The San Joaquin Engineers Council recently announced Tony Lopes as the recipient of the 2018 Engineer of the Year Award.

The award is for meritorious and altruistic service to the engineering profession and to the community. The recipient of this award must have dedicated their professional knowledge and skills to the advancement of human welfare, lived and worked according to the highest standards of professional conduct; to have served with the honor and standing of their profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other considerations.

Born in Hanford and raised in Riverdale, California, Lopes attended California State University, Fresno and majored in Civil Engineering. In 1980, he started his career with the Bechtel Power Corporation in San Francisco as a Structural Engineer in the Nuclear Power Industry.

After leaving Bechtel in 1985, Lopes moved to Stockton with his family and joined the firm of R.W. Siegfried and Associates which later became Siegfried Engineering. His initial role at Siegfried was as a Structural Engineer. During his early years he was responsible for designing many commercial, industrial, correctional and residential buildings throughout the region. In addition, he designed many of the waterfront seawalls in downtown Stockton including the North Shore Promenade and the DeCarli Square Projects.

In addition to Structural Engineering, Lopes designed and managed a variety of Civil Engineering infrastructure projects including flood control projects, subdivisions and infrastructure for commercial and industrial site developments. In 1997, he became the District Engineer for Reclamation District 2074 encompassing the Brookside area levee flood protection system, a position he still maintains. Lopes became an owner of Siegfried in 1996 and was elected its President in 2010.

Throughout the years, he served the community in many roles during his 32 years in Stockton including community service projects with the Kiwanis Club of Stockton, including one year as its president, President of the Bear Creek High School Athletic and Education Foundation, coached SYSA Soccer for 10 years and donated his design services for a variety of community projects.

Lopes and his wife of 38 years, Lisa, reside in Stockton and have three children and three grandchildren.

The award will be presented to Lopes at the San Joaquin Engineers Council Annual Engineer’s Banquet on Thursday, Feb. 22 at the De Rosa University Center at the University of the Pacific. The banquet is held during Engineer’s Week, a nationwide event recognizing the works and contributions of the engineering profession.

Visit http://www.sjec-ca.org or contact Luis Torres, 209-954-8311, for event information and reservations.