Dennis Poon

(New York – June 11, 2010) – Dennis Poon, managing principal of Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm with practices in building structure, building skin and building performance, has been named one of the 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business for 2010, an annual celebration of Asian American entrepreneurship. The Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC), one of the nation’s most influential organization honoring Asian American entrepreneurs and business professionals, presented the award last night at a gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel in New York City.

Recipients of this award represent leading Asian American business owners and multi-talented professionals engaged in a wide range of business interests. Throughout the last five years of the program, diversity among award recipients is growing, with honorees from throughout the United States representing a variety of Asian American ethnic backgrounds, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Thai and Vietnamese.

“I am honored to be recognized by the AABDC for my dedication and commitment to design excellence in the industry,” said Mr. Poon. “I am also grateful my accomplishments with Thornton Tomasetti enable me to collaborate with business professionals throughout Asia.”

Mr. Poon has more than three decades of experience and has been responsible for the design and construction of super high-rise structures, mixed-use buildings, hotels, airports, arenas and residential buildings worldwide. He is knowledgeable in the application of state-of-the-art engineering technologies for building analysis, design and construction, including project delivery strategies. High on the list of his accomplishments is the role he played in leading the structural engineering team for the design of the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Other notable projects include the World Financial Center in New York City, the 66-story mixed-use Plaza 66 in Shanghai, the Board of Trade Tower and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, and the 5+ million SF MGM CityCenter hotel, casino and convention center complex in Las Vegas. Currently, Mr. Poon is working on several 100+ story towers, such as the Shanghai Tower and Ping An Insurance Projects in China, as well as the 601-meter 151 Incheon twin towers in South Korea, and several high-rise projects in the Middle East. In addition, he has extensive expertise on seismic design and performance-based design with complex mixed-use structures worldwide.

Mr. Poon has received a number of distinguished honors, including the ACEC National Grand Award for the design of Taipei 101. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University.

About Thornton Tomasetti (www.ThorntonTomasetti.com)
Thornton Tomasetti provides engineering services to clients worldwide on buildings of all sizes and complexity. From the tallest buildings and the longest spans, to innovative building systems and materials, the firm is committed to creating the best solutions through its technical ingenuity, pursuit of excellence, and responsiveness to client needs. Our work is in three practice areas: Building Structures, Building Skin and Building Performance. Founded in 1956 as Lev Zetlin & Associates, today Thornton Tomasetti is a 550-person organization of engineers and architects collaborating from offices across the United States and in Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, and the Middle East.

Contact
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Roxanne Donovan/Eric Gerard/Marieka Baily/Mitch Breindel

Thornton Tomasetti – 917.661.7800
James M. Kent, JKent@ThorntonTomasetti.com