Benny Lujan has been named the Young Professional of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado (ACEC-CO).
Lujan, who works as a geotechnical engineer and project manager at CTL|Thompson, will be recognized for his achievements at the ACEC Colorado Symposium & Annual Meeting on April 26. He will also advance to the national ACEC National Young Professional of the Year Award competition.
The ACEC of Colorado Young Professional of the Year Award annually recognizes the accomplishments of a young professional (35 and under) who stands out for their contributions to the engineering profession and society at large. Lujan was recognized specifically for his role in the following projects, which relied on innovative ground improvement techniques and delivered cost savings and efficiencies to clients:
- Co-designed a first-of-its-kind passive dewatering system for three 13-story buildings and a below-grade parking garage at the Colorado Rockies stadium.
- Oversaw the team installation of a unique foundation to anchor Denver’s newest high-rise, 1144 Fifteenth Street, on a comparatively small footprint in soft bedrock, on a site with formerly polluting uses including a fueling station, nine-story bank and streetcar loop.
- Created a unique solution of deep dynamic compaction to improve the ground of a contaminated brownfield site (Metropolitan State University Regency Athletic Field Complex), earning ACEC of Colorado’s 2016 Grand Conceptor Award.
- Proposed unique ground improvement techniques to manage contaminated landfill for the massive Interstate 70 improvement project, using compaction grouting and vibropier installation to limit costs and hazards.
“Benny is particularly talented at investigating and developing innovative engineering solutions to address extremely difficult challenges on major projects,” says CTL Vice President Marc Cleveland. “Personally, I request Benny as the engineer of record on CTL’s larger, more complex commercial projects that present extraordinary challenges. He is well-deserving of ACEC’s recognition.”
Lujan joined CTL|Thompson in 2006. Since then, he has authored over 1,000 engineering reports and been the engineer of record on 30 major projects, including preliminary and design-level geologic and geotechnical investigations/consultations and post-construction geotechnical engineering consultations.
He is actively involved in local professional and community organizations, and is a member of the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers, the Geoprofessional Business Association, ACEC of Colorado and the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Lujan mentors youth as an assistant coach for his sons’ baseball teams, a math tutor for high school students in need of math assistance, and regular speaker at community and school career fairs.
