Dan Mike, Principal – Director of Operations, Speaks with Security Systems News

Security Systems News (SSN) monthly column, Specifically Speaking, features Dan Mike, Principal – Director of Operations at Ross & Baruzzini, whose notable security design and consulting projects include the World Trade Center, LaGuardia Airport, Madison Square Garden, the Obama Presidential Center, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak. “Personally, I find the security design of cultural institutions most interesting,” Mike told SSN.

SSN: What kinds of systems do you design/specify and what services does the company provide?

Mike: We design holistic security systems based on anticipated goals of what we call “Day 2,” where the client has accepted the systems that we designed and engineered, in many cases, two to five years prior to their acceptance. These systems almost always include access control, video, intrusion detection, intercom and emergency call stations. They often also include visitor management, forced entry, blast mitigation, vehicle interdiction and sometimes gunshot detection. The design is always driven by the client and their unique needs. Once designed, our firm provides bid support and full construction administration through the life of the project. Once complete, we provide a set of record documents and final acceptance.

SSN: How did you get started in security and designing/specifying?

Mike: After 20 years on the contracting side, I decided to make the transition to the design/specifying side. I was very fortunate to be offered a position with our firm. At the time, Ducibella, Venter & Santore, was one of the most prestigious security design firms in world. After being acquired by Ross & Baruzzini in 2015, we are now merged with our sister firm, Integral. We were recently honored to announce the new company name, Introba.

SSN: Can you talk about what new or emerging technologies you are seeing or specifying today?

Mike: I see great potential for perimeter security in the integration of radar, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and video systems. I see presence detectors continuing to evolve over the next few years with the potential to significantly change the way we detect and monitor people. I recently specified my first vape detector in a K-12 restroom.

Read the full article from Security Systems News, and learn more about our Security solutions here.

Security Vice President – Managing Principal Phil Santore Featured in Security Magazine Article with Focus on Mental Health

Ross & Baruzzini Security Vice President – Managing Principal, Phil Santore, spoke with Security Magazine on how safety and security stakeholders can empower students and staff to help mitigate mental health issues, violence or unwanted behaviors by starting with facility design:

“To build or create an environment indicative of a negative place paints a picture that students see. Everything you put in front of them says something to them, even nonverbally,” Santore says. “When you stop thinking like a security professional and start thinking like an educator, parent or child, you can do some wonderful things.”

There is a movement to go from the reactive to passive and proactive when it comes to helping students address mental health issues and manage behavioral concerns, as well as mitigate school violence, bullying or unwanted behaviors. One of the ways schools can approach this issue is through a holistic facility design that implicitly encourages students and staff to speak out about potential problems before they happen, according to Santore.

You may have heard about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED. But even school stakeholders that don’t have training in CPTED can take a critical look at their environments from the eye of a student, a staff member or a bad actor.

“Those schools that are willing to think outside the box are beginning to design schools differently,” he explains. School counselors or mental health professionals have traditionally been housed in the main office, removed from the general population of the school, creating a physical and mental separation between them and the students.  

Read the full article from Security Magazine, and learn more about our Security solutions here.

Ross & Baruzzini and Integral Group Come Together Under New Brand, Introba, to Meet Increasing Global Demand for Sustainable, Resilient Engineering

Integral Group, a global network of deep green engineers and consultants, and Ross & Baruzzini, a technology, consulting, and engineering firm, announced they are combining entities under a new brand name, Introba. The combined organization will have over 1,100 employees in 31 offices across the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and Australia, creating one of the largest building engineering and consulting firms. 

Together, as Introba, the organization will collaborate to transform the built environment with a diverse range of services, including district planning, technical design, system integration, and performance optimization through digital transformation and sustainable strategies. 

Founded in 2008 by Kevin Hydes, Integral Group is a leading deep green firm accelerating the adoption of sustainable building design, moving from green and net-zero buildings towards regenerative buildings that mitigate global environmental impacts and reduce ecological degradation. Integral Group was a founding signatory of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Commitment and Carbon Leadership Forum’s MEP 2040 Challenge. The firm has also worked on over 100 Net Zero Energy buildings. 

Significant projects include Google Bay View and Charleston East campuses (United States), J. Craig Venter Institute (United States), Lululemon’s global headquarters (Vancouver, Canada), and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (Ontario, Canada). 

