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The Sky's The Limit!

For just a moment a quick journey back to the WWII era gives us a vision of Rosie the Riveter, taking her place on the factory floor amidst the pieces and parts of equipment, doing "a man's job." And as we travel forward in time we see the thought that "a woman's place is in the home" begin to take shape. Entering the 90s, history has come full circle. "A woman's place is in the home" is no longer applicable to an ever-increasing number of women in the workforce today.

A drive down the expressway during construction season is a good example of just where a "woman's place" is heading. Today more and more women are entering the traditionally male dominated workplace. We see scores of female firefighters, policewomen and mechanics working alongside their male counterparts. And the engineering field is no exception.

Known as the largest convention facility in North America, McCormick Place stands proud among the increasing number of buildings in the Chicago area being led by a female Chief Engineer. And taking her place in this challenging position is Diane Smalec, Chief Engineer, McCormick Place North. Employed at McCormick Place as an engineer since 1986, Diane has held the prestigious position of Chief for the last three years.

Three state-of-the-art buildings comprise the McCormick complex, the North and South buildings and the Lakeside Center. Combined they make up over 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space. Overseeing an enterprise the size of McCormick Place is no easy feat. But Jim Furlong, Superintendent of the complex, ensures that the day-to-day operation runs smoothly. Each building hosts its own engineering staff. In charge of the North Building, Diane performs her job with enthusiasm that pours out.

The original McCormick Place was born of the dream of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, former owner of the Chicago Tribune. After attending a rather large railroad exhibition in 1948 he quickly recognized the advantages of a permanent exhibition hall located right here in Chicago. Colonel McCormick spearheaded the effort to ensure construction of the building. And in 1960, although he did not live to see his dream come to life, the McCormick Place opened its doors.

Seven years later, the building was destroyed by fire. Together with C.F. Murphy & Associates, architect Helmut Jahn designed a new building. Built primarily of steel and glass, the doors re-opened in 1971. Interior hallways lined with gray terrazzo and dark brick masonry once again put McCormick Place back on top as a premier convention facility.

As the city grew so did its need for more exhibition space. A second building, located across Lake Shore Drive opened in 1986. Named the North Building, it is connected to the original structure by a 50,000 square foot, climate-controlled pedestrian walkway known as the Grand Concourse..

McCormick Place expanded once more in 1996. The South Building added in 840,000 square feet of exhibition area and more meeting space to accommodate the rapidly growing demand. These three buildings now see over 4.4 million visitors each year. The largest show to take place annually is the Chicago Auto Show, attracting over 1.2 million people, followed by the National Restaurant Show, The International Air Conditioning/Heating/Refrigeration Show, the Chicago Boat, RV and Outdoor Show and many others.

Because there is so little down time a typical day finds the crew getting as much preventative maintenance done as possible. This makes a preventative maintenance program an important issue for Diane. She is currently working on a PM schedule that will automatically determine what work needs to be accomplished on each piece of equipment and when it needs to be done. With information logged through the Building Automation System (BAS), adjustments can be made to the PM schedule to facilitate any emergencies that might arise.

The Johnson Controls Metasys Building Automation System gathers the information needed to make adjustments to the inside air. The enthropy control senses the outdoor air humidity, the indoor air humidity and the space temperature and humidity. The BAS system will then make adjustments to the pitch of the blades on each of the six 125,000 cfm Joy fans that heat and cool the upper level. These two zone fans supply the air through 36 cones located in each of the pylons in the building. Since the lower level requires much less air movement four 1-zone fans are used to heat and cool there. Wall units handle the return air. Fumes from equipment used to set up each scheduled show are exhausted from the floor through 43 fans located on the rooftop. Each air handling unit is equipped with two supply and two return fans. A wall of bag filters located in the fan

room keep the air quality well within acceptable limits. On a maintenance schedule these filters will have to be changed approximately every two years. With the current trend in competition for business continuing to rise, air quality and energy efficiency has become increasingly important. An air quality class offered through Local 399 has given Diane the opportunity to begin regulating air quality at McCormick place. Three power feed lines from ComEd supply electricity to the entire complex. In keeping with the need for energy efficiency, McCormick Place participates in an energy curtailment plan. While not being needed this year, the building will cut back on electric usage should the need arise.

Tri-Gen supplies the entire McCormick Place complex with chilled water and steam for heating. A converter station within the North Building converts 120 lbs of steam sent by Tri-Gen to the 12 lbs used by the system in the North Building. This steam in turn heats the water, sends it to the air handling unit, heats the building during the winter seasons and makes the return trip to where it began. And when summer approaches cooling through chilled water takes precedent. Now Diane's daily routine includes monitoring the differential pressure of the water sent them. Specific Delta T levels must be maintained. A difference between supply and return water temperature, or lack of it, can also indicate an equipment malfunction or potential problem in one of the lines.

