Engineering Florida with President Kelly Cranford

Welcome to the premier edition of the Florida Engineering Society's Engineering Florida Podcast!

In our very first episode, Florida Engineering Society President Kelly Cranford talks with host Sam Yates about the role this innovative podcast will play in helping to educate the public and Members about the various aspects of Engineering in Florida. And Cranford describes some of the key topics and issues to be addressed in the upcoming year on Engineering Florida.

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The Florida Engineering Society, Engineering Florida podcast, is produced by Yates & Associates, Public Relations & Marketing. Contact Sam Yates, Sam@Yatespro.com.

Transcript

Sam Yates: 0:01

Engineers are ingenious professionals. Engineers invent, design, verify and qualify, engineers are the professionals who make our lives and businesses prosperous and safe. The Florida Engineering Society is proud to put our engineering professionals in the spotlight so that they may educate, share information and introduce you to the world of engineering that is thriving in Florida. Here's your host of the Engineering Florida podcast, Sam Yates with today's guest. Hello, everyone. Welcome to a brand new podcast for the Florida Engineering Society. The podcast is called Engineering Florida. And I have the president of the Florida Engineering Society here with me, Kelly Cranford. Kelly, welcome to the program.

Kelly Cranford: 0:51

Good morning, Sam.

Sam Yates: 0:53

Now, I think everyone wants to know, what is this program? How does it work? And what is it going to do for the Florida Engineering Society?

Kelly Cranford: 1:02

Well, we have over 3000 members within our society. And we thought the podcast forum would be a great way to help keep our members up to date and show other people who are not members what what we're doing, why you should join and become one of us.

Sam Yates: 1:17

And I want to take a little credit there because when I met you as the the president of the Florida Engineering Society, I have to step aside and say I've known you for a while Culpeper interpreting, I know that engineers many sorts do many different things here in Florida. And it's always been something that fascinates me that you do so many things as engineers that people don't know about. So I think this is a great avenue for putting people in the spotlight. But it's not just people, it's also topics and issues.

Kelly Cranford: 1:49

It's topic, it's an issues and how we come together to solve different problems and challenges that are facing society, we are problem solvers by trade. That's what we have in common. And we do, we've got private practice, which is all your consulting engineers, we have engineers in government, that's another one of our practice sections. We have those in education. So your professors, your teachers, they're part of our group, and we get to bounce ideas off of each other. So that we have not only those that are in the consulting field, but we have those that are doing the research, and we can talk back and forth and incorporate the new research that they're doing into what's actually being built in the field brings me to the engineers that work in construction. So once the project is designed, we have engineers out there watching it and making sure that it's built correctly,

Sam Yates: 2:36

when we take a look at construction, you know, I will put on my partial construction hat and say that I'm a member of the Gold Coast Builders Association Board of Directors. And looking at the construction industry, they're always raising questions of how to interface with the engineering side of business, this could be one of those vehicles that helps to bring the two parts together, they

Kelly Cranford: 3:00

could and we're hoping and when we've talked and we will do that. So I am a civil engineer, and the majority of our members, but definitely not all of them are civil engineers, as well. So we do the things that don't move the things below the ground and the skyscrapers, making sure when you flush the toilet that it goes to the treatment plant and gets treated, making sure that the water you turn on the tap that you get water at the right pressure and the roads that you drive on make, we do our best to make sure they last there is an issue we go in and we fix it. And we alter the design if we're seeing that there is a reoccurring problem. But we also have members that serve in industry. So we have some members that work for a bottom lawn that actually made the contact lenses. We have a wide variety of members. And we're excited to bring them to the public through this podcast.

Sam Yates: 3:50

Awesome. And one of the things I want to take on as as a goal is to help increase your membership 3000 members, that's a lot. How many members can we have

Kelly Cranford: 4:00

before our last recession in 2009, we were at 4600 members so we know they're out there that we can get back up to there. And thanks to technology, we can have meetings virtually. We can bring you these podcasts. We have our newsletters, we have our professional development, virtual and in person webinars that our members are welcome to. So yeah, I think it's a great time and we're gonna keep on keep on rolling.

Sam Yates: 4:25

Right here at the top of the program before we get too far into the program. How may someone if they are interested in becoming a member of the Florida Engineering Society? How can they go about that

Kelly Cranford: 4:37

they can go to fleng.org.

Sam Yates: 4:42

Now I know you also have students who are members of the organization.

