Local engineering firm donates $1 million for new research chair

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/JoeandWinnie1.jpg” caption=”Peter George, Joe Ng, Winnie Ng”]A generous donation from a Hamilton business leader and owner of the city's largest local engineering firm will strengthen structural engineering research at McMaster University and benefit both the Ontario and Canadian construction industries.

Joe Ng, president of JNE Consulting Ltd., an internationally acclaimed engineering and computer firm with offices in Hamilton, Stoney Creek, and Beijing and Guanzhou, China, is donating $1 million to McMaster University's Faculty of Engineering for an endowed chair in infrastructure renewal in the Department of Civil Engineering.

“We are pleased to announce this partnership between McMaster and Mr. Joe Ng of JNE Consulting Ltd.,” says McMaster University President Peter George. “This endowed chair will strengthen McMaster research in an area that is vital to the economic growth of the province and the nation. Providing this knowledge and training to engineers will result in the reduction of waste due to early failure of structures and provide a sustainable infrastructure. JNE recognized this as important to the future of this country and to the ability of JNE to serve this sector of the economy.”

Infrastructure renewal is a major concern today in both Ontario and Canada. Many of the country's buildings were built during the post-war era and are now showing signs of age and deterioration. As a result, the construction industry is entering a period during which these buildings must undergo extensive repairs or be torn down.

“By establishing a chair in infrastructure renewal, we have an opportunity to ensure that future engineers are well prepared to meet the challenges our industry is facing and to contribute to the general good of the building and design industries. We consider this a professional duty and, as an immigrant, I am pleased to contribute to my community and to McMaster, which I have come to think of as my university,” says Joe Ng.

The Joe Ng-JNE Consulting Chair in Design, Construction and Management of Infrastructure Renewal will contribute new knowledge to our understanding of structural engineering and the durability of building materials such as concrete and steel; lead to the development of new investigative techniques, analytical methods and renewal strategies and technologies; and result in improvements in construction management.
A chair holder has not yet been named.

“The Faculty of Engineering is fortunate to count Mr. Ng among our friends and sponsors. He has shown his support for engineering through the hiring of many of our graduates, through his collaborative work with our faculty, particularly Dr. Robert Drysdale in civil engineering, and through his generous donation of scholarships, equipment and computers for McMaster students,” says Mamdouh Shoukri, dean of engineering.

Born and raised in China, Joe Ng fled the mainland to seek asylum in Hong Kong. He moved to New Brunswick in 1968, where he earned his degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Brunswick. He moved to Hamilton in 1974 and started his own company in 1980. Ng has been a strong backer of the Hamilton community, supporting both the United Way and the Junior Achievers of Hamilton.

“Joe Ng is a wonderful example of a business leader who makes a real commitment to his community. Joe's support of McMaster's engineering Faculty has deep professional and personal roots, and I want to congratulate him and to thank him for his vision and generous investment in McMaster,” says President George.

Based in Hamilton, JNE has provided professional engineering services to companies in Canada and around the world for more than 20 years. JNE currently employs more than 150 people as engineers, technologists, designers, construction managers and support staff. The company has provided consulting services for the chemical, petrochemical, pulp and paper, rubber and tire, and iron and steel industries as well as various service sector plants (cement, oil and power generation). JNE's Beijing and Guanzhou offices serve Chinese clients and markets in the Pacific Rim.