Because preventative maintenance is a primary concern for the engineering staff and is handled on a daily basis, setup days for the shows become paperwork catch-up days for Diane. Along with working on her PM schedule Diane and her staff monitor floor temperatures to ensure the comfort of the workers and check booth setups to ensure that nothing is blocking critical ductwork. A close eye is kept on the personnel moving booths and equipment in to be sure that they are located in the right place, that they are erected according to OSHA specifications, and that everything runs smoothly. According to Diane, for the size of the North Building there are amazingly few maintenance calls to her department. She attributes that to a conscientious staff and a good maintenance program.

All food outlets located in the McCormick complex are owned by Levy Restaurants. While Levy is responsible for renting the space and maintaining it, the BAS system of McCormick place controls ventilation and exhaust. This was established as a control system for the engineering staff to ensure that the area is maintained properly. So on your next visit to McCormick Place, while you browse the North Building, be sure to stop at Connie's Pizza and indulge in a little of Chicago's very own. If you're in a hurry, McDonald's Express offers you all the favorites. Other restaurants located in the south building and Lakeside Center let you choose from a wide variety of innovative concepts to homemade desserts. Gift shops offer an exclusive line of Chicago souvenirs as well as everyday sundries from film to postcards to pharmaceutical needs. And as you browse be sure to take notice of McCormick Place's own "hidden gems." More than 70 contemporary paintings and sculptures from Illinois and around the world are strategically placed throughout the complex to enhance the experience of a visit to McCormick Place.

With an annual attendance topping 4 million people, the McCormick Place management continually looks for ways to accommodate everyone.

Compliance with the American with Disabilities Act ensures that wheelchair access, designated parking areas, TDD telephones and other services are readily available.

So, how does a woman make her way into a traditionally male-dominated career? Diane credits much of her success to her father and mother. As a mechanic, Diane's father encouraged her to work on cars. She was not afraid to get dirty; to get in there and get the job done. Her mother stood behind her 100% in anything she did and allowed her the experience of doing what she wanted to do most, working with tools in her hands. A career in engineering was never a consideration for her until much later. She tried the usual female-oriented careers, secretary, limousine driver, and never quite found the niche to hold her interest. Looking back now she admits that engineering was the best career choice she could have made.

Diane has been in the engineering field for the past 20 years. After being told of an opening at the Hyatt Hotel for a female engineer Local 399 sent her there for an interview and a career was born. While hired because they were looking for females to go into the women's bathroom to make repairs, Diane remained there for six years. She relates that the hotel business is a great learning experience. Her job entailed everything from plunging toilets to punching tubes in boilers. She did everything the "guys" did.

When asked if there were any special challenges entering this career choice Diane felt that the biggest challenge was being accepted. "There are some people that will just never accept a female working in this field. You learn to deal with that." And that is what she did. She watched. She listened. Then she showed them that she was willing to do the work. A big part of her success is attributed to the fact that she allowed them to show her the ropes. Diane put her "two cents" in when it was needed and took a back seat when it was necessary. She related that she learned more by listening than by trying to prove she knew it all. She also gives a lot of credit to the engineering staff at the Hyatt. "They took me under their wing and made sure I had the best hands-on experience possible."

According to Diane Local 399 has been just as wonderful. President John Phelan saw to it that Diane succeeded as one of the few female engineers in the apprentice program. She attributes where she is at today to the Union. "They have really gone out of their way to help me accomplish so much." Today Diane remains active in the Union. She is an officer with Local 399, standing guard at the door during their meetings.

While at the Hyatt Diane obtained her engineering license. However, there were no openings for a licensed engineer at the hotel. When the union heard of an opening at McCormick place they asked Diane if she were interested in the job. And her answer? One only needs to look on the nameplate on the door of the engineering office. Diane Smalec, Chief Engineer. One of the biggest assets that Diane brought with her from the Hyatt was a strong background in customer relations. Competition in today's world makes guest relations an important concern for all. A highly spirited, outgoing personality helped Diane to make customer relations a number one priority for McCormick Place. Changes of this nature were necessary to keep McCormick on top.

And when not at work Diane shares her home with her husband, Jim, and stepson Nicholas, both of whom are engineers. Diane met her husband at the Hyatt and they have been married 14 years. Currently Jim works at the Old Colony Building, 407 S. Dearborn. Nicholas is an apprentice. We asked Diane what it was like living in a house with three engineers. "Sometimes quite hilarious," she replied.

"Especially when we all try to convince each other of the "right" way to do something." While the chores at home are shared by all, Diane loves to cook. She would consider that her hobby.

Being a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week business Diane has plenty of help at McCormick Place. Three shifts of engineers make sure that things run smoothly. All licensed engineers, Diane's staff includes Rich Krajci, Ernest Brown, Pete Furlong, Eddie Johnson, Tom Jurek, Mike Gory and John Soprych. When Diane is not available things are left in the capable hands of Assistant Chief Engineer Mike Burns. All are employed by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.

Chicago is changing for the better and McCormick Place is no exception. With a possibility of expansion in the future to accommodate the increasing needs of its clients McCormick Place will do what's necessary to show the world that "Nobody does it better!"

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