2012 Engineer of the Year
Timothy H. Haahs, P.E., AIA

Timothy H. Haahs, P.E., AIA, President of Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. (TimHaahs), has been selected by the area engineering and technical societies as the 2012 Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year. Tim exemplifies all of the qualifications of the Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year and is an excellent representation of an accomplished leader in the engineering community. TimHaahs is a mid-sized firm that specializes in providing planning, architectural design and structural engineering services for mixed-use and parking related projects.

Tim earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil/Urban Engineering as well as a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Pennsylvania. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington DC, Virginia & Kentucky and a registered architect in the state of Maryland.

Tim’s professional affiliations include a position on the board of directors of the International Parking Institute and the executive committee of the Philadelphia chapter of the Urban Land Institute. Tim is also a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) where he received the ASCE Philadelphia Engineer of the Year recognition for 2011. He is an active member of the American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, Institute for Transportation Engineers and National Parking Association. Tim is also an active member of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) which was established in 1971 as a non-profit professional organization and recently awarded Tim the Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2011.

In addition to his professional affiliations, Tim also serves over 200 parishioners as pastor of Calvary Vision Church and is a member of the board of directors for the Biblical Theological Seminary, the Jesus Awakening Movement for America (JAMA) and the Jaisohn Center, an organization that provides medical, social, educational, and cultural services to low-income Korean-Americans.

Throughout his 25 year career, Tim has been blessed to receive numerous awards recognizing his achievement as an engineer and as a business leader. These awards include Structural Engineer of the Year for the Philadelphia section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award in 1998, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Philadelphia Real Estate and Construction sector in 2006 and the ZweigWhite Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award in 2010.

As President and CEO of TimHaahs, Tim leads the firm’s national and international professional services in planning and design of mixed-use and parking structures. Focusing on master planning and mixed-use, Tim’s designs integrate the parking solution with the pedestrian experience – creating active and vibrant “people places”. Most recently, Tim has presented to the United Nations on the global challenge of parking, infrastructure, and sustainable development, applying the concept of “cellular development” to create self-sustaining communities.

Tim’s story is one of success against unimaginable odds. In early 1992, Tim was in the prime of his life at 35 years old with a beautiful wife and two healthy young daughters. He was successfully climbing the corporate ladder as a professional engineer at one of the largest parking consulting and design firms in the United States. All that would change for Tim later that year when he lost consciousness while driving one day and had to be rushed to the hospital. After being evaluated by cardiologists, Tim was informed that his heart had deteriorated to the point where he had to wait in the hospital for a heart transplant. In January, 1993 Tim received a new heart. What he didn’t know at the time was that this was the first of two heart transplants he would have to endure.

Tim spent most of the six months he waited in the hospital for the transplant reflecting on his life and realized that the material wealth and professional achievements that were once so important to him meant very little in his current situation. His recovery was excruciating both physically and emotionally and also caused a significant financial burden. He had reached the lifetime maximum on his medical insurance and was unable to pay for post-operation medical expenses and medication. He lacked the financial capability to cover even the most basic items needed to sustain his family’s livelihood. Tim began to understand what it was like to live on nothing. He was now dependent on others for his most basic needs. Tim received an outpouring of support from his family, friends, employees and clients and soon realized that it was serving others that was truly important in life.

Tim was raised in a leper’s colony in South Korea where his father served as missionary pastor, profoundly shaping his view of humanity. This upbringing coupled with his resolve to begin living his own life in a manner that served others, all converged during Tim’s recovery to create an entirely new perspective on life.

Once Tim was fully recovered from his heart transplant and poised to embrace his new purpose, he resigned his well-paying, stable position with his then employer and established his own firm building on his expertise in the parking industry. On March 24, 1994 Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc. (TimHaahs) began operation out of Tim’s home garage. The staff consisted of only three other individuals - a principal from his former company, a part-time AutoCAD technician and Tim’s wife as business manager. A true leap of faith fueled by a passion to give back to others was underway. The first order of business was writing the company’s mission statement – “We exist to help those in need”. Over the next two years the company hosted benefit concerts and a variety of other events to raise money for several charities. In 1997 the firm was ranked 7th out of the 100 fastest growing firms in the Philadelphia area and in early 1998 Tim received the Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. An award that recognizes small businesses that have overcome obstacles to emerge stronger and excel in a competitive marketplace.

In October 1998, however, Tim faced critical heart problems again. The heart he received in 1993 was not functioning properly and he was forced to wait in the hospital for a second heart transplant. Thankfully, Tim’s second heart transplant was a perfect match and he began the long road to recovery. While recovering, Tim met with key employees at his bedside, determined to keep the company on course despite his illness. His determination was an inspiration to his staff to forge ahead and to keep the mission in mind – helping those who are in need.

It was with Tim’s determination and steadfast leadership that the firm continued to grow from a staff of 3 to a staff of nearly 50 today, becoming one of the leading architectural and engineering firms to specialize in the planning and design of mixed-use parking structures. The firm’s mission statement – “We exist to help those in need”, guides the firm’s strategy in all disciplines from hiring to marketing and financial management through to client relations. The mission is Tim’s guiding principle in making all major decisions.

When Tim started the firm in 1994, the design and construction of parking structures was seen as uninteresting and was not a field that was particularly sought after by top engineers and architects. However, Tim believed that parking would become a major issue in the future, and felt that the typical cement, stand alone garage would likely evolve into a structure meant for more than just parking. He was right, as more aesthetically pleasing mixed-use facilities that meld with the communities in which they are built are slowly replacing the traditional garage.

Despite the ongoing health burden that comes with being a double heart transplant recipient, Tim has managed to become a visionary in his industry, building a firm that has set the standard for what constitutes a contemporary parking structure while simultaneously giving back to his community and doing his part to develop the future leaders of his industry.

Click here for the Engineer of the Year Records (archives).