Dear Members,

We often use this line as an icebreaker at SEAOSC leadership meetings, "What was your introduction to SEAOSC - why did you first join?" For me, the answer is technical expertise. As an emerging engineer working for a small design firm, I found SEAOSC to be the place where I could find the technical knowledge that was "of the moment" and that I could not get anywhere else. I would drive down from San Luis Obispo early on a Saturday morning to attend a full-day technical seminar at the Long Beach Grand Event Center. I would often run into fellow alumni from my college program, meet welcoming and experienced engineers (including the speakers), and listen to some old-timers question the state of structural engineering. I would leave with a head full of new knowledge, new networking relationships, and a sense of my own expertise enhanced with the day of learning.

In that sense, SEAOSC has maintained its technical excellence over the years. We are still providing the excellent training of our current and emerging professionals, leaving attendees with heads full of knowledge and expertise, and still being a welcoming place for networking with the leaders in our field. We held our first technical dinner meeting in many years last month, and we will round out the year with two more opportunities for highly technical presentations. I hope you will join us at the Orange County breakfast on November 13th and at the half-day Winter Technical Program on December 11th on the campus of Cal State LA. Both events will leave you filled with knowledge, enhanced in your expertise, networked with new professional connections, and inspired by your day of learning.

Garrett W. Mills, S.E.
SEAOSC President 2024-25