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Kyle Findlater Earns P.E.

Inspired by the hit television series “Prison Break,” CDE’s Kyle Findlater chose to pursue a career in structural engineering and successfully earned his Professional Engineering License from the State of Florida on July 1st, 2022. “After watching Michael Scofield apply structural engineering principles to break his brother out of the prison he designed, I knew that was the specialty I wanted to pursue,” Kyle muses.

Though being highly motivated, but not having a falsely imprisoned brother to free, Kyle admits his journey to be a Professional Engineer was not an easy road to walk. “I struggled to get back the motivation to study,” Kyle says after his first P.E. exam was cancelled in April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had spent the six months prior studying intensely and working practice problems. It was very frustrating and deflating.”

As disappointing as it was, I immediately jumped back in and rescheduled my test…

His next opportunity to test came in October 2021 when he sat for the last paper-and-pencil version of the P.E. exam before they switched to a standard computer-based exam. “Several weeks later, I received a failing result. As disappointing as it was, I immediately jumped back in and rescheduled my test for April 2022.” This time he passed.

“I then had to fill out the P.E. licensure application by gathering my work history and professional engineering references to be validated by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. A few weeks later after going before the FBPE committee, I was granted my P.E. License,” Kyle proudly explains of the process.

Kyle Findlater, P.E.

Kyle joined CDE in July 2021 and now serves as the lead designer and project manager for the structural engineering department. Prior to CDE, Kyle’s work experience included three years in residential structures with Apex Technology and three years in marine structures with JACOBS.

My biggest career highlight so far has definitely been achieving my Professional Engineering License…

A first-generation American, Kyle was born in New York after his parents emigrated from Jamaica, but he’s called Florida home ever since his family moved to Palatka when he was young. Kyle went on to attend the University of Florida where he received his bachelor’s in civil engineering and met his wife, Nureka, who was a nursing student from Jamaica. They have a lively young daughter and enjoy family travel and trips to the beach.

When asked about his future, Kyle says he’s focused on honing his design skills so he can eventually mentor and teach other young engineers. “My advice for aspiring P.E.’s would be to find great mentors and take your P.E. exam as close to your schooling as possible because it will be harder to re-learn how to study and prepare for a test of this magnitude if you wait.”

As for Kyle’s mentors who helped him along the way, “I would like to thank Jesse Dayhoff, P.E. with Apex Technology, Gary Ledford, P.E. with JACOBS, Josh Smith, P.E. formally with CDE, and currently Rob Sullivan, P.E. and Lutfi Mized, P.E. with CDE for their mentorship.”

Please join us all at CDE and 8-koi in congratulating Kyle on his well-deserved accomplishment of becoming a licensed Professional Engineer. You can connect with Kyle on LinkedIn.

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8-koi’s CDE selected for Palm Beach State College Continuing Services Contract

Palm Beach State College (PBSC) selected Cape Design Engineering (CDE) to provide Professional Engineering Services in several disciplines across the college’s five campuses in Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Lake Worth, Loxahatchee, and Palm Beach Gardens.

As a preferred service provider, CDE will have the opportunity to perform on PBSC’s structural and mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) continuing services contracts for single projects under $1,000,000. CDE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of 8-koi, a minority- and woman-owned small business headquartered in Merritt Island, FL.

“Our CDE team has a long-standing reputation for excellence in supporting academic institutions across Florida. I’m proud of the work we do to help students learn and teachers teach. We look forward to meeting PBSC’s physical plant needs for years to come,” says 8-koi President Inga Young.

CDE has provided engineering support to PBSC on a variety of projects for almost two decades. In 2010, CDE successfully completed work on the 34,000 SF Technical

Palm Beach State College is nationally recognized as an innovative academic leader advancing student success through its unparalleled commitment to excellence, engagement, and dynamic partnerships.

Education Facility at the College’s Belle Glade campus and was responsible for MEP design of the facility and for modifications to the campus central energy plant. It was the first public State College facility to earn the prestigious USGBC LEED Platinum rating in the State of Florida. Also, thanks to CDE’s ingenuity in the design, PBSC enjoyed a NET ZERO increase in energy costs despite adding a new building to the campus. [To see more about this project click here!]

Other related higher educational projects completed by CDE include the Daytona State College 2.5-million-gallon Thermal Energy Storage System, the Wayne Densch Athletics Administration Building at the University of Central Florida, and the Eastern Florida State College Health Sciences and Student Union Buildings.

In March 2019, 8-koi acquired Merritt Island design-build firm Cape Design Engineering Co. (CDE) to expand WOSB design engineering and mil-spec construction capabilities. Since its founding in 2008, 8-koi has grown to offer a diverse range of services that helped to earn the title “Florida’s Companies to Watch” in 2018 by GrowFL.

About 8-koi
8-koi is an 8(a) certified minority- and woman-owned small disadvantaged business headquartered in Melbourne, FL. Founded in 2008 by Inga Young, 8-koi specializes in providing Design Engineering, Construction, Training/Technical and Administrative Support, and Healthcare-Related Services to government agencies across the United States. 8-koi’s work within these divisions meets rigorous training/technical specifications to include Mil-Spec design-build, facility renovation, medical admin and direct care, quality assurance and risk management. See more at https://www.8-koi.com/.

About Cape Design Engineering
Cape Design Engineering Co. (CDE) was incorporated in 1997 by Lutfi M. Mized, P.E. and Kannan Rengarajan, P.E. to offer full-service, multi-discipline engineering and construction firm. CDE is well-known for commercial, industrial, educational, medical, institutional, military, and government facilities to include the designs of critical launch systems and facilities for NASA and USAF rocketry programs. Acquired in 2019 by 8-koi as a wholly-owned subsidiary, CDE continues to provide exceptional contracting services on time and within budget. See more at https://www.cdeco.com.