Kelly Cranford: 4:47

We do and Student Membership is free. We have I believe it's 18 chapters throughout the state of Florida at different universities. So the membership is free as long as you are a college student and you can sign up at this same website flng.org. So they have meetings, they have student meetings, they elect the presidents and all the officers. And they're also welcome to attend the local chapter. So we have 19 chapters throughout the state of Florida. So student members can attend their student meetings, but they are also welcome to attend the chapter meeting in their region, as well as our annual conference, which will be in Marco Island in 2023.

Sam Yates: 5:24

Now, I know that the organization also has special committees and special groups that look at very specific things. And one of the items that continues to come to the forefront is the Serb side collapse. Yeah, what's happening there,

Kelly Cranford: 5:40

we had formed a working group, with not just members of the Florida engineering society, but also some members of the Concrete Institute that, you know, concrete apparently failed. So they were as part of the group, we have structural engineers, I believe we also had the building officials association that we brought together a group of about 12 people representing different organizations who have looked into what rules and regulations could have been in place to help prevent this from ever happening again. And that group in the next couple of months, we'll reconvene and tie up some loose ends with a lot of legislation that's new. And that was put together fairly quickly. There were some questions. So they're going to hope to alleviate some of those unintended requests and an unintended consequences of some things that were put into that legislation.

Sam Yates: 6:31

So in reality, the Florida Engineering Society does play a very critical and key role in getting legislation back to our local communities back to the state that keeps us safe.

Kelly Cranford: 6:43

We have we have several lobbyist, and we also, every year we go, and we have professional engineering days at the State Capitol, where we go and meet with each and every one of the legislators and tell them not only what our concerns are for any legislation that's been introduced, but also what our members do and how we can help them. So they have a constituent that's all upset about this intersection, or bridge failure or this, we have members that will they can contact and we'll reach out and help the legislator and his staff or her staff understand what's really going on and help them find solutions.

Sam Yates: 7:17

Now, I know by being affiliated with you, and Culpeper terpening. In particular, I have seen problems that exists. And engineers, they have a knack for solving problems. Without going into specifics. Hurricane Ian just really wreaked havoc across Florida. Any problem areas that surfaced that engineers are in particular, taking a look at right now as we are into 2023.

Kelly Cranford: 7:45

There are I mean, there, there is still a lot of damage over there. And so there are a couple of things. Our sister publication, the very first issue is going to come out in March, the engineering Florida publication, which will be available on the website as well. One of the things that was amazing following Hurricane Ian was how Flass the Florida Department of Transportation was able to get those bridges reopened. It was I mean, after Hurricane Michael, it took months, but they were able to do it in a matter of weeks and days. So they did that by a series of a new procurement method, and working together with the contractors to make sure everything was done quickly. So that will be one of the features of our very first publication. So we'll look forward to the details there. We have seen some homes are needing to be right elevated for the tide for the surge, and the new construction standards. They've looked at what what really happened, what survived what didn't survive. And there is a local high school who's got a pro who is looking at different alternatives as a high school project to see how they can help their own community. We're also helping the Florida Gulf Coast College, which was hit very badly by hurricane Ian, we had engineering students who had a place to live. And then their classes were canceled for about a month because they had no facilities. So what they're doing is going back and taking classes on Saturdays, well, if you had a part time job, that means you can't do the part time job and get your degree. So we have some donors who are offering to help those students.

Sam Yates: 9:20

And that brings that brings to the forefront two items that I think a lot of people may not realize is that the the Florida Engineering Society and engineers in general, are very, very community related in every community. They're involved in doing something for the betterment of their communities, and that's something the organization takes on as well.

Kelly Cranford: 9:42

Yes, we're known for being introverts, which fine you might not find us on the front page of the newspaper or are taking the lead on as an anchor man or something but some of us are, but we do like to get involved. And sometimes a lot often will be behind the scenes. But when we see there's a need, we will develop an way to solve that need.

Sam Yates: 10:06

Something that flows along with that if someone wants to get involved from our communities, and they're not necessarily engineers, but they want to take a role of some sort, and helping to educate our youth into the many different aspects of engineering, how would they go about? And can they do that?

Kelly Cranford: 10:25

They certainly can. The Florida engineering society. In Florida, we have been the sponsor of Mathcounts, which is a middle school competition, promoting math. Within Florida, I believe it was since 1993, whenever the program first started. So our 18 chapters actually hold regional competitions. And then the Florida Engineering Society sponsors, the state competition winners of their of course go on to the international competition. And if you're interested in sponsoring, that are volunteering to help with that competition, you can go to flng.org, as well. And there's a link. We also are involved in the science fairs within the state of Florida. But if you go to the flng.org, and call our main office, they will get you coordinated with whoever is in need of needing volunteers and donations. We are also affiliated with the Florida engineering Foundation, which their sole mission is education of engineering students. So starting in kindergarten and going all the way through college. So that's a great organization. And it's my fvf.org is their website,

Sam Yates: 11:35

as we look at the things that go on from the Florida Engineering Society to its constituents, you also do things abroad.

