Always Getting Work Done

MELVILLE, NY- (November 4, 2016) H2M architects + engineers is pleased to announce that James J. Roberts, P.E. recently joined the firm as the Director of Strategic Growth and Development in our Melville Headquarters. Mr. Roberts has more than 30 years of experience as an accomplished professional being responsible for the operations and maintenance of New York City’s water supply, distribution, wastewater collection and storm water management, one of the most extensive water and sewage systems in the world.

Mr. Roberts is joining as Director of Strategic Growth and Development. In this role he will focus on using his technical background, familiarity with city infrastructure, city government, and overall industry knowledge to elevate H2M in the New York City area, providing guidance and leadership for the firm. Mr. Roberts brings an exceptional perspective of what clients are seeking in a consulting experience.

Prior to joining H2M, Mr. Roberts served as a Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations for New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP). Mr. Roberts also served as Deputy Chief of Systems Operations, Deputy Chief of Tunnel Operations, Deputy Borough Director at the Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC) as well as various other roles, both private and public, in construction and operations over 33 years. James is a registered professional engineer in New York State with a Bachelor’s of Engineering with focus on Civil Engineering from Manhattan College. He is an active member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) where he has served as NYSAWWA Trustee at Large and Vice Chair of the Water Utility Council as well as the Water Environment Federation where he has served as a member of NYWEA Utility Executive Committee. He also served as a senior technical advisor on various Water Research Foundation initiatives.

For more than 80 years, H2M has built its engineering practice around its service to municipal water clients. H2M’s engineers work directly with municipal water suppliers and private water utilities to ensure drinking water safety and efficient distribution to the communities they serve. With multi-disciplined staff solely dedicated to public water supply, H2M has designed complete water systems, including sources of supply, treatment facilities, pump stations, storage facilities and distribution systems.

“My goal and expectation is to help H2M be better than they are today. When you join a team, you immediately want to make a positive impact to make the team better. I am certainly most excited about lending an experienced hand to guide H2M’s construction side of business.” Mr. Roberts said.

Mr. Roberts brings experience and recognized leadership in water and wastewater collections to H2M’s growing practice as a Professional Engineer with deep knowledge and understanding of the end-to-end water operations, maintenance, repair, supply, distribution, wastewater collection, and storm water management. He rose to the role of Deputy Commissioner at (DEP), where he worked since 1986, having started as an assistant engineer, building water and sewer mains. Mr. Roberts’ first big job was installing a 60-inch water main for the first stage of City Tunnel No. 3. In his most recent roles led a team responsible for activation and commissioning of the 300 MGD Croton Water Filtration Plant, the first of its kind in the history of the city and one of the largest of its kind in the world; he was responsible for operations and activation of all three in-city segments of City Tunnel No. 3, nearly 30 miles of tunnel at up to 24 feet in diameter, carrying the nearly 1 billion gallons of drinking water served to the city. Mr. Roberts administered 1.5 billion dollars’ worth of water and sewer capital programs, was responsible for approvals of connections and design plans for New York City water/sewer infrastructure, ensuring compliance with city, state, and federal regulations. Mr. Roberts represented the DEP and New York City in external planning, policy development and regulatory matters on a local and national level. Mr. Roberts also led the re-design of maintenance, and repair processes, and oversaw implementation of new field operations structure to support higher performance standards.

His responsibilities with the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations extended far beyond the routine day-to-day operation of the water and sewer systems, and included routinely responding to operational and city-wide emergencies. He was a key NYC leader in the response and recovery for Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, in addition to water and sewer main breaks; broken or inoperable fire hydrants; heat emergencies; sewer backups; flooding; and complaints related to water quality and distribution. Mr. Roberts oversaw a water and sewer system of three tunnels carrying about one billion gallons a day from upstate reservoirs, 70 shafts, 250,000 valves, 148,000 catch basins, 109,000 hydrants, 500,000 manholes, 1,300 employees and nearly 15, 000 miles of water and sewer mains.

Founded in 1933, H2M architects + engineers is a multi-disciplined professional A/E consulting and design firm based on Long Island. H2M prides itself on offering expertise from all of our market leaders and employees, however, connecting with our clients on a personal and professional level is H2M’s primary focus.

About H2M

H2M is a full-service consulting and design firm offering the expertise of more than 290 architects, engineers (water supply, civil/site, structural, M/E/P, wastewater and environmental), planners, designers, inspectors, surveyors and scientists. H2M meets the challenges associated with buildings and infrastructure and has been serving various markets throughout Long Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut for over 80 years. For more information, please visit www.h2m.com.

H2M Recruitment

H2M continuously seeks motivated college graduates and experienced professionals to join our team. The firm offers a competitive base salary and a comprehensive benefit package that includes: medical, dental, vision, and life; FSA/HSA and long and short-term disability insurances; 401(k) retirement savings plan; bonus plan; tuition reimbursement; and professional development opportunities. To view current job openings, please visit www.h2m.com/careers.