour duration). For more details about this separate module, please see WAsafe P&P.”

If you’re already a member of WAsafe, your enrollment expires 5 years after your last training. See your ID badge for the expiration date. Please take the online Refresher training within 12 months after your WAsafe enrollment expires or you will be required to take the full-day BSE training to stay active in WAsafe. In comparison, completing the Refresher is expected to take 3 to 4 hours. For more details about the Refresher and to register, visit Refresher Training. Taking the full-day WAsafe BSE class is also an alternative to the Refresher.

WAsafe will be conducting a “Train-the-Trainer” event on June 1st, 2026, in downtown Seattle. If you are interested in helping to teach WAsafe classes, please contact the email address below. To be an instructor, you need to be a WAsafe Building Safety Evaluator (BSE), i.e., active in the WAsafe registry. We’re working on details and format for the training, but it is likely to be a full-day event.

If you have any questions about the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee or the WAsafe program, please send an email to joyce.seaw@wasafecoalition.org.

Shoring to stabilize a building in Puebla, Mexico, following damage caused by the 2017 Mexico City Earthquake. Although closer to the epicenter, ground motions in Puebla were less than half of what was experienced in Mexico City.

Photo courtesy Reid Middleton.

Thank You, Marga

SEFW Board

The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington (SEFW) would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Marga Rose Hancock as she transitions from the SEFW Board of Directors. Marga’s dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the structural engineering profession have made a lasting impact on our organization and the broader built environment community.

Marga’s involvement with the built environment goes back to her days on staff teaching and advising at the UW’s Department of Urban Planning, and her marriage to the department’s Professor Emeritus John L. Hancock. Marga later became involved with the Seattle Chapter of the AIA, where she served as CEO from 1985 to 2007. She has a long history of involvement with many civic groups in Seattle, including the Queen Anne Historical Society and Allied Arts of Seattle.

Eventually (and for unknown reasons), Marga began hanging around with structural engineers, where she was known for brightening our grey and beige get-togethers with her love of purple clothing and hair highlights. She has always been easy to spot at SEFW Forums and SEAW dinner meetings.

Before her work with SEFW, Marga’s long-standing involvement with the Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) strengthened our profession. Her contributions to SEAW — through leadership, collaboration, and mentorship —include her work on the 2012 video celebrating Structural Engineers who helped create the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. In addition, Marga was instrumental in creating the SEAW Hall of Fame (https://www.seaw.org/hall-of-fame) and has been its keeper and online steward.

Throughout her service on the SEFW Board, Marga brought thoughtfulness, integrity, and a strong sense of purpose to every discussion and initiative. She has been a passionate advocate for the Foundation’s mission, helping to advance education, outreach, and professional excellence in structural engineering across Washington state. Her involvement in SEFW’s yearly Forums has covered the spectrum of work involved, including the selection of subjects, recruiting speakers, selecting venues, and advertising the events.

Marga brought innovative ideas and content to the Forums, and she was never afraid to stretch boundaries for interesting subjects and speakers. For the 2016 Forum on Northwest engineering history, Marga suggested extending an invitation to former Washington Governor and Senator Dan Evans to take part, based on work early in his career as a structural engineer on the recently demolished Highway 99 Viaduct. Despite concerns of many on the Forum committee that he would never attend, Marga was able to get Senator Evan’s contact information, and when contacted, he agreed to attend. Many Board members were still surprised when the 92-year-old former Governor showed up and took part in a panel discussion as part of the Forum. Governor Evans’ knowledge, insight, and concise analysis stood out above those of the rest of our panel of design and construction heavy hitters. Marga's vision was an inspiration.

Her work has helped shape a stronger, more connected structural engineering community, and her legacy will continue to benefit SEFW and SEAW for years to come.

On behalf of the SEFW Board, SEAW, and our members, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Marga Rose Hancock for her exceptional service and dedication. We wish her all the best in her next chapter and look forward to seeing the continued positive impact she will undoubtedly make within our profession.

And – we look hope to still see purple at SEAW and SEFW events.

SEAW YMG Tiny Homes Volunteering

February 15th | 2:00PM - 6:00PM | Seattle, WA 

SEAW Seattle ACI Joint Dinner Meeting

February 18th | 5:00PM - 8:00PM | Seattle, WA 

SEAW Southwest 19th Annual Architectural & Engineering Trade Show

February 24th | 3:00PM - 8:00PM | Fife, WA

Visit the SEAW website for other event dates and information.

Welcome New Members!

Timothy Bernard, Associate (Degenkolb) | Seattle Chapter

Stephanie Eberle, Member PE (Sitts & Hill) | Southwest Chapter

Aashish Jain, Student | Seattle Chapter

Connor Kelly, Member PE (DHP) | Southwest Chapter

Ava Manning, Associate (MKA) | Seattle Chapter

Nicole Peden-Asarch, Member PE (Facet NW) | Seattle Chapter

Jason Sefuentes, Associate (MKA) | Seattle Chapter

Semele Strzelec, Student | Seattle Chapter

Scott Wong, Member SE (S3 Engineering) | Seattle Chapter

Ray Yu, Member PE (MKA) | Seattle Chapter 

Edward Zarmbinski, Student | Southwest Chapter 

Structural Engineer

MLA Engineering | Seattle, Washington

MLA Engineering has a unique opportunity for a Structural Engineer with three to eight years of experience to join our growing consulting and design firm in Seattle, WA. Our diverse projects require critical thinking and creativity that is cultivated through our problem-solving approach in a flexible work environment. We encourage professional development and have opportunities to advance to management roles for individuals with appropriate motivation, experience, and skills.

We design new buildings and renovate existing structures in concrete, steel, masonry, and wood-framing. We have a specialized niche in the structural design of aquarium and zoo facilities in the United States and abroad; in addition to building designs for governmental projects, including county and state infrastructure.

Qualifications required for this Structural Engineer position include:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with Structural emphasis from an ABET accredited program;
• Minimum of three years of experience working in a structural engineering consulting design office;
• EIT for three to five years of experience, PE/SE for five to eight years of experience;
• Strong technical background and analytical skills, including technical writing;
• Intuitive and practical;
• Practical use of REVIT as a design tool;
• Proficient with structural software such as RISA, ETABS, SAP2000;
• Confident and articulate in written and verbal communication;
• Motivated to advance your effectiveness as an engineer;
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Our welcoming and collaborative work environment encourages creativity, teamwork, and professional growth. To learn more about MLA, please visit our website at: www.mlaengineering.com

Apply: Send a cover letter and resume to MLA Engineering, LLC, 1109-1^st Ave, Ste 300, Seattle, WA 98101 or email: info@mlaengineering.com

Location: Convenient Downtown Waterfront Seattle location with excellent public transit options.

Benefits: Top line Medical, Dental & Vision insurance, generous HRA account, 401K Plan w/4% matching, PTO & Sick Leave, and professional training

Work Schedule: Flexible, with a minimum of three days per week in MLA's Seattle office, combined with some remote work time from home.

Supplemental Pay: Bonus and compensatory pay.

Projects: Diverse and often unique.

MLA Engineering is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women and minority candidates to apply.

Structural Engineers Association of Washington 

5727 Baker Way NW, Suite 200 | Gig Harbor, WA 98332

206.338.7376

info@seaw.org

www.seaw.org

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