Alliance of Asian and Indian Engineers Delivers a Show of Unity

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: The commonly held view is that engineers and architects are too busy designing projects to look around and see what the rest of the world is up to. That notion got a good knocking down this past Thursday, August 15 when two different professional organizations, but with closely linked Asian pedigrees, put their heads together to prove an old adage: together we stand stronger.

The American Society of Indian Engineers, a Houston-based organization formed in 1994 has steadily been making its presence felt through periodic meetings and seminars in the past. But only in the past year has the group been making major strides to make itself more visible through programs like the Awards ceremony in June in which elder Indian engineers were recognized for their contributions.

Likewise, the Asian American Engineers and Architects, another Houston-based organization formed in 1986, has held functions in the past but has recently been less active, instead focusing in on smaller meetings between members.

Both organizations have received a quick shot in their arms due to the energetic and dedicated involvement of their current Presidents: Vishal Merchant for ASIE and Andrea Ranft of the AAEA. Both reached out across their respective Boards and though some had reservations about protecting their turf, they decided that it may the right time to hold a first joint function and have a good cross section of their Asian and Indian members, their companies and colleagues attend. “It was a lot of cajoling, planning and coordination,” said Merchant, “but in the end we were able to pull it off.”

He was referring to the luncheon that the two groups on August 15 at The Wynden, a private banquet hall on 1025 South Post Oak Lane north of San Felipe at which about 200 members of both organizations and their guests came to network and hear from the chief guest, Houston Mayor Annise Parker. The luncheon showed the strength of the Asian engineers, who number a few thousand in the Metroplex and hold some powerful positions on projects across the region. Ranft made the welcoming remarks and Merchant introduced his Board and then the Mayor to the stage. Hosting the Mayor on August 15 was a first for the ASIE, as Merchant proclaimed “Happy Independence Day” to all the guests.

Parker echoed the sentiment to the Indians in the room when she came to the podium. She has been on a surge of meetings with different groups across the city as her re-election campaign gathers up more steam. Parker’s message wherever she goes is pretty consistent: Houston is a vibrant international city, with a strong economy and the most diverse population base in the country. She proudly quotes a recent Forbes survey that calls Houston “the coolest city in the US” and then adds other cool facts like a great place to start a career and stretch your paycheck.

Parker went on to enumerate the other strong points of the local economy: energy, medicine, number one exporting port, aerospace, expanding international air connections. But mindful of her audience which has helped to design and build many elements of the city, Parker spoke about the projects that City has undertaken, like building assessments, and managing the new building boom with a leaner – 20,000 employees versus 23,000 when she first took office four years ago – government.

“We have 16,000 miles of streets and 6,000 miles of water lines,” she added and praised the drainage fee that was passed in the last election “in the middle of a recession” as support for the Houston Rebuild program that the City can “no longer build it and ignore it. We cannot let our facilities run down; we must maintain and upgrade them,” she added. “Government is not a business, but it should be run with strong business principles.”

Before her audience could ask any questions, Parker said she was going to anticipate some. “I have nothing to do with the Astrodome, but I hope they save it,” she quipped to chuckles. “The Early to Rise is a countywide initiative on the ballot, and not from the City. And finally, there is no comparison in the finances between Detroit and Houston.”

Parker recognized several people in the audience, like Christopher Stiller who is managing the construction of Metro’s new North Train Line and Rogene Gee Calvert, who is currently running for City Council At-Large Position #3. She fielded questions about the Houston First Companies program and her plans for the future which include getting out of the jail business; substantial completion of the Hike and Bike Trails, maximizing bus routes, eliminating homelessness in the next two years and breaking ground on a new Police Complex.

She recognized the frustration of homeowners to get better sidewalks and said these could be done through the Job Order Contracts for a fixed unit price that the homeowners could have more confidence with in using than dealing with private contractors. “Broken sidewalks and streets have irked me since I first came into office,” she remarked, “and I’ll fix it.”