By Leslie Benson, Marketing Communications Group > With 30 years of experience in the environmental engineering industry, Sami Nasr, PhD, joined American Structurepoint in January 2013 as a technical director of the Utility Infrastructure Group. Utilizing his expertise in advanced municipal wastewater treatment applications and biological and nutrient removal, Nasr is focusing on creating new business for the firm by establishing relationships with clients with the hopes of making their wastewater treatment systems more efficient.
Most recently serving as the senior vice president for a national multimillion dollar engineering consulting firm in Connecticut, Nasr has already used his relationships to secure American Structurepoint’s first job in the state, providing technical assistance to plant operations at the 20-mgd plant in Fairfield that discharges to the Long Island Sound. “The significance is that facilities that discharge to Long Island Sound are required to remove nutrients, which is an advanced level of treatment,” says Nasr. “What I’m focusing on in my position at American Structurepoint is developing new programs for existing and prospective clients, and generating new business. Historically, my strength has been in optimization of existing infrastructure—to either reduce the cost for installing capital improvement projects and/or generate the revenue that can result from restorations.”
A member of the Water Environment Federation, Nasr has published five technical papers and given over 30 technical presentations to colleagues in the industry since first beginning his career in 1976, while working full-time at an environmental consulting firm during his graduate studies at the American University in Beirut. After graduation, he immigrated to the US in 1979 and continued his consulting work and education, achieving his doctorate in environmental engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1983. “Most of my projects, including wastewater treatment facilities, have been built and are performing, so I’m very proud of that,” Nasr says. “They are functioning very well.”
In the last six years, Nasr has also secured two US patents for innovative wastewater treatment processes (a selective contact stabilization process and a staged biotower nutrient removal process).
Nasr says he will use his expertise in advanced wastewater treatment processes to help American Structurepoint secure more business with major municipal wastewater clients and further establish the Utility Infrastructure Group as experts in nutrient removal and renewable energy applications.
“I like environmental engineering because it is diverse and multi-disciplinary,” says Nasr. “It combines science, biology, and chemistry applications. What interested me most about working for American Structurepoint were the people I met. We have solid bench strength in terms of the ability to produce fairly large contracts. The company has a lot of energy and youthfulness, and I am looking forward to helping the Utility Infrastructure Group grow and expand.”