ZFA Structural Engineers | LinkedIn (original) (raw)

About us

Since 1974, ZFA Structural Engineers (ZFA) has collaborated with public and private clients to help build better structures. With a commitment to excellence, our team of 27 Structural and 21 Professional Engineers delivers innovative and practical design solutions in multiple sectors including: justice, high-end residential, education, civic, wineries, commercial, healthcare, seismic retrofit and more. ZFA serves clients throughout California with offices in Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Napa, Sacramento, and Silicon Valley. ZFA principals are committed to each project through completion with a proactive management approach and by allowing for ample engineering time to ensure that structural solutions are thoughtful and appropriate. Projects begin with a series of pre-design meetings to understand the client's goals and vision. From there we identify solutions and deliverables, and establish a schedule. Involvement by principal staff creates a collaborative work environment and minimizes end-of-design changes. Throughout the project, principals and staff are on-call to assist and ensure project needs and deadlines are met. Sustainable design is another important part of ZFA's philosophy. Eight of our Structural Engineers are LEED Accredited Professionals and contribute to the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Sustainable Design Committee. We are also committed to the use of alternative building methods, such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) and the Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) wall system on several building types.

Industry

Civil Engineering

Company size

51-200 employees

Headquarters

Santa Rosa, CA

Type

Privately Held

Founded

1974

Specialties

seismic retrofit, healthcare, education, high-end residential, solar/energy, design-build, wineries, civic, justice, public, essential services facilities, commercial, and hospitality

Locations

Primary
1212 Fourth Street
Suite Z
Santa Rosa, CA 95404, US
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601 Montgomery Street
Suite 1450
San Francisco, CA 94111, US
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601 University Ave
Suite 185
Sacramento, California 95825, US
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558 Brewster Ave
Suite 200
Redwood City, California 94063, US
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1303 Jefferson Street
Suite 400A
Napa, CA 94559, US
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Employees at ZFA Structural Engineers

