Gene Nerf, PE, Engineer for 50 Years, to Retire
Expert in Institutional Building Environments, Mechanical Engineer Led Mueller Associates as President for 14 Years
Baltimore, MD—September 2013
Eugene Nerf, Jr., PE, an engineer with 50 years in professional practice, has announced his upcoming retirement from the Baltimore-based firm of Mueller Associates. Nerf served as vice president and director of Mueller’s design division from 1981 to 1992, when he became the firm’s majority stockholder, chairman, and president, serving until 2006. He has continued to serve as an officer of the firm.
Nerf joined Mueller Associates as a young designer in 1966, the firm’s first year of operation, and was mentored under its founder, Richard Mueller, PE. A native of Baltimore, Nerf graduated high school in 1961 from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute “A” Course, focusing on science and engineering. He holds a B.S.E. in mechanical engineering from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. He has practiced as a professional engineer since 1975 in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and other Mid-Atlantic states.
After Nerf joined the fledgling firm, Mueller Associates grew under the leadership of Dick Mueller and began to be selected for significant projects in the late 1960s and 1970s, including work on the expansion of North Arundel Hospital, a ten-year project to complete the Nave and West Front of the Washington National Cathedral, major expansions and HVAC improvements at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, and the new Sun Papers press facility in Baltimore.
Under Nerf’s tenure as director of design throughout the 1980s, Mueller Associates became widely regarded for its work with facilities involving challenging environments and stringent climate control, including museums, performing arts centers, hospitals, laboratories, and historic structures. During this period, the firm completed numerous projects for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Defense, the Winterthur Museum, the Walters Art Museum, the University of Delaware, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland.
Nerf has also overseen multiple projects for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC; for Northrop Grumman (formerly Westinghouse) at sites throughout the Baltimore area; and at the University of Maryland Baltimore’s School of Pharmacy. His work for Northrop Grumman has included studies and the design of infrastructure, capital improvements, new facilities, and renovation projects. The work spans more than 30 years and includes more than 600 commissions.
Nerf is a Life Member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
“Gene Nerf has been a mentor to me and many engineers at Mueller Associates,” says Robert Marino, PE, who succeeded Nerf as president in 2005. “He has made enormous contributions to the engineering profession in Maryland and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. No matter how challenging the project, Gene had ideas. He had solutions. He kept pace with technology and sustainable trends. Gene has always been an inspiration to our team and a source of constant support to our clients.”
Nerf plans to retire at the end of the year, and will continue to support clients as a part-time consultant to Mueller Associates. He resides in Glen Burnie with his wife of 50 years, Eileen.
About Mueller Associates
Established in 1966, Mueller Associates provides mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services for facilities throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The firm specializes in engineering for academic buildings, museums, performing arts centers, healthcare settings, and other institutional and corporate facilities requiring stringent environmental control, energy-conserving, and sustainable designs.
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