Ross & Baruzzini was incorporated by Donald Ross, Sc.D., P.E, and Joseph Baruzzini in 1962. Recent notable projects include physical security planning for the World Trade Center, medical equipment planning for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, data center and high-performance computing consulting at Georgia Institute of Technology, engineering and security consulting for Elanco Animal Health’s global headquarters, and security vulnerability assessments for National Safe Skies Alliance. 

The new organization will be led by Bill Overturf. Overturf spent 29 years at Ross & Baruzzini, serving as president from 2016 to 2020. In January 2020, he was appointed CEO and president of Integral Group. 

“Together, we now offer our clients more by combining our skills and resources,” said Bill Overturf, president of Integral Group and Ross & Baruzzini. “Our blended expertise in deep core engineering practice areas with specialty advisory services will continue to create advanced systems that are intelligent, resilient, and highly sustainable. Together, as Introba, we will be a leader in advanced engineering and innovations.” 

Introba will provide a full range of design services, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering; technology systems; security consulting; medical equipment planning; aviation baggage handling; and sustainability consulting across key sectors, including commercial, healthcare, government, education, aviation, culture, and science and technology. Clients will continue to receive the same personal service and global expertise hallmarked by both firms. As Introba comes together, the new firm will offer new services to provide advanced technology, consulting, and deep green engineering solutions. 

“With a focus on decarbonization and resilience, Integral Group has developed into a worldwide company that provides comprehensive green engineering solutions on some of the most challenging projects in the world,” said Kevin Hydes, founder of Integral Group, who remains in an advisory role and as a specialty consultant. Hydes will continue to play a crucial part in the leadership of strategic projects and activities. “With Ross & Baruzzini’s diversified market strategy and deep technology applications, our unified firm will create systems that lift communities, protect the planet’s health, and evolve to meet the demands of the future.” 

Ross & Baruzzini also announced that Craig Toder, who joined the firm in 1982 as a member of the founding family, is retiring. Toder served as CEO and president of Ross & Baruzzini for more than 20 years until 2016, when he transitioned to the role of chairman of the board.  

“The business will continue to prosper and expand as Introba, under Bill’s guidance,” Craig affirmed. “This is a powerful chapter in our ongoing legacy. Ross & Baruzzini and Integral Group coming together bring an unmatched team of over 1,100 employees that will provide tremendous technical depth on a global scale that will enable our clients to have access to unique talent for the most difficult building and infrastructure challenges.” 

The respective firms will begin operating as Introba by the end of 2022. 

Link to full release.

About Integral Group 

Integral Group is an international network of engineers and consultants collaborating under a single “deep green” umbrella. We are pioneers of high-performance engineering at building and district scales and leaders in crafting sustainable strategy, planning, and policy.​ Home to innovators and systems thinkers with big ideas, we help our clients protect the health of our planet with the technical experience to deliver their project goals:​ www.integralgroup.com

About Ross & Baruzzini 

Ross & Baruzzini delivers integrated technology, consulting, and engineering solutions for safe, sustainable, and resilient facilities. Working across various industries, its team brings specialized expertise in medical equipment planning; network and communications; physical security; digital transformation; cybersecurity; and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering. Discover where innovation is made personal at www.rossbar.com

Day in the Life: Aidan Donovan | Plumbing Intern

I recently started my internship at Ross & Baruzzini as a plumbing engineer. I have done a lot of exciting things since I’ve started, so here is what you can expect in the first few weeks:

The first week of my internship was all about meeting new people and getting settled into my new work environment. I was given a tour of the building, I met the other members of my department, and I started getting my work environment set up.

Ross & Baruzzini uses a program called Microsoft Teams. This is the main form of communication between you and the rest of the company. Microsoft Teams will also provide you with a weekly schedule for any meetings or activities you need to attend.

Most of my time is spent at my desk working on drawings, but there are times when you will be out on a job site. During the second week of my internship, I visited the Lemay water treatment plant. This was my first site visit, and it was a great way to see what life in the field is like.

Day in the Life: John Matulis | Mechanical Intern

As a member of the mechanical team at Ross and Baruzzini, each new day brings its own excitement and challenges. Recently, the most pressing project for my team here in the Kansas City office has been designing the HVAC system for a new football operations center for the University of Virginia.

