FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TBE Group Executive Appointed to
International Utilities Scan Delegation

06/24/2008

CLEARWATER, FL –Nicholas M. Zembillas, senior vice president, utilities division, and principal of TBE Group headquartered in Clearwater, FL, has been appointed to the International Right-of-Way and Utilities Scan Delegation sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Zembillas is one of only two representatives from the private sector to be named to this prestigious delegation.

"We are pleased to have Mr. Nick Zembillas on the FHWA/AASHTO Right-of-Way & Utilities Scan Team. His many years of experience in the highway/utilities community will contribute significantly to our efforts and will give us an invaluable private-sector perspective." comments Jeffrey Zaharewicz, Value Engineering Program Manager, FHWA Office of Program Administration and a member of the Scan Delegation.

The U.S. Delegation includes members representing state departments of transportation and the FHWA. The effort is part of the FHWA’s National Strategic Plan to use innovative right-of-way and utility processes related to transportation projects to result in minimal disruption to communities. The AASHTO Subcommittee on Right-of-Way and Utilities has identified best practices in the U.S. The next step in the Strategic Plan is to have the International Scanning Delegation observe right-of-way and utility practices in several English-speaking countries (England, Australia and Canada) that have laws evolved from English Common Law. The goal is to identify best practices used in these selected countries that, if implemented in the U.S., will help ensure timely procurement and clearance of highway right-of-ways. Team members will prepare a final report containing study observations and will initiate actions to implement the findings in the U.S.

Zembillas is an internationally recognized expert in subsurface utility engineering, an engineering process that incorporates civil engineering, surface geophysics, surveying and mapping, non-destructive excavation, and asset management technologies to identify and classify subsurface utilities.  Project owners, engineers and constructors use the data to develop strategies that manage risks, avoid costly conflicts, and reduce project delays.

Under Zembillas’ leadership, TBE’s Utilities Division has been recognized as a subsurface utility engineering leader by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and most departments of transportations throughout the United States and Canada.  Zembillas is often called on to speak on subsurface utility engineering at conferences and seminars worldwide. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including ENR, Underground Focus, Underground Construction, Trenchless Technology, CE News, and Milestones.

In addition to his activity on the International Scan Delegation, Zembillas currently serves or has served as a subsurface utility engineering technical advisor to the FHWA, the National Utilities Locating Contractors Association, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of the Navy, Buried Asset Management Institute and Buried Asset Management Institute-International, Associated General Contractors, Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technologies, North American Society for Trenchless Technology, National Utility Contractors Association, and the United Kingdom’s research study called Mapping the Underworld.

Zembillas has been a Damage Prevention Advisory Board Member and is currently a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of American Military Engineers, American Society of Highway Engineers, American Public Works Association, American Association of Port Authorities, American Association of Airport Executives, International Consulting Engineers, Common Ground Alliance, Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers, Florida Engineering Society, and the Florida Transportation Builders Association. 

TBE Group, incorporated in 1984, offers a full range of consulting, design, engineering and construction services, including civil, environmental, transportation planning and design, right-of-way acquisition/relocation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and mapping, 3-D underground imaging, and utility coordination.  TBE currently ranks, #5 on Trenchless Technology’s Top 50 Design Firms (2007), #176 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) List of Top 500 Design Firms (2008), #5 and #6 respectively on the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s lists of top engineering firms (2007) and top environmental engineering firms (2006). TBE has received numerous industry and civic awards, including the 2004 Large Business of the Year Award from the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers (FICE) 2005 Grand Award for its Clearwater Northwest Fire Station brownfields redevelopment project.  TBE is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and has more than 40 offices throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China and Puerto Rico. Visit us at www.tbegroup.com.