Principal, Mechanical Engineer, SmithGroupJJR, Washington, D.C. BS Civil Engineering, University of West Indies; MS Energy Engineering, South Bank University
Gary Hamilton, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CxA, EDAC, 40 Principal, Mechanical Engineer, SmithGroupJJR, Washington, D.C. BS Civil Engineering, University of West Indies; MS Energy Engineering, South Bank University
Hamilton did not take a conventional route to become one of SmithGroupJJR’s leading mechanical engineers. He grew up in Jamaica, earned his civil engineering degree at University of West Indies, and moved to England in 1997 to work, first as a facilities design engineer, and then as a commissioning manager for Level 3 Communications in London. He earned his master’s in energy engineering while working at Level 3, and came to the U.S. in 2004. Today, Hamilton is one of SmithGroupJJR’s rising engineering stars, leading the Washington, D.C., office’s health care engineering group. He has extensive experience in the design and analysis of HVAC systems for a variety of market sectors, with special focus on health care. As principal of the firm, he organizes and integrates engineering efforts, determines and tracks schedule and decision milestones, aligns the team, and ensures successful project documentation, construction administration, and turnover. Hamilton keeps close ties with his homeland of Jamaica, taking an active role in bettering the lives of its underprivileged children. In 2006, he founded the Dreams to Reality Foundation (DRF), a community initiative in Jamaica that helps low-income children complete their education and achieve economic self-sufficiency through sports. DRF helps children develop self-esteem and self-worth to give them the building blocks for a positive life. Hamilton loves soccer. He has played the game since he was 3 years old and continues to play twice a week-even when the temperature drops. And although he is only a beginner at golf, he almost had a hole-in-one in his third charity event.
