PRNewswire Michigan 高失业率下 SSOE仍在大举扩张

SSOE是全美最大的设计院之一，制造业排名第12位（Engineering News-Record, 2007），营建业排名第14位（Building Design and Construction, 2006）。 近年年度销售增长25%，2006年利润增长30%，前几年利润增长也不低于15%，2006年总部新雇工程师42人，2007年全美扩招200人（建筑师、结构师）， SSOE主要客户群来自美国汽车行业，其他行业包括医院、零售、教育、科学技术研究开发、生物能源、化工、食品、玻璃（Owens Corning）、矿山、个人护理。

Despite Michigan's High Unemployment Rate， SSOE's Growth in State Continues with New Jobs and Expanding Offices PRNewswire 2007年04月25日

TOLEDO, Ohio, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- With a presence in Michigan for 30 years and three offices in the state, SSOE, Inc. - one of the nation's largest architecture and engineering firms - is planning at least 25 percent growth in each of its Michigan offices in the next year, despite the struggles of the state's industrial base and an unemployment rate significantly higher than the national rate.     Headquartered in Toledo and with deep roots in Michigan, SSOE currently employs approximately 160 professionals in the state, 26 percent of whom were hired in the last 12 months. The firm's growth in Michigan, which is home to 25 percent of SSOE's owners, includes offices in:     -- Midland - is preparing for a 50 percent growth; the office currently employs 25.     -- Portage - has doubled its office size to 6,500 square feet to accommodate the 40 percent growth in staff; a 25 percent growth is expected by year end; the current staff count is 22.     -- Troy - within the past two years has increased staff by 30 percent and plans to add additional staff by year end; the office currently employs 116.     "Our firm grew 30 percent in 2006, and our Michigan locations were major contributors to that trend," said Tony Damon, CEO of SSOE. "Michigan - like several other states we have offices in - offers solid footing for creative professionals who are eager to impact the design of facilities across the nation and around the world. In a global economy, services such as ours are in high demand, despite local conditions; and that means creative professionals become extremely valuable assets."     SSOE is one of the global leaders in architectural services for the auto industry, as well as for clients in the healthcare, retail, education, science and technology, biofuels, chemical, food, glass, mining and personal care industries.     The firm's Michigan clients include:     -- University of Michigan Healthcare Systems     -- Beaumont Hospital     -- Mercy Healthcare System     -- Meijer     -- Rite Aid     -- Toyota Ann Arbor     -- Hemlock Semiconductor     -- Dow Chemical     -- Marathon Petroleum Company     -- Michigan Consolidated Gas Company     -- Consumers Energy     -- Great Lakes Gas Transmission     -- Coca-Cola     -- Sara Lee     -- Ralston     -- Pfizer     SSOE's Michigan office also manages projects from other states for the following clients:     -- Quaker     -- ConAgra     -- Hershey     -- Lowes     -- PetSmart     -- Mervyns     -- Safeway     -- Albertson     SSOE recently launched a nationwide recruitment effort to hire 200 architects and engineers by the end of 2007 to assist in meeting its growth in nearly every market that it serves. The firm operates from 16 offices across the United States and in China.     Last month, SSOE announced a major expansion in Phoenix -- which will serve as the hub of its western-U.S. operations particularly in the healthcare and retail sectors - and opened a new office in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park to serve the growth of that region particularly in the pharmaceutical, education, biofuels, and science and technology sectors.     About SSOE     Founded in 1948, SSOE, Inc. is an international design firm and ranks 14th among the nation's largest engineering and architecture firms (Building Design and Construction, 2006) and 12th among firms in the manufacturing sector (Engineering News-Record, 2007). Demonstrating fast and consistent growth, in 2006, SSOE posted a 30 percent revenue growth making it the third consecutive year the company has grown its revenue more than 15 percent.     With nearly 800 employees and multi-disciplined LEED(TM) certified professionals employed in 16 offices around the world the company has earned a solid reputation in facility design for the healthcare, retail, automotive and education, and science and technology markets. SSOE is also noted for experience in civil engineering, and process engineering for the biofuels, chemical, food, glass, mining and personal care industries. SSOE has completed projects in 48 states and 32 countries, and is approaching 60 years of excellence in engineering and architectural design. Visit www.ssoe.com for additional information and career opportunities.     Source: SSOE, Inc. 　　PRNewswire

