Engineers are at the center of innovation and play a vital role in creating the buildings a community uses on a daily basis and no construction project can be completed and open its doors to welcome people in until the heating and plumbing is installed.

Chances are in Hacienda and Pleasanton many of the buildings you drive by, shop in, or the parks you visit have been made more welcoming with the work done by Belden Consulting Engineers.

Belden Consulting Engineers, an employee-owned full-service electrical, mechanical and plumbing engineering company located in Hacienda, has been in business for 50 years and dedicated to providing a high level of engineering services to their clients. Moreover, Belden takes great pride in making the community better.

Belden has deep roots in the Bay Area, dating back to 1967 when founder Jerry Belden started the company in Oakland. The firm moved to Hacienda a few years ago after being located in San Leandro and Dublin.

"Having our office here in Hacienda/Pleasanton is a good central location for us. Most of our clients are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and meeting with them either at their office or here in Pleasanton makes business much more convenient," said Kevin Moore, Vice President.

With a staff of 22 professional engineers, designers, and support personnel Belden Consulting Engineers has been involved in a broad range of construction projects, both public and private, such as the Bernal Sports Park, Pleasanton Alameda County Courts Building and local fire stations. Currently, Belden is working on tenant improvement plans for Pleasanton Gateway Center including Jamba Juice, Parrott Cellular, AT&T and space for a Pilates tenant.

Belden's extensive expertise includes being well versed in California's complex and demanding energy codes. A priority for the firm is to make a positive impact on the environment and the community by designing more energy-efficient buildings. "We have been involved in many projects using green energy. We did the design for a clean power fuel cell system for a Safeway in Santa Cruz and a wind turbine system for the Net Zero Energy building in San Leandro," said Moore. More of the projects Belden is working on, such as shopping centers and parking lots, are incorporating electric vehicle charging stations.

Greater importance is being placed on engineers to incorporate green energy into their projects. Beginning this year the 2016 California Energy Code, Title 24 is being enforced, which requires more energy conservation, reduction in lighting allowances and more sophisticated lighting controls.

"Low voltage and wireless lighting controls are moving quickly into the marketplace, we are seeing more need and use of LED lighting, dimming of light fixtures, and occupancy controls in order to meet the new requirements," said Moore.

Currently, Belden has projects all over the Tri-Valley area and even though it is a relatively small firm, they have made a big impact in the region. In addition to building in California, the firm is also licensed in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State.

For more information about Belden Consulting Engineers, please visit their website at beldeninc.com.