In this episode, we are joined by Eduardo Parra, Founder & CEO of Parra & Co, and who also serves on the SAHCC Board as Co-Chair of the Small Business Committee! We had a lot of fun chatting with Eduardo about the beginnings of their family run business, how they've been able to impact the city of San Antonio and more areas in Texas for 6 years now (happy anniversary!), and a deeper discussion about infrastructure and economic development.
About Parra & Co:
Parra & Co is a family-owned Civil Engineering Firm that Designs and Manages Infrastructure and Land Development Projects, serving public and private clients across Texas.
Eduardo Parra P.E., LEED BD+C
CEO | Principal Engineer
Eduardo Parra is a partner and co-founder of Parra & Co and serves as its CEO and Principal Engineer. He is a civil engineer with over 20 years of experience managing and designing projects for municipal governments and private parties, both in the US and abroad. He has managed large multi-year programs of over $300 million in size. He is very keen at selecting the right team for each project, always analyzing the level of complexity, availability of budget, risk, and allotted timeline, delivering projects in an affordable and timely manner with a very personalized service to his clients. Eduardo provides overall supervision of the design teams from feasibility to delivery, including architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, permitting, environmental, geotechnical, surveying as well as utility coordination, stakeholder management, and coordination with the contractor during construction. Throughout his career, he has served as engineer-of-record and engineer-in-responsible charge for the design and construction of civil and coastal engineering, stormwater / drainage / flood control projects, transit and roadway projects, water and wastewater utility projects, disaster recovery and preparedness efforts, as well as energy efficiency & sustainability projects. He has also served as expert witness for Hurricane Recovery during Katrina and has done damage reports and recovery work after Hurricanes Katrina and Alex in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Mr. Parra has been actively involved with regional and national professional societies and associations including serving on the board of Trustees of the San Antonio Water System, OPERA San Antonio, and the Brackenridge Park Conservancy. He serves as a Corresponding Member of the Committee on Sustainability for the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is a Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, an alumnus of Leadership San Antonio Class XXXIX, steering committee member for Leadership San Antonio class XLIII, a former board member of the U.S. Green Building Council in Central Texas and the World Affairs Council of San Antonio, and the past chair for the Energy & Sustainability Committee of the Greater Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio. He was honored as San Antonio Business Journal’s 2016 40 under 40. Mr. Parra has also coordinated research on green stormwater infrastructure, rain gardens, and pervious pavement and is currently researching sustainable infrastructure practices in Europe and its applicability to Central & South Texas. He offers clients strong facilitation and communication skills to ensure that the proper resources are committed to the project to exceed client expectations.
Mr. Parra is fluent in English and Spanish. He completed his Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Hydraulics from The Pennsylvania State University (2001) and has a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Universidad Rafael Urdaneta in Venezuela (1997).
