Executive of the Month: Joe DiPompeo, president of Structural Workshop

Mountain Lakes, NJ Joe DiPompeo, founder and president of Structural Workshop, an industry-leading, structural engineering and building consulting firm with offices located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Florida.

He is a nationally sought out expert on building deterioration and repair. DiPompeo has been interviewed and published in the Washington Post, Star Ledger, NBC News, and the NY Real Estate Journal, as well as been a frequent guest on podcasts such as ASCE Plot Points, Single Lady Estates, NYC Real Estate Podcast and AssociationHelpNow.

How did you get into the field of engineering? My family has been in construction and real estate since they came to America. My grandfather was a tile mason on the original construction of the Holland Tunnel and started a construction business that my father and uncle grew into a successful commercial construction company that expanded into real estate.

My cousin and I grew up working in construction, which meant gassing up trucks, cleaning the office, and spending time with my dad when I was younger and then working on job sites when we got older. I spent my free time as a child building whatever I could with whatever I had - Legos, plastic cups, erector sets, dominoes, and constantly playing in the dirt-building roads and bridges and then washing them away with a flood from the hose-only to rebuild them back better. My cousin stayed in construction and has had a very successful company in Florida for 30 years. I got a degree in civil engineering with a concentration in construction management, thinking I would also stay in the construction business. When I took my structural engineering classes, it came so easy to me, I enjoyed it, and I easily got all A’s, which lead me to pursue a Master’s degree in structural engineering.

What are your credentials and certifications? I have been a licensed professional engineer for over 20 years and have over 25 years’ experience in structural engineering and construction. I have been a New York licensed professional engineer since 2005. I have conducted Local Law 126 (parking garage) Inspections since earning the Qualified Parking Structure Inspector – QPSI certification.

I received a bachelor of engineering degree in civil engineering, with a specialization in construction management and a master of engineering degree in structural engineering, both from Stevens Institute of Technology. I am a licensed professional engineer in 28 states and was certified by the Structural Engineering Certification Board.

I am a fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute of the ASCE and a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was past chair of the SEI Business Practices Committee and Business and Professional Activities Division. I have served several years as a member of the SEI Board of governors, as well as the National SEI president 2020-2021. I am also a NJ DCA special inspector for reinforced concrete and structural steel.

I was named a 2021 Leader in Real Estate, Construction, and Design by NJBIZ magazine and a 2022 Real Estate Influencer by ROI NJ.

As national president of the Structural Engineering Institute during the building collapse in Surfside, FL, I was instrumental in educating the press and public about the building collapse, deterioration, and repair.

What are you currently excited about in the industry? Moving forward, I am most excited to help building owners and property managers navigate through the newly instated mandatory ordinances throughout New York City, New Jersey, and Florida to help mitigate building damage and other catastrophes. Mandated Inspections on existing buildings is a new concept to most people outside of New York.

What do you see as the biggest challenge in the construction industry right now? I think the biggest challenge right now is economic headwinds. Inflation and rising interest rates have caused a disruption and developers are reassessing projects under these conditions. While inflation seems to be cresting and that will likely result in a stabilization of rates, this could also be a pause, before inflation and rising rates continue. I don’t think there is enough confidence in where we are heading yet. While the market has stabilized after the shock, it will continue at a slower pace until there is more certainty.

What are you involved in outside of work? In addition to my professional activities, I also served as president to the Stevens Institute of Technology Alumni Association and am currently on the Board of Trustees of Stevens Institute of Technology, where I chair the Facilities Committee. I also served five years on the Board of Governors of the Mountain Lakes Club and Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Lakeland Hills Family YMCA, as well as the current chair the Mountain Lakes Economic Development Committee.

With the little free time I have left beyond that, I spend time coaching and attending my kids sports and events and spending as much time as I can at the Jersey Shore.

Tell Us About Your Company: I serve as president of Structural Workshop, which I founded in February of 2004. We are approaching our 20^th anniversary. Structural Workshop provides a variety of engineering services, including structural analysis, inspection, and design of commercial, residential, retail, industrial, parking, foundation and earth retaining structures, forensic engineering, commercial building inspections, due diligence inspections, building consulting services, project, and facilities management services. I have extensive experience in all aspects of engineering, analysis, inspection, and design of a large variety of types of structures and materials. Right now we are working on expanding our inspection services for NYC LL126 Inspections, Jersey City Façade Inspections, and Florida Condo Inspections.