WilsonMiller’s President, Fermin A. Diaz, P.E., Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Sunday June 24th 2007
Filed Under WilsonMiller
Fermin Diaz Helped Make Firm a National Leader
NAPLES, Fla./June 22, 2007 — WilsonMiller President and Chief Operating Officer Fermin A. Diaz, P.E., celebrated his 30th anniversary with the firm on June 20. Diaz has spearheaded the phenomenal growth of WilsonMiller from a single engineering office in Naples to its current position as one of the nation’s top-ranked planning, design, surveying, and civil engineering firms, with more than 650 professionals on staff in 11 locations spanning the state of Florida.
Diaz joined WilsonMiller as a project engineer upon graduation from the University of South Florida in 1977. Hired to be what he once jokingly called “the chief grunt,” he quickly established his working credentials and steadily climbed the corporate ladder to become a Principal and Board Member prior to being named President in 2002.
An accomplished Professional Engineer (P.E.) in his own right, Diaz has been instrumental in design, permitting, project management, and construction services for a multitude of private and public sector projects throughout Florida involving stormwater, drainage, irrigation, potable water distribution and transmission, sewage collection, and roadway design.
In addition to leading the firm’s operations, Diaz has created an environment within WilsonMiller that stresses employee well being, personal and professional growth, and community involvement; he has spearheaded in-house training and continuing education programs for career advancement.
Among the recognition that WilsonMiller has received during his tenure are the Naples Alliance for Children Family Friendly Business award and the Economic Development Council of Collier County - Best Place to Work award among large companies in 2006 and 2007. In addition, WilsonMiller recently received the Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award for demonstrating high standards of ethical behavior in all levels of the organization.
“Fermin leads by example rather than edict,” said WilsonMiller Chairman and CEO Alan D. Reynolds, AICP. “He is a caring yet forceful leader who commands respect by his personal commitment to his profession and his community. Fermin considers WilsonMiller employees the firm’s strongest asset, and he demonstrates this belief in tangible ways every day of the year.”
A longtime resident of Naples and a graduate of Naples High School, Diaz is a highly visible leader in the community. Diaz credits his education as the most important factor in launching his successful career, and he encourages staff members at all 11 WilsonMiller offices to volunteer at local schools. He has made a special commitment to teach younger engineers the value of their profession and skills and the impact both have on the environment and the public.
He helped establish the scholarship programs of the Florida Engineering Society (FES) and Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers (FICE) and was co-founder of the FES/FICE Leadership Institute. An active member of both organizations for more than a quarter-century, he served as FICE President in 2002-03 and is currently a member of the FICE Consulting Engineers Legislative Council (CELC), a group he chaired in 2005.
In 1999, Diaz received the FICE’s prestigious Governor A. W. Gilchrist Award for bringing recognition to the profession through civic leadership and significant participation in FICE and other professional and technical societies. The FES Calusa Chapter honored him as Engineer of the Year in 1995 and Young Engineer of the Year in 1980. He also won the Young Engineer of the Year Award from the South Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Diaz is a Fellow Member of both the FES and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and he is a Trustee of the FES Florida Engineering Foundation. Diaz also served as the ACEC national director for Florida and is a member of ASCE and National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
A graduate of the Leadership Florida Class of 2000 and Leadership Collier Class of 1997, Diaz serves on the Advisory Board of the University of South Florida College of Engineering. He is a former board member and Vice Chairman of the Naples Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida Business Leadership Hall of Fame.
Diaz was selected as a “Man of Distinction” by N Magazine and the Collier County Education Foundation in 2002, and he is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow.
To honor Diaz on the occasion of his 30th anniversary, WilsonMiller named him the recipient of the firm’s first Professional Recognition Award, which will be presented annually to an individual in the firm who demonstrates notable involvement, participation, and leadership in professional and community organizations outside the company.
ABOUT WILSONMILLER:
WilsonMiller is a multidisciplinary planning, design, engineering, and surveying firm with a history of more than 50 years in professional consulting. From 11 offices, the firm offers a single source of high-level, diverse services for land management, infrastructure, transportation, and environmental projects to public and private clients throughout Florida and beyond. WilsonMiller ranks among the Top 150 Design Firms in the United States, according to Engineering News-Record’s 2007 list. The corporate headquarters are located in the Wilson Professional Building, 3200 Bailey Lane, Suite 200, Naples, FL 34105.
For more information, call (800) 649-4336, or visit WilsonMiller’s Web site, www.wilsonmiller.com.