The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) has named James “Jim” Perise, P.E., LEED AP, vice president and chief plumbing and fire protection engineer, 2022 Engineer of the Year, marking the second year in a row an STV engineer has received the top honor. 

Since joining the STV family in 2012, Perise has led the plumbing and fire protection engineering component for many transformative, award-winning projects, including Cornell University Mui Ho Fine Arts Library Renovation in Ithaca, NY; the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot in New York City, a LEED^© gold certified facility; a new cadet barracks for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; and Curtis High School Addition and Renovation on Staten Island.

Currently, Perise is overseeing the plumbing and fire protection design for the new Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, a $1.4 billion design-build project for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This new 1 million-square-foot, 33-gate domestic terminal will replace the existing Terminal A with a state-of-the-art LEED® certified facility. It will have a central grease recovery system serving the numerous food and beverage tenants as well as clean agent fire suppression systems protecting critical operations spaces.

“I’m flattered and honored to be recognized by ACEC New York,” Perise said. “I’ve been a fan of the organization ever since I joined the Plumbing and Fire Protection Code Committee in 2014.”

“This honor from ACEC New York is richly deserved,” said Kim Vierheilig, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, president of STV’s Buildings and Facilities practice. “Jim Perise’s commitment to excellence is evident in the high-quality engineering services he consistently delivers to our clients. He has been a leader and a mentor to our early career professionals, as well as an advocate and steward for sustainable practices.”

He is an active supporter of ACEC New York for nearly a decade. He has been a member of both the ACEC Plumbing Code and ACEC Fire Code committees since 2014, including serving as chairman of the Fire Code committee for four years.  He has also served as a moderator for its Engineering Excellence Awards program.

In addition to his involvement with ACEC New York, Perise has helped shape the industry by serving on numerous industry and code committees throughout his career. He is currently working with the NYC Existing Building Code Technical Committee to create the city’s first standalone existing building code. Recently, as a member of the NYC Building Code Fire Protection Technical Committee, Jim helped complete code updates that will take effect in November 2022. Earlier in his career, Jim was a volunteer member of the New York City Green Codes Task Force, an initiative launched by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to propose changes to construction codes and regulations that foster green building strategies. The task force has helped mold the city into a model of sustainability for the rest of the country.

Last year Chris Cerino, P.E., SECB, F. SEI, DBIA, STV vice president and director of structural engineering in New York, won ACEC New York’s 2021 Engineer of the Year.

Perise will receive the Engineer of the Year award at ACEC New York’s 2022 Annual Meeting on June 1 at the Union League Club in New York City.