Ortus Engineering Leadership
Elvis Torres is the founder of Ortus Engineering and oversees all day-to-day operations. After spending over a decade specializing in historical landmark buildings, structural investigations, and optimization of structural systems, he wanted to bring his expertise to the private provider field to assist companies in achieving their goals while eliminating the delays typically experienced through government agencies.
Since graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and International Finance from Syracuse University in 2001, he has 20+ years professional experience in business development, structural design, and threshold inspections with some of the highest profile projects in North America.
In New York City, Elvis was Director of Engineering of special inspection agency and was responsible for ensuring structural and mechanical field procedures, set forth by the DOB, were enacted in over 150 city-wide threshold buildings. He was also involved in the design and oversight of many evacuation projects and conducted thorough reviews of many foundation plans, borings, test pits, site surveys, and soil reports regarding these projects. In coordination with the NYFD and design professionals, he also conducted multiple inspections on life safety measures such as sprinkler and standpipe systems, firestopping and fireproofing and emergency generator systems testing.
Experience:
- Threshold Inspections
- Historic Rehabilitation
- ICC Structural Steel Bolting
- ICC Structural Steel Welding
- ICC Structural Masonry
- ICC Energy Code Compliance
- ACI Level I & II Lab Testing Technician
- NFPA Certified Fire Protection Specialist
Associations:
- Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- Society of Fire Projection Engineering (SFPE)
- University of Miami College of Engineering Advisory Board
Juan’s experience includes almost 20 years in the construction industry working on all types projects from custom homes to large multi-story buildings, where he established and updated project schedules. He also assisted in identifying problems as they relate to the organization of the job; prioritizing tasks to provide a smooth flow of progress throughout the project. He has a B.S. in Public Administration and has a strong background in the business aspects of construction management.
For the past two years Juan Dieguez has been a project manager with Ortus Engineering overseeing multiple large projects. In this role, he monitors his projects to ensure all permits are pulled in a timely manner and all necessary inspections along with required paperwork are submitted to their respective municipalities. He assures that all permits are properly closed out and all documentation is submitted in order to obtain a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) and/or Certificate of Occupancy or Completion as necessary.
Other aspects of his project management duties include assisting contractor to ensure all outside agencies, such as but not limited to Fire, Planning & Zoning, Water & Sewer and Public Works complete their required inspections. He analyzes project requirements to allow for construction activities based on approvals. Coordination and leading of meetings with project teams as needed to address open and/or outstanding items required for project completion are also part of his duties. Coordinating all mandatory inspections with owners, architects and contractors and their subs is also a critical component of his duties as project manager.
Mr. Plasencia is a 40 year veteran of the Construction industry, having started as a Draftsman for an Electrical Engineer after graduating from High School in1973. In the early years he worked for Electrical, Mechanical and Structural Engineers while attending the University of Miami. After graduating from UM in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Mr. Plasencia worked with the US Dept of Housing & Urban Development (DHUD/FHA) as a Plan Reviewer/Inspector, and a few years later became an Construction Inspector for the US Dept of Veterans Affairs (DVA). Mr. Plasencia was granted an Architect licensed in the State of Florida in 1980 and followed up with a State of Florida Unlimited General Contractor License 2 years later. In the early to middle 80s, Mr. Plasencia worked for an Architectural/Construction/Development firm specializing in Section 8 Housing, as well as a large Construction firm based in Tampa, Florida. In 1984 Mr. Plasencia established his own Company to provide Architectural, Construction, Inspection and Permitting services for a variety of clients that included Residential, & Commercial projects, Moderate to Substantial Rehab of structures including Historic Property Restoration, approval of Construction Draws and ADA inspections.
After 30 years in Private Practice, Mr. Plasencia was ready for a change and became intrigued by the State of Florida Statute 553.791 “Affidavit Plans Review and Inspections” which provides the option to Developers to privatize the work typically performed by the Municipal Building Department personnel, avoiding typical delays experienced and joined a local Private Provider firm as a Project Manager to take maximum advantage of the relationships with Building Dept professionals made thoughout the many years in the Construction Industry. After 4 years with the firm, an opportunity arose to join Ortus Engineering, an up and coming Private Provider that is rapidly expanding by providing unmatched service and convenience to it’s client. Mr. Plasencia’s experience spans all aspects of the Industry spanning from design to execution and inspections.
Mr. Plasencia’s years of experience in the Construction Industry combined with his knowledge of the Florida Building Code and the familiarity with the many Municipal Building Departments in the Greater Miami Area allows him to easily navigate the bureaucracy when dealing with Governmental Agencies and assists him in reaching quick and cost effective solutions to problems that constantly arise even in the simplest of projects
Ana serves as the firm’s Senior Plans Coordinator and works closely with our staff, the architects, engineers, and the team members of our clients to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction, and accountability throughout the complicated process of permit approvals from the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and other municipal entities. She coordinates and expedites a large volume of detailed plans and paperwork on a timely basis ensuring that the plan reviews, and any documentation requiring submittals to municipalities, are done expeditiously following the terms and specifications of their projects. Ana takes great pride in her work, providing high quality service and keeping clients informed every step of the way.
Prior to joining Ortus Engineering, Ana worked for several years in the Private Provide industry where she gained considerable experience with every aspect of the governmental permitting process and understands the importance of the service we provide. Before that she spent over 20 years in public relations and sales management where she earned numerous awards and accolades for superior customer care. Raised and educated in South Florida, Ana is perfectly bilingual and comes from a large family of architects and contractors.