2011 40 Under 40: Louis E. Abbott, PE, LEED AP, 37

President, ABBOTT Engineering Inc., Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.

By Bettina Chang, Content Specialist, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 13, 2011

Louis E. Abbott, PE, LEED AP, 37

President, ABBOTT Engineering Inc., Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.

California Polytechnic State University, BS Mechanical Engineering

Abbott became a business owner after working as an engineer for two large firms located in Southern California. He established ABBOTT Engineering in 2007 and, from the beginning, committed his firm to providing quality HVAC and plumbing consulting services in the San Diego area. The company has grown each year since it opened and has worked for clients such as the Irvine Company, University of California at San Diego, Electronic Control Systems (ECS), and Pfizer. Abbott was the project manager for the mechanical engineering portion of a complete chilled water optimization at four Pfizer chilled water central plants located in La Jolla, Calif. This project resulted in a savings of 3.8 million kWh/year. Eight ABBOTT Engineering projects have won sustainability awards, including LEED EB Gold for the Union Bank Tower and two “Outstanding Achievement for Energy Conservation” awards from San Diego Gas & Electric. Because Abbott grew up in a nonaffluent community, it’s important to him to reach out to students with similar backgrounds. He has dedicated his time to the Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE) program to mentor underserved high school students. He mentors young aspiring engineers at the Vista Unified School District and he offers internships at his firm to mechanical engineering students still in college. He has also served as co-chairman of the ASHRAE San Diego chapter’s research donation board. It’s no coincidence that ocean-lover Abbott chose an office just blocks from the beach. He encourages his employees to take advantage of the coastal lifestyle. Abbott worked as a boat captain until he graduated from college; he loves surfing and has a surfboard proudly displayed above his desk that he shaped himself. Abbott and his fiancée will be married on a beach near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in the summer 2011.

Return to the complete list of 2011 40 Under 40 Winners.