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1960s

We most remember the ‘60s as the decade of freedom and love, from the music of the Beatles to the Civil Rights Act. It was a decade of huge engineering feats as well, helping make dreams of a better life possible. There was the invention of the laser, the cardiac pacemaker, the landing on the moon, and the creation of ARPAnet, the research network that became the Internet.
During these eventful times, Ralph Joeckel had a dream, too, of taking the competitive drive and dedication to excellence he learned at UCLA Basketball to a new kind of engineering firm. In 1966, he founded the company that became JBA and, by the end of the decade, helped establish it with major projects at the Desert Inn, Stardust, and Caesars Palace.

1970s

In the ‘70s we saw the end of the Vietnam war, the first Earth Day and renewed relations with China, while women worked for equality. Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman, and rock, country, punk, disco, and funk fought for the ears of Americans, who listened on the first time ever on a personal music device, the Sony Walkman.
The decade saw the invention of personal computers, the jumbo jet, the cell phone, digital camera, CD player, CT scanner, Cray supercomputer, and the first video games.
Meanwhile Ralph Joeckel renamed his firm JBA Consulting Engineers, and its engineers were key in the creation of the first hotel tower at Circus Circus, a 22-story tower at the Tropicana, and Las Vegas City Hall. JBA took on its first major auditorium, the 7,500-seat Aladdin Theatre of Performing Arts, which today is the AXIS at Planet Hollywood.

1980s

Many Americans remember the ‘80s as a decade of personal growth and prosperity, one of the longest stretches of economic growth since World War II. The decade saw cable TV become the standard in most households, while VCRs, big hair, MTV, Pac Man and the birth of Hip Hop all made their mark.
The ‘80s saw the launch of the IBM PC, the Mac and the first space shuttle. Air Jordan flew – while the Berlin Wall fell.
The Mirage, the worlds first casino megaresort, opened on the Las Vegas Strip, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing designs by JBA. The firm authored among the first high-rise life safety reports in Southern Nevada, finished major projects at the Frontier, the Sahara, and the Desert Inn, and expanded nationally with an office in Southern California and multiple projects for Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and numerous other Hospitals.

1990s

Peace broke out worldwide as the ‘90s saw the Cold War end and Nelson Mandela freed. America could focus new resources on medicine and technology.
This was the decade of the Internet, when the web browser and new email clients brought the Information Age to everyone. We saw, too, the Game Boy, the DVD, the Hubble Telescope, Seinfeld, Friends, and America’s Funniest Home Videos.
JBA did the bulk of the engineering for the Rio, Paris, the Treasure Island, New York New York, the Bellagio, and the Mandalay Bay Resort—and expanded its acoustical and fire protection offerings, becoming one of the first to engineer and deploy a smoke control system under the 1994 Uniform Building Code, for the New York, New York Hotel and Casino.

2000s

While America moved forward to meet new threats and new conflicts, the 2000s saw the human genome mapped, the invention of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and the widespread adoption of cloud computing.
Meanwhile, Apple introduced the iPod and iPhone, robotic surgery became commonplace, and Skype brought international calling and video communication to everyone.
JBA was instrumental in the opening of the MGM Grand Mansions, the Palms, the Wynn, Mandalay Bay Arena, Mirage Convention Center, Red Rock Casino Resort, Rio Convention Center, Marriott Grand
Chateau, Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshares, MGM Signature Towers, Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Caesars Octavius Tower. The firm established separate fire protection and technology departments, continued its long-term relationship with Cirque du Soleil and completed major international projects for the Qatar Convention Center, the City of Dreams Macau, Wynn Macau and the MGM Macau.

The response within our company to the Take Your Child to Work Day has grown tremendously, with almost double the attendance when compared to last year’s event. This program helps demonstrate the positive impact our company is having and will continue to have on the lives of our young people. By immersing youth into our work environment for a day, we hope to impact their transition from student to a productive and sustainable career. Our JBA team members have come forward and stepped up their level of support for this important event. The high level of commitment and communication by each team member stands out and serves as an example to the group of young people attending. I look forward to witnessing the participants become the next generation of engineers, scientists, health care professionals, teachers and mentors.

Ed P. Butera, Chairman

The response within our company to the Take Your Child to Work Day has grown tremendously, with almost double the attendance when compared to last year’s event. This program helps demonstrate the positive impact our company is having and will continue to have on the lives of our young people. By immersing youth into our work environment for a day, we hope to impact their transition from student to a productive and sustainable career. Our JBA team members have come forward and stepped up their level of support for this important event. The high level of commitment and communication by each team member stands out and serves as an example to the group of young people attending. I look forward to witnessing the participants become the next generation of engineers, scientists, health care professionals, teachers and mentors.

Ed P. Butera, Chairman

We believe we have a responsibility to give back to the community that has given so much to us. JBA donates a percentage of its annual profits to each local community in which the company conducts business as well as to those areas of the world that need it most.