J. Potenza (MA - United States)

J. Potenza serves as a CADD consultant for construction projects in Massachusetts. He began as a civil drafter for the City of Boston in 1978 while attending Boston Architectural Center, and learned the Auto-trol system in 1982. He became a CADD Manager in 1985. It was at this time that he became proficient in AutoCAD, Intergraph and GDS and began creating CADD Drafting standards. Mr. Potenza headed up the CADD design for a Wastewater Treatment Plant on GDS.

Building on his GDS experience, he created and implement the CADD standards for the Boston Central Artery Project. In 2010, Mr. Potenza began teaching CADD/Engineering. Because of his extensive design/build experience, he was recently asked to design and manage the construction of a new 104,000 sq. ft. educational campus in Woburn, MA.

Interview with Mr. J. Potenza

1. What kinds of clients do you serve? What is your particular area of expertise?

   I have worked primarily with A/E firms for over 30 years. Architectural design, Civil and Utility relocation.

2. What was the most interesting CAD project that you ever worked on? What made it interesting? What challenges did you face?

   The Central Artery/3rd Harbor Tunnel. The massive coordination of companies and disciplines. The constant changes and revisions.

3. Of the software tools that you use, which is your favorite and why?

   My favorite was Auto-trol but I dont think it exists any more. Autocad now. I was in cad before Autocad existed.

4. What trends are you observing in the market for CAD services? How have these trends affected you, and how are you responding to them?

   I think companies would rather hire a service now. It hasnt really affected me.

5. What do you like about working as an interim CAD draftsman or external CAD consultant working on a time-bound project?

   I like the constant project change and the challenge of completing a job on time.

6. Have you ever provided CAD consulting services remotely, either via phone, the Web or email?
   Do you use any screen sharing tools (like Webex, Skype, or GoToMeeting), and are they effective?
   What kinds of questions and problems could you tackle remotely?
   Are there any issues that you feel are better handled face-to-face?

   Yes, on many joint ventures. I have used GoToMeeting and found it somewhat effective. Preliminary design and most changes can be handled remotely. Face-to-face meetings are best for initial project start up and major changes.