Nick Zembillas has a wealth of knowledge to offer through his almost 50 years of experience in the world of Transportation and Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE), to both our clients and our colleagues. Following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a civil engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation, he learned that underground utilities were always a challenge, with potential to cause major cause of conflicts, delays, health and safety risks and claims. After fifteen years of working with FDOT, he joined the private sector by developing his own firm when SUE was first introduced in the1980s. In his 22 years there, they saw organic growth in seven countries including Canada, the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, and China. Then, after working with the SUE division of Colliers Engineering & Design, he decided to join our firm.
“Besides having a great reputation, I was attracted to Colliers Engineering & Design because of the unique entrepreneurial culture, the hard-working staff I worked with previously, and that everyone is very flexible within boundaries when it comes to approaching projects and finding solutions,” he explained. You can find the press release announcing him joining the firm here.
Passionate About SUE
Nick is passionate about what he does and is excited by the value SUE adds as a specialized engineering practice that identifies, designates, and locates underground utilities using records research, geophysical methods, and non-destructive excavation to reduce project risk.
“One of the most common issues of any project is underground utilities. Back in the day, as-builts weren’t usually done, which means we might not have precise documentation about where utility lines are,” he shared. “This uncertainty causes accidents, so SUE saves lives. Additionally, utilities are a leading cause of cost and schedule overruns, and early utility knowledge improves design and delivery outcomes.”
Using His Experience
Mr. Zembillas is a recognized Subject Matter Expert- International SME-I and has contributed to the development of SUE standards for seven individual countries including the US, Canada, the UK, France, Australia, China, and one that covers all of Latin America. One of the top priorities he has is to connect Colliers Engineering & Design with his contacts around the world. Recently, he travelled to Australia, linking Colliers Engineering & Design US with Colliers Engineering & Design Australia and New Zealand. He’s also introduced and supported our National SUE/Survey & Utility Coordination team with key SUE contacts for the firm, including with NY NJ Port Authority, Department of Transportation-DOT; Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Local Governments in Florida, Texas, Colorado, Texas, and many more. Beyond having many contacts in the industry, he has earned a lot of wisdom which has proven valuable to clients.
“Because of my years of experience, I am able to mitigate problems before they start, applying lessons learned previously to all kinds of projects. This doesn’t just enable our department or firm to grow by adding new clients but also enriches the quality of the services we offer, as I am mentoring my colleagues who have less experience than I do,” he shared. “Mentorship is my other main passion in this stage of my career.”
Looking Ahead
“SUE standards are approaching a half a century and it’s become a standard of care, globally. As there are more utilities in the ground, SUE is only growing so I would encourage any young civil engineer, geophysicist, or surveyor interested in wanting to expand their career to consider getting involved in Subsurface Utility Engineering,” Zembillas added. “It’s exciting to be on the forefront of something so useful. I look forward to all the ways we expand our SUE capabilities in the future, probably in ways we can’t even imagine yet.”
