ACEC-SC unveils new awards, recognizes statewide excellence in the engineering field

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The American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina (ACEC-SC) presented four new awards at the Awards Banquet at the S.C. Engineering Conference & Trade Show on June 16.

Awards unveiled at the June event include Small and Large Firm of the Year, Young Professional of the Year and Engineer of the Year. ACEC-SC’s Membership Committee created these awards in recognition of excellence among its members and member firms and the advancement of engineering in South Carolina.

Small and Large Firm of the Year awards were based upon ACEC-SC member firms’ demonstrated leadership in promoting the private practice of engineering through ACEC and ACEC-SC and their involvement in local communities.

Carolina Transportation Engineers and Associates (CarolinaTEA), PC is the ACEC-SC Small Firm of the Year. Members of the firm have updated ACEC-SC’s bylaws and have mentored other engineering professionals and firms. They have worked with the ACEC-SC Board of Directors to establish the ACEC-SC Emerging Leaders Board, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the ACEC-SC Infrastructure Works Institute. Members from this firm serve on the Transportation Committee, the Transportation Executives Committee and have served on numerous subcommittees.

Kimley-Horn, the ACEC-SC 2023 Large Firm of the Year, has been a dedicated ACEC-SC member since establishing operations in South Carolina. Members of the firm support ACEC-SC initiatives and committees including Future Leaders, the Emerging Leaders Board, Transportation Committee, Mid-Level Designers and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. The firm won two ACEC-SC Engineering Excellence Awards this year, and both projects were ACEC National Finalists. Kimley-Horn has ranked on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work list for the past 16 years.

Grace Porter, a roadway engineer at AECOM, is ACEC-SC’s first-ever Young Professional of the Year. Porter graduated last year from ACEC-SC’s Future Leaders Program and is currently on its Emerging Leaders Board, serving on the ACEC-SC Communications Committee. Porter received the Young Civil Engineer of the Year award from ASCE-SC in 2022. She is a member of the Central SC Committee of 100 (C100), a group organized to promote economic development in the Midlands region of South Carolina.

Melvin Williams, senior client development manager and vice president at Terracon Consultants, Inc., is ACEC-SC’s Engineer of the Year. Judging criteria for this award examines the person’s contributions to the consulting community, ACEC-SC and the field of engineering as well as their embodiment of ACEC-SC’s mission, vision and goals. Williams has served the organization on the state and national level, having recently completed his term as Senior Vice Chair of ACEC National. He also served as Planning Cabinet Chair, Nominating Committee Chair, and Engineering Excellence Chair on the national level.

Williams, an ACEC Fellow, was a Board Member of the ACEC Research Institute from

2022-2023. He served two terms on the ACEC-SC Board of Directors and has served as the ACEC-SC Transportation Committee Chair more than once.

About American Council of Engineering Companies of South Carolina
ACEC-SC advocates, advances, and protects the business interests of engineering firms and standards of the engineering profession in South Carolina. Learn more at acecsc.org.