FAEC Honors Edward Lobnitz with the 2019 Edison Award

Mr. Lobnitz has had a remarkable career.  An expert in lightning protection, he has designed systems for both complex buildings and award-winning bridges.  His experience includes analysis and design for power distribution & security/communication systems for a wide range of building types. For over eighteen years, Mr. Lobnitz was the Chief Electrical Engineer for Medical Facilities Consultants, a joint venture, which was formed to provide plan review/construction inspection services for all Florida medical facilities through HRS, a precursor to Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).  In addition to his professional accomplishments, he was the founder of the Central Florida Chapter of Engineering Ministries International and has traveled extensively addressing development in disadvantaged countries.  Mr. Lobnitz has been an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida teaching a course entitled “Mechanical and Electrical Building Systems for Civil Engineers”.  Ed served an eight-year term on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, including two years as Chairman.  He served as Chairman and Principal Organizer of the Lightning Protection Institute’s Professional Division and spoke at numerous LPI and ULPA conferences.

Ed achieved a high level of distinction in electrical engineering as an advocate of professional registration, quality education, and for innovation in electrical engineering analysis and design, including:

- Engineer of the Year, 1988, Central Florida Engineering Society

- Engineering Emeritus Member, UF Tau eta Pi Honorary Engineering Society

- Florida Engineering Society 1999 "Outstanding Service to the Engineering Profession"

- IEEE Outstanding Entrepreneur Award 1996

- NCEES Distinguished Service Award

- 2017 ENR Southeast Legacy Award

Mr. Lobnitz pioneered the use of CAD at TLC, setting the stage for the firm to earn a reputation of being a forerunner in technology use in the Southeast.  In addition to CAD, under Mr. Lobnitz’s leadership, TLC developed many in-house tools to streamline calculations and assure accuracy in drawings and specifications.

Mr. Lobnitz served as a missionary volunteer on multiple trips to severely disadvantaged countries through his engagement in Engineering Ministries International (EMI).  Early trips had minimal work for an electrical engineer as many communities existed with minimal power.  Over time, through efforts of his and many others, situations improved for medical facilities, schools, churches and other facilities around the world to equal electrical designs in the United States. Through his work with Danita’s Children, an orphanage, school and medical center in Ounaminthe, Haiti, Mr. Lobnitz has led the efforts to provide a complete electrical infrastructure where only primitive electrical provisions existed. The campus now has full generator power since there is no utility power available, inverter power for critical loads when the generators are turned off, solar power to assist in charging the batteries supporting the inverter/chargers, and many other electrical improvements making this campus probably the most robust electrical system for a campus like this in Haiti. Information about Danita’s Children may be found at Danitaschildren.org.

He was also one of the first Florida State master electrical contractors, taking and passing the first state master electrician test. He started an electrical/mechanical contracting firm mainly to train newly graduated electrical engineers in the practical aspects of constructing electrical and mechanical systems for buildings in order to improve their designs, so they were not only more accurate and code compliant but also understanding of a contractor’s practical needs in the field. However, even though the firm did well, running an electrical engineering firm and an electrical contracting firm was too much to handle and the contracting firm was closed.