Kelly Cranford: 11:45

We do we are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with our counterpart in Puerto Rico, they are close by they are US citizens, they have similar interest in issues to we do to what we have in Florida, similar climate, they have a real need for engineers. So right now, you have to sign up and be registered in Puerto Rico. So we're working on different ways, kind of behind the scenes. And that might be two or three years to get done. But we have interest in taking trips. So that's something else we're looking at engineering related trips, whether it's to tour and Machu Picchu, led by an FIU professor who is very familiar with Machu Picchu, but he it's the trip will focus on engineering related aspects. We've also been invited into Spain to go visit the Aqua ducks. And once again, a tour by by engineers for engineers. So they're things like that that are going on

Sam Yates: 12:46

aerospace engineering, aerospace, it also is something that we see growing significantly in Florida, would that be an area that we say, hey, aerospace engineers, here we are?

Kelly Cranford: 12:59

Yes, definitely. So in our industry practice section, they would definitely fit in there. To be an aerospace engineer, you don't necessarily need to be licensed in the state of Florida to practice engineering, we encourage it, but you don't need to necessarily, but we still look after the education abilities. So to be an aerospace engineer, you still need the stem. So while you might not enjoy, are protecting your licensure because you don't have one, go ahead and invest in the future of engineering, join our society and make sure we have students who are trained in the basics of STEM, so they can become an engineer in the future.

Sam Yates: 13:38

Our members of the Florida Engineering Society, know what STEM means and some of our audience, but not all of our audience, tell us what that is.

Kelly Cranford: 13:47

So STEM is science, technology, engineering, and math. And those are the core curriculums that you need to be any sort of engineer. You could also be a physicist and a bunch of other things. But those are the core curriculums to help you understand how to design or fix a lot of things.

Sam Yates: 14:04

Now, I know the answer to this, but it's sort of my practice to do it every time I interview someone and that is, will you be able to come back for another episode? Of course, Sam,

Kelly Cranford: 14:14

I'd be glad to.

Sam Yates: 14:16

So, you know, as we were planning and pulling all of this together to launch our very first engineering Florida podcast, we wanted to make sure that we covered all the bases. Is there anything that we have not touched upon, that we should mention at this point?

Kelly Cranford: 14:33

There is one interesting story. The president of the Florida Engineering Society before me will be on the next episode. So I don't want to tell you too much about him. But we were in Tallahassee meeting with legislators and he and I and a couple of other of our colleagues were standing around in Tampa, Tampa Bay, the their chamber of commerce had a big thing going on where they were giving out Cuban sandwiches there are pirates roaming around sharing If this pirate comes up to us, and he says, ah, remember, don't leave fish to find fish. And I'm like, What? What on earth does that mean? Turns out it was a fraternity brother from my colleague who they hadn't seen each other in like 20 years. Oh, my goodness. But so if you're happy where you are, we're not, we're not a headhunting organization. So yes, you will be exposed to opportunities to change employers. But if you're with a good employer, we wholeheartedly encourage you to stay there

Sam Yates: 15:33

that the Florida Engineering Society does have a database for people both looking to change or looking to hire.

Kelly Cranford: 15:43

Right. So if your employer is not allowing you time to do your professional organizations, then maybe you do need to consider to pick up your your boat and your fishing line and go try and see what else is out there. But if things are going great for you, by all means, stay put stay involved in the society. And let's make more great engineers.

Sam Yates: 16:06

One more time, how may someone reach the organization to join the Florida Engineering Society

Kelly Cranford: 16:11

go to fleng.org.

Sam Yates: 16:16

Great. Kelly Cranford, it has been my pleasure to have you on the very first the inaugural episode of the Florida Engineering Society engineering Florida podcast and we look forward to spreading the word about all things engineering in Florida.

Kelly Cranford: 16:35

Thank you, Sam. We're excited.

Sam Yates: 16:37

So ladies and gentlemen, that wraps up the very first ever Florida Engineering Society Engineering Florida podcast. And today is a momentous occasion because we're going to have many other guests and we're going to be talking many other topics. And it's all about engineering in Florida. I'm Sam Yates and I'm happy to be here today and so happy to have all of you on board for this podcast. Thanks for listening to another informative episode of the Engineering Florida podcast. Our goal is to help educate and inform everyone who listens to our podcast about our members and topics of interest to the Florida Engineering Society. On behalf of the Florida Engineering Society, and the Engineering Florida podcast, have a great day everybody