ABOUT

A Bit of History

WZG was founded in 2009 by Natalie (Williams) Bird, along with support from Richard Zinser and Charles Grossman, after Natalie was laid off from her previous job due to the recession.  In 2020, Robert Schaffer joined WZG as an Associate Principal to lead the engineering effort.

The principals of WZG Structural have provided creative structural engineering solutions on projects throughout the United States. They have worked for various well known architectural engineering and consulting firms which provided them with a diverse background on many different types of projects. The projects include hospitals and medical office buildings, parking garages, condominiums, hotels, apartments, residences, commercial buildings, correctional facilities, government projects and sports facilities.

WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATION
WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATION
WZG received the national certification by the Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The certification is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. It confirms the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman. By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.
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PA SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
PA SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
WZG is certified as a small diverse business through the PA Department of General Services.
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WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATION
WOMEN'S BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CERTIFICATION
WZG received the national certification by the Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Visit their Website
PA SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
PA SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
WZG is certified as a small diverse business through the PA Department of General Services.
Visit their Website

Our People

  • Natalie E. Bird, PE
    Natalie E. Bird, PE President

     

    Natalie is President and Founder of WZG. She is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the company. She has produced structural designs for a large variety of building types for the past twelve years. She has a wide variety of project experience from hospitals, office buildings, parking facilities, residential, hotels and casinos in locations all across the United States in both high wind and high seismic regions.

    Natalie graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor and a Master degree of Architectural Engineering in 2002. She is currently a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Delaware, Florida, Maryland,  New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

    • Robert Schaffer, PE
      Robert Schaffer, PE ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

      Robert is the head of engineering and project management at WZG.  He has over eighteen years of experience as a structural engineer with projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region leading projects from start to finish.  Robert’s experience throughout many market sectors brings valuable knowledge to each new project.

      Robert graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2002, and has continued to mentor young engineers and interns as they get started in their careers.  He also provides continuing education seminars through Halfmoon Education, both in person and online webinar formats, on structural engineering topics such as concrete and steel design.

       

      Technology

       

      WZG uses the latest in design and drawing technology.  Its computing capability allows WZG to produce a large volume of work with a minimum amount of manpower.  All of the software “communicates” allowing the easy transfer of engineering information from design programs directly to the drawings.  WZG provides structural documentation using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and is well versed in its use during the design process as well as throughout construction.

      Building Information Modeling

      WZG has entered into the world of Building Information Modeling (BIM). This revolutionary method of developing structural engineering drawings brings the opportunity to coordinate structural framing with architectural and mechanical systems to a new level. WZG uses the BIM software developed by Autodesk, Revit Structure. Revit Structure also integrates with the analysis and design software currently used by WZG to seamlessly produce optimized framing plans.

      Technical Capabilities

       

      WZG was founded on the belief that by using the most advanced computer software available, more could be produced with less. Through the use of this software, WZG is able to perform multiple analyses in the same amount of time used to perform a single analysis using conventional software, allowing WZG to place more emphasis on producing economical, constructible systems.

      Software that models the entire structural frame also communicates with AutoCAD and Revit Structure allowing WZG to develop floor framing plans, column schedules and beam schedules rapidly. Spending less time on the development of plans and schedules allows WZG to concentrate on the development of details and provides more time for coordination with other disciplines. Additionally this software can quickly summarize weights and quantities of materials giving WZG the opportunity to rapidly evaluate the efficiency of several framing schemes as well as evaluate cost implications to design changes. Optimization of framing systems is easy to accomplish leading to structural systems that are economical yet safe and serviceable.