LJB Inc. is pleased to announce that Tim Coppess has been named the company’s first-ever BIM manager.
In the newly created position, Coppess will set, oversee and enforce building information modeling (BIM) standards within LJB’s Structures practice. He will also serve as the liaison between internal team leaders and oversee structural designers’ onboarding and training.
While the firm has been producing designs in BIM for more than 20 years, recent geographic expansion and headcount increases prompted the need to ensure consistency across the structural design team. Formalizing the BIM manager position represents LJB’s commitment to quality, consistency and collaboration amid continued growth.
In recent years, LJB has opened two offices with a structural engineering focus: one in Houston in 2015 and one in Charlotte in 2019. That expansion puts structural design team members in four LJB offices. At the same time, the growth has resulted in two-thirds of LJB’s designers being with the firm for three years or less—many coming from other companies with different experiences.
“We have always been committed to providing our clients with high-quality, reliable and consistent drawings, and that commitment won’t change—whether we have five offices or 15,” explained LJB Structures practice leader, David Tomasula. “Formalizing the BIM manager role enables us to maintain that commitment and positions us well for continued growth.”
Tomasula said Coppess identified himself as a leader almost from the start of his nearly 20-year career with LJB. Coppess trained and mentored new designers on MicroStation before evolving to the now industry-standard Revit. He also leads LJB’s Revit User Group, or RUG, which consists of structural designers, engineers and interns who meet regularly to collaborate on best practices, discuss standards and help each other solve problems.
“Tim’s expertise, his experience with LJB and Revit, and the leadership he has demonstrated made him the natural choice for BIM manager,” Tomasula said.
In 2019, Coppess relocated to LJB’s Houston office after nearly 19 years at the company’s corporate office in Dayton, Ohio.
“I’m so proud to lead this team of rock star Revit designers,” Coppess said. “It’s exciting to know that whether our drawings are created in our Charlotte, Dayton, Houston or Lima office—or an office yet to be opened, LJB structural clients trust us to deliver high-quality, consistent designs that keep their projects running smoothly.”
In his new role, Coppess is supported by five senior designers whose collective experience totals more than 100 years: Bill Peterson, Dan Strope, Jamie Lutz, Ryan Schutz and Justin Soeder.