We create our plans from a model in Revit. As we make changes to the model throughout the day, all the notes and callouts on the plan become a jumbled mess. It is much easier to do design work when the existing plans are easy to read. So, a typical day for me on this project starts with tagging and organizing to make the plans nice and neat for myself and my fellow engineers. Then, depending on the day, I dive into positioning and sizing ductwork, boxes, pipes, and other parts of the system.

Later in the day, I might work on a load calculation. Load calcs are all about figuring out how large your equipment needs to be. If it is too small, you end up with a building that gets cold in the winter or hot in the summer. If it is too large, your client has wasted anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars because of your recommendation.

First, I gather all the information I can get about the building: location, materials, intended use of rooms, and lots more. Then I make and document assumptions and carefully put all of them into a computer program that tells us how much heat enters or leaves the building depending on the weather. We can then use that information to help design the system.

Day in the Life: Emma Parker | Electrical Intern

I have been working with Ross & Baruzzini as an intern since February of 2021. In that time, I have learned a lot about how a project comes together between architects, engineers, and contractors. I have spent this summer working on design-build proposals.

As part of the electrical team, I have pulled together light fixture cutsheets, read through the Request for Proposal, and determined which fixtures need to be used where in the preliminary building drawings. In other projects, I have worked on light level calculations, generator sizing calculations, and laying out equipment in Revit. The experience has shown me not only what electrical engineers do but also how they work with others.

The time I spent working here has given me skills and experience that are useful even outside of my work. I am very involved in Engineers Without Borders, specifically in planning international trips. My job at Ross & Baruzzini has given me a better understanding of our international project design process. I have been able to improve our group’s organization and project documentation. Overall, my time at Ross & Baruzzini has trained me to be a successful engineer after graduation.

Day in the Life: Devin Ea | Technology Intern

I am Devin, and I am going to be a senior this fall at the Colorado School of Mines. I study electrical engineering, and I have the wonderful opportunity to be the Technology division intern for the summer.

Here at the Denver office, I work hybrid, which means some days I come to the office while others I can work completely remote.  

At the office, I’m provided a laptop, docking station, and two monitors to improve productivity. My usual tasks include handling Revit models, reviewing documents, attending meetings, and occasional site visits. Some of these tasks are completely virtual, but it is nice to have someone to help you hands-on, especially with familiarizing yourself with new software.

The schedule depends on the work my advisor can give me, based on difficulty and novelty, so the work is always encompassing new aspects of project development. Some work could be relocating specific components in an entire Revit project, while others are back-to-back meetings on doors.

One of the projects I’ve worked on is the SCL Health Hospital, where I’ve revised the tech layout and have gone on a site visit. During this internship, I’ve learned how to do lots of small things that help contribute to the project, and I’m continuing to learn new things.

Day in the Life: Stephen Kielhofner | Mechanical Intern

Hello! My name is Stephen Kielhofner and I am a mechanical intern at the St. Louis branch of Ross & Baruzzini. I decided to pursue an internship in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering as this field is a less-traditional sector of mechanical engineering. Where instead of designing individual mechanical devices, a complex system of mechanical devices and structures is assembled for a practical purpose.

My manager is a seasoned MEP engineer, while my mentors have been in this area of work for around three to five years. Communicating with people outside of my direct coworkers and fellow interns are encouraged. Questions about job assignments and MEP, in general, are answered and encouraged.

During the first few weeks, I spent many hours orienting myself with software such as Revit, Trace 700, and AutoCAD. And my mentors trained me in some basics of mechanical design and software applications. Once some training had been completed, a common task given to me would include modifying Revit drawings based on redlines. Or tracing ductwork to identify the airflows and horsepower of HVAC units. One morning, a member of Ross & Baruzzini construction administration took the intern team on-site of a major building renovation to observe how MEP systems all fit together and the importance of coordinating work between different systems’ teams.

My Desk! Sparsely decorated, but there is a LEGO set hiding in the shelf on the right.

My manager also took the intern team to a client site to scout existing HVAC systems and their conditions in a building before renovation design work began. These tasks and activities are giving me a clear-cut idea how what my job may look like being a full-time mechanical engineer.