办公室采光顶棚供应商拿SSOE办公室做案例

1980年代SSOE计算机用得并不多

"Leader in Lighting Solutions" for over 108 Years holophane.com http://www.holophane.com/hlp_library/case_histories/SSOE.asp

Refractive Grid lens meets lighting retrofit needs at SSOE When the engineering and architectural firm of SSOE, Inc., installed a fluorescent lighting system at its Toledo, Ohio, headquarters during the 1980s, a minimal number of computers were used in designated areas. But, as the price of personal computers decreased and a unit appeared on nearly every desk, employees began complaining about eye strain, headaches and fatigue. "We were having problems with glare on the monitor screens," said Steve Wheeler, senior electrical designer with SSOE. "Because our employees perform so many different tasks, we needed a lighting system that would increase the comfort level on the screens while providing sufficient illumination on the horizontal work surfaces of the desks." The original fixtures in the 7,500-square-foot open office space are 3-lamp 2' x 2' fluorescent units installed in a raised cove in the 5' x 5' modular lay-in ceiling. Once the decision was made to retrofit the system, a test was conducted with three replacement lenses: a 1/2" x 1/2" parabolic silver louver, a Holophane Refractive Grid lens with a white diffuse overlay, and a Holophane Refractive Grid lens with a clear overlay. According to Wheeler, the objective of the test was to determine which lens would reduce glare and veiling reflections in three areas at the computer workstations: the monitor screens, the menu board and work surface, and the general area. Glare on the computer screens was created by fixtures located behind and around the workstations, while glare and veiling reflections on the menu board and work surface were produced by fixtures located directly overhead. The third area to be addressed was incidental glare or visual comfort perception (VCP) in the general space. At the end of the test period, Wheeler concluded that the parabolic lens performed extremely well in its ability to reduce glare on the screen; the fixture nearly disappeared from the VDT. However, due to its cut-off properties, the lens performed the poorest of the three in regards to reduced glare on the menu board and adjacent workspace. "In fact, the measurable amount of glare on the work surface actually increased by , 0 to , 5 percent," Wheeler said. "Although the VCP performance was very comfortable since the fixtures from a distance appear to be turned off, there were other considerations—such as the 'cave effect' resulting from too high of cut-off." Since the ceiling system in the facility is a coffer design, Wheeler said he questioned whether total obstruction of the light source was desirable. Maintenance was also a concern. Due to the small cubes and finish, he felt the parabolic lens would attract dust, show fingerprints and be hard to clean, in general. Wheeler indicated that the Holophane Refractive Grid lens with opaque overlay performed the best when all situations were considered. Although the glare on the VDT screen was not reduced to the same degree as with the parabolic lens, the difference was significant enough so as not to be offensive to the user. The Refractive Grid lens with white diffuse overlay, however, performed the best as far as reflection on the work surface was concerned. "The white diffuse overlay seemed to smooth out the amount of direct glare and reflections," Wheeler said. "VCP performance was very good. Since the light source could still be seen, there was no "cave effect". Yet, incidental glare was cut enough so that employees did not feel any strain if they casually glanced up from a work station." He added that maintenance is much easier with this lens since it can be wiped down with a damp cloth. The third lens tested—the Refractive Grid lens with clear overlay—was not considered since it reduced glare only minimally. Wheeler indicated that all three lenses reduced illumination levels by about , 0 percent, or , 2-, 5 footcandles. The parabolic silver louver produced slightly higher levels directly under the fixture, while the Refractive Grid lenses reduced the levels in a uniform manner. During the test, the center lamp in the test fixtures was removed to help reduce eye strain and glare reflection and bring overall footcandles more in line with IES recommended levels for computer tasks. When the facility was retrofit, the center lamp was removed in every second fixture and the two outer lamps were removed and only the center lamp installed in the others. "The comfort levels in areas where the fixtures were retrofit is greatly improved," Wheeler concluded. "There's a big difference when you walk into the area; you notice the contrast immediately." To date, more than 300 Holophane Refractive Grid lenses with the white overlay have been purchased and installed, with the retrofit completed in the engineering and accounting areas. Wheeler said employees on other floors have expressed a desire to have their areas retrofit, too. SSOE has installed the Refractive Grid lens for other jobs, such as dental offices and retail stores. Headquartered in Toledo, SSOE operates offices in Troy, Michigan; Bellevue, Washington; and Nashville, Tennessee. The firm employs about 700.