2012 Recipient:

Vincent is the founder and chairman of DeSimone Consulting Engineers, a New York City-based structural engineering firm with major offices in Miami, San Francisco, New Haven, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Vince grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended Manhattan College gaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1959. He has since received an honorary doctorate from Manhattan College in 2009 for his achievements and his support of his alma mater. He began his career with Lev Zetlin Associates and moved on to found his own firm in 1969. The firm has grown immensely during the last 41 years, and this success is in large part the result of Vince’s independent mind, forward thinking and investment in innovative structural design.

Since founding the firm, Vince has tackled many challenges that have greatly altered our profession and our perspective. Some of those significant achievements include: his work in China in the 1970s and his contributions to concrete design. In 1976, Vince designed the first US/PRC joint-venture hotel in China, the Jianguo Hotel. Located in Beijing, the project was instrumental in altering the design environment in China. As well, Vince has been a longtime supporter and leader in the concrete industry. His work in the areas of slipforming, large circular plates and seismic resistant design has dramatically changed current thinking on concrete. Most recently his firm designed the tallest concrete structure in a Seismic Zone 4 in the United States, at 301 Mission in San Francisco. This significant achievement would not have been possible without Vincent’s extensive knowledge and his earlier work and studies in concrete.

In his spare time Vincent gives back to our profession in a variety of ways. He has pursued the development of low-cost manufactured concrete housing for implementation in impoverished regions. He has taught structures courses at both Pratt Institute and Princeton University. He remains an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, for which he was awarded life membership, and is a member and past president of the Concrete Industry Board of New York City.

For his industry contributions, Vincent has been repeatedly recognized. He was awarded an Engineering News Record Marksman Award in both 1972 and 1982. In 1976, he was made a Fellow of the American Concrete Industry. The Concrete Industry Board named him a Distinguished Industry Leader in 2001, and in 2007 he was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Concrete Industry Foundation. In 2008, he was made a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Past Recipients:

2010 Edward M. Messina
2008 Mohammed M. Ettouney
2006 Ysrael A. Seinuk
2004 Irwin G. Cantor
2002 George J. Tamaro
2000 Leslie E. Robertson
1998 Charles Thornton
1996 Mario G. Salvadori