Updates

ZFA’s Sacramento team is all settled in at our new location at 601 University Ave! We completed a TI of the office and designed a space that fosters collaboration and allows for growth, as we continue to serve many repeat clients in the capital city. Come visit us at Suite 185, we’d love to see you!
Today we honor and thank all who have served and continue to serve our country. We appreciate your sacrifices, dedication to our freedom, and bravery.
Thank you, Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC), for keeping earthquake preparedness and safety at the forefront. Through ZFA’s involvement in the Disaster Emergency Services committee, Kevin Zucco and Tommy Sidebottom, PE are working to educate and encourage structural engineers to become certified Safety Assessment Program (SAP) evaluators. Structural engineers play a vital role in post-disaster recovery, and the SAP certification allows them to directly participate in assessing building safety and expediting community recovery.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯𝟱 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲 On Tuesday, October 1, SEAONC’s monthly association meeting commemorated the 35th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which struck the Bay Area on October 17, 1989. The meeting’s program was thoughtfully planned by the SEAONC Disaster Emergency Services (DES) committee and emceed by DES Chairs, Tommy Sidebottom, PE and Jack Wegleitner. The evening included: • A short interview with SEAONC Past President, Joe Sutton, where he touched on his career and recollections from the day the earthquake struck the Bay Area • An online trivia/quiz created by the Hensolt SEAONC Legacy Committee (HSLC) to test attendees’ knowledge of the earthquake, followed by an enlightening video highlight of news clips from the day of the event (take the quiz yourself here: https://lnkd.in/gfBTWcU7• An open floor discussion where attendees could share their own personal memories and professional experiences with the earthquake • A panel comprised of David Mar, Kevin Moore, and David Bonowitz, moderated by Stefanie Rae A., reflecting on how engineers responded to the events in the following days, months, and years, as well as where we are (and their thoughts on where we should be) headed in terms of functional recovery and seismic design 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗢𝘂𝘁 The Great ShakeOut is an annual day of earthquake preparedness. All around the world, companies, schools, and homes participate in earthquake drills on this day to ensure people know the best ways to stay safe in an earthquake. In recognition of this day, we want to share some helpful resources about earthquake preparation and safety. Please see attached poster highlighting some of the best resources we have found. These resources include tips on how to properly prepare for an earthquake, how to remain safe during an earthquake, and what to do after an earthquake.
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Happy Halloween! We're having a spoooky day at ZFA!
ZFA had a blast at last Saturday’s Leap Sandcastle Classic at Ocean Beach in San Francisco! The People's Choice Polls are open until Friday, November 1—𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹'𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀As the largest sandcastle competition in Northern California, this year’s 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 inspired 22 AEC teams to compete, including our talented group of students from St. Paul’s School and staff from Mostert Architecture, Quezada Architecture, Landis Halton Construction, and ZFA. Through sketches, models, and a collaborative design, we helped transform a 20’ x 20’ site into an Alien Planet—complete with aliens, a spaceship, crashed rockets, the earth, and moons! It was a fun way to support Leap’s art and architecture programs, which serve 7,000 Bay Area children each year. Check out more information about Leap at https://www.leaparts.org.
ZFA is a proud sponsor of CREW SF, which provides support and development of women in commercial real estate-related professions (including engineers!). ZFA’s Angie Sommer, SE is closing out her fourth year on CREW SF’s Board of Directors, an experience that has given her great insight into the organization, strengthened many connections to other local professionals, and provided professional development and growth opportunities.
CREW SF is proud to congratulate ZFA Structural Engineers on 50 years in business! Since 1974, ZFA has been dedicated to designing new and revitalized places to live, work, learn, heal and play in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Now, with nearly 100 staff members and 5 offices in Northern California, we are excited to see what the next 50 years bring! https://www.zfa.com/
ZFA’s 15th annual Engineer Training Day, held on October 3 in San Rafael, was a full day of learning, collaborating, and friendly competition! This companywide event brings together our five offices to share insights about unique projects, innovative structural designs, internal initiatives, and broader non-technical issues that engineers encounter every day. This year’s focus was on project communication—both internal and external. Breakout discussions allowed everyone to swap stories and share thoughts on what makes an effective team. Engineers also presented five case studies, examining structures built with various materials in the different markets we serve. One interesting topic involved the evolution of Special Concentric Braced Frame designs and the unexpected changes in the next iteration of the building code (hint, some requirements are getting less stringent!). As always, the team building activities were a hit! This year, we played “guess that connector” with bolts and hanger products, competed with paper airplanes, built card towers, played cornhole while answering trivia questions, and had fun with the “head’s up” game (featuring structural terms, of course!). At ZFA, we’re constantly learning—from each other, our projects, and industry experts. Gathering for Engineering Training Day is one way we share lessons learned and knowledge gained across our entire team!
Last month, ZFA’s Napa office celebrated its 10-year anniversary in the Napa Valley! What better way to mark the occasion than at Stateline Road Smokehouse, where ZFA had the honor of transforming a run-down Quonset hut into one of Napa's soon-to-be hottest food destinations, right in the heart of the city. The pulled pork is a must-have! The Napa office was created in the wake of the 2014 South Napa Earthquake, which damaged hundreds of structures in the city, many of them historic. Chris Jonas, SE, a longtime ZFA employee and Napa native, mobilized to be closer to the community that now needed a wide range of structural repairs to recover from the 6.0-magnitude quake. Through this new office location, ZFA contributed to the local reconstruction efforts and has continued to serve the community with a wide range of projects, leveraging ZFA’s extensive experience in Northern California. Over the past decade, our Napa office has earned several awards for design and innovation; contributed to the growth and development of Napa’s schools, wineries, and downtown area; and built strong, lasting relationships with many clients. What started as a small office has grown into a thriving part of the Napa community, expanding ZFA’s reach across the valley and strengthening our presence in the region. Here's to another decade of serving the Napa Valley!
This month, we’re excited to celebrate the 3-year anniversaries of several amazing team members: Kevin Marx, PE, Cheryl Kellogg, MBA, Angel Ledesma, Emily Lescher, EIT, and Jackson Blake. Over the past three years, these individuals have strengthened their skills, embraced our firm’s operational and technical processes, and become valued members of the ZFA team. As a Senior Engineer, Kevin has played a pivotal role in leading complex structural projects, developing client relationships, and participating in internal and external committees. Our talented Designers, Angel, Emily, and Jackson, work diligently to support our projects, bringing their designs from concept to reality and contributing to recruiting efforts by representing ZFA at career fairs. Cheryl, our Staff Accountant, keeps everything running smoothly on the financial front, making sure our team has the resources they need to manage their projects successfully. Thanks, team, for your hard work and dedication each day. We appreciate everything you do and look forward to your continued growth at ZFA!

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