Day in the Life: Rosalie Garzia | Medical Equipment Planning Intern

My name is Rosalie, and I am a junior studying biomedical engineering at the University of Missouri. I learned about opportunities at Ross and Baruzzini at my school’s career fair and was excited because their headquarters are in St. Louis, my hometown. They have worked on countless projects around town, and their commitment to building communities is important to me.

Since I am interested in medical devices, the Medical Equipment Planning team is a great fit for me. The team works with hospitals and other healthcare systems to make sure they have the proper equipment on hand to save lives. We also streamline the process of getting the hospital up and running by managing the procurement, logistics, and even installation of the products.

The main system we use is Planview, created in-house specifically for Medical Equipment planning at Ross & Baruzzini. We also look at room drawings to match our equipment plans with the architect’s plans. My first week was spent learning how to use Planview through training sessions and videos. After that, I began my first project. I received a list of equipment that a university will be purchasing for an expansion and created the project in Planview. In addition, I completed an electrical audit to send to the architect to ensure each item has proper electrical sourcing. Within the first few weeks of my internship, I was already meeting with clients to share my report!

My other responsibilities include price matching, obtaining quotes, and ensuring the quotes reflect what we have in Planview. I also work on general database maintenance such as researching items and ensuring the information in Planview is current.

Day in the Life: Meet Our 2022 Interns

We’re excited to welcome our 2022 summer interns! Our intern program gives new talent experience with several types of projects throughout their discipline as well as our other markets. Each intern also receives a company mentor and will have opportunities to interact and engage with senior leadership.

In this blog series, see what our amazing interns experience during their time working at Ross & Baruzzini:

Emre Guvenilir | Information Technology Database Intern

“My entire team is supportive and helps me when I need it, but also lets me figure out issues on my own to learn how to troubleshoot properly before asking for help. There were times I would be stuck on an issue, but with the help of Google, a programmer’s best friend, and a little bit of critical thinking, I have solved many of the issues I came across.”

Read Emre’s Full Story

Kalib Morales | Mobility Systems Intern

“As a student at the University of Delaware for civil engineering, I have always dreamt of working in infrastructure. Roads, bridges, trains, housing – they all pique my interest in leaving a positive mark on the world. Here at Ross & Baruzzini, my dreams are a reality.”

Read Kalib’s Full Story

Luke Muckerheide | Mechanical Intern

“The great thing about this internship is that you immediately get involved with real-world work. After review, the HVAC systems I worked on can be put into buildings. The documents and schematics I worked with will be sent to contractors and building owners. In ten years, you can walk into a hospital or classroom in ten years and know that your work is a part of it.”

Read Luke’s Full Story

Nate Ulsas | Business Development & Sales Intern

“As a sales intern, here you will learn the different functions of making sales proposals in each market; potential client and project research, operating sales databases, and how to successfully create and maintain networks necessary to succeed in the world of business development.”

Read Nate’s Full Story

Rosalie Garzia | Medical Equipment Planning Intern

“After that, I began my first project. I received a list of equipment that a university will be purchasing for an expansion and created the project in Planview. In addition, I completed an electrical audit to send to the architect to ensure each item has proper electrical sourcing. Within the first few weeks of my internship, I was already meeting with clients to share my report!”

Read Rosalie’s Full Story

Devin Ea | Technology Intern

“One of the projects I’ve worked on is the SCL Health Hospital, where I’ve revised the tech layout and have gone on a site visit. During this internship, I’ve learned how to do lots of small things that help contribute to the project, and I’m continuing to learn new things.”

Read Devin’s Full Story

Emma Parker | Electrical Intern

“My job at Ross & Baruzzini has given me a better understanding of our international project design process. I have been able to improve our group’s organization and project documentation. Overall, my time at Ross & Baruzzini has trained me to be a successful engineer after graduation.”

Read Emma’s Full Story

John Matulis | Mechanical Intern

“As a member of the mechanical team at Ross and Baruzzini, each new day brings its own excitement and challenges. Recently, the most pressing project for my team here in the Kansas City office has been designing the HVAC system for a new football operations center for the University of Virginia.”

Read John’s Full Story

Aidan Donovan | Plumbing Intern

“Most of my time is spent at my desk working on drawings, but there are times when you will be out on a job site. During the second week of my internship, I visited the Lemay water treatment plant. This was my first site visit, and it was a great way to see what life in the field is like.”

Read Aidan’s Full Story