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Donald R. Trim, PE, PS, (1937-2005) provided
leadership to Wade Trim and the engineering profession throughout his career.
As past President and Chairman of the Board, Don’s guidance helped Wade
Trim garner national recognition for engineering accomplishments. Teamed
with Bob Wade, Don’s enthusiasm for the success of his firm and showcasing
the role engineers play in society was unwavering.
Don had a long history of managing efforts to develop cost-effective solutions
to wet weather pollution problems in southeast Michigan. He provided senior
management on major engineering and planning projects like Detroit’s Long
Term Combined Sewer Overflow Control Plan and Wayne County’s Ecorse Creek
Pollution Abatement Program. He was highly successful at building relationships
with multiple communities and agencies involved in large projects. Most recently,
he served as Program Executive for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s
Program Management Services to rehabilitate and upgrade the world’s largest
single-sited wastewater treatment plant in Detroit.
Don’s dedication to the engineering profession was evident in the work
he undertook. He dove into challenging assignments like convincing the
federal government to allow the use of design/build on their contracts,
persuading public agencies to use qualifications-based selection, and partnering
with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). He helped ACEC to shape public
policy in project delivery systems and to initiate a partnering process with MDOT
that is still active today.
Don was extremely active in the American Council of Engineering Companies
(ACEC) on state and national levels. From his initial involvement with the ACEC
in 1964, Don worked his way up to President of the state and national organizations.
He spearheaded ACEC’s involvement in the adoption of design/build legislation
by the US Congress in 1997. Don wrote Design/Contract-Build, the most recent manual
in The Design Professional’s Handbook series published by ACEC. He was also
an ACEC Fellow. In 2005, he received the Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award from
ACEC Michigan for his outstanding contributions to ACEC and the engineering profession.
Don’s enthusiasm was contagious and his sense of humor comforting. He
appreciated a good practical joke particularly when it was played on him. He
was a friend and a trusted advisor. His leadership and kindness will remain a
guiding force in Wade Trim’s future.
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