BENTONVILLE, Arkansas – April 24, 2024 — HFA Architects + Engineers recently announced that Giancarlo Botazzi (P.E., SECB) has accepted the role of Vice President, effective immediately.
Until this most recent appointment, Botazzi has served as Structural Discipline Lead / Senior Structural Engineer in HFA’s Franklin, Mass studio, leading the Structural Engineering team with other team leaders. From serving as a discipline lead to EOR on various projects throughout his seven years at HFA, Botazzi has seen how his discipline team has grown and looks forward to continued growth.
“As I take on this new role, I will continue to mentor and guide the structural group by example while making a point to lead and empower the next generation of structural leaders at HFA. Strategizing and continuing to be forward-looking when building my discipline team to align with the companies’ goals of expansion into our usual market sectors and new sectors will be of the utmost importance to me,” said Botazzi.
Botazzi is an alumnus of both Northeastern University and the University of Texas, where he gained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering, respectively. As a Structural Engineer, he has designed complex building renovation projects and new single-story and multi-story building structures. He has comprehensive knowledge of design standards and codes for structural steel, concrete, precast concrete, masonry, wood, IBC, and other specific state building code requirements.
“Having known Giancarlo for over a decade, he has always been a great mentor and teacher, transcending discipline boundaries to ensure project delivery excellence. His ability to simplify structural concepts to the most basic level has been key to HFA’s highly collaborative and multi-disciplined team success. As Vice President, Giancarlo will be able to support HFA’s next generation of leadership while also being able to focus on aligning our structural needs with our overall growth and strategic vision of HFA,” said James Owens (AIA, NCARB), Vice President at HFA.
As he continues to lead the structural team, Botazzi will look closer at how his discipline can strategize and continue to provide more forward-thinking strategies for clients to leverage their strengths better, allowing our partnerships and people to grow professionally.
“Leadership at HFA is first and foremost about supporting our people, which Giancarlo has always proven. This much-deserved role brings even more emphasis to this while also allowing other leaders on the team to emerge, setting up our Structural Engineering team to thrive as HFA continues to grow,” said HFA COO Ryan Ray (P.E.).
Botazzi notes the importance of collaboration within disciplines as a key to continued project success, ultimately resulting in high-quality designs and long-lasting partnerships with clients.
“Our industry is based on highly skilled people working together to assist clients with building projects. I love leading a talented team of professionals working with their peers to develop commonsense and economical designs,” said Botazzi.
Botazzi concludes, “Having been with HFA for more than seven years, I have seen the company grow exponentially, and with that, I have seen how the firm and our people have thrived. Experiencing the culture and how important a people-centered environment is first-hand has impacted me to continue this approach in my leadership journey.”
