Sigma Nu - University of Washington

GAMMA CHI 3 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS A s a freshman, Ed Chin '87 decided to go through recruitment since his cousins, Stan '83 and Sandy Chin '80, enjoyed their time at Sigma Nu so much. He credits the Recruitment Chairmen at the time, Steve Jarvis '85 and Jeff Underwood '85, with making him feel the most welcome compared to the other houses he visited. Ed feels that his years in Gamma Chi helped him grow out of his shell, both socially and professionally. "Living with a rotating 50 to 60 different personalities under one roof was eye-opening and helped in dealing with the personalities you run into in your work life," he said. His Sigma Nu brothers also directly helped him advance in his career more than once. In Ed's undergraduate years, Brian Allen '74 gave him a warehouse/ parts delivery driver and data entry job with an HVAC contracting company, which gave him professional experience for his mechanical engineering degree. en in 1990, he received a job offer at Sverdrup Corporation (now Jacobs Engineering) before he graduated thanks to a referral from Paul Riemann '87. Ed's current business, Earthbound Corporation, began as a side job with a friend of his, in which they formed a start-up to research and develop a new construction fastener to protect multifamily and commercial mid-rise (up to six stories) wood-framed buildings during earthquakes. Today, the patented SlackJack TM device and Earthbound System is one of the three nationally recognized seismic and wind tie down systems in the U.S. and Canada. Earthbound has been Ed's full-time job since 1997 with 40 employees in Monroe, Washington, as well as 25 civil engineers and soware developers in Mexico. Ed is also listed as a co-inventor of a patented online soware tool for engineers to design the Earthbound System. Overall, Ed's favorite Sigma Nu memories stem from the camaraderie he formed with the brothers and the powerful friendships that have lasted to this day. "I feel like I can pick up the phone and call anybody I knew in the house and at least have a drink with any of them." He encourages undergraduate brothers to consistently better themselves in life and establish a good balance between work and relationships early on. "You are in your learning years; the earning years will come." "Given the chance, I would do it all over again and wouldn't change a thing," he said. "Sigma Nu was extremely important and beneficial in teaching me life lessons you would never get anywhere else." Today, Ed is most proud of graduating from UW ("Go Huskies!"), the career choices that helped him to where he is now, and his 14-year-old daughter, Cassie, who is a straight-A student. In his spare time, he does IT network consulting, Karate martial arts training, and loves tinkering with UTVs, motorcycles, jet skis, and more. Connect with Ed at edchin@gmail.com. BUILDING A STRONG BROTHERHOOD Ed Chin '87 Shares Lessons Learned at Gamma Chi W ith an aptitude for math and science, Patrick Leewens '82 came to UW with a plan to apply to the college of engineering—until he learned that obtaining a college degree was only the first step; students must also work for five years under someone who has already achieved their professional engineer (P.E.) status before becoming a P.E. themselves. He decided that would not work for him and became disheartened in his path to earning a college degree. Fortunately, he had the support of the Sigma Nu brotherhood to help him through college and, in turn, went on to enjoy success in his chosen profession of working for his family's business. "I was disillusioned and under a lot of stress due to working several jobs to pay my own way through college. I ended up partying for two quarters and had a pretty good time, but I was on my way to dropping out of college," he said. "I credit my Sigma Nu pledge class brothers, brothers two classes ahead of me, and my little sister through Sigma Nu's little sister program for straightening me out." rough UW's Individualized Studies program, Patrick was able to design his own degree by combining his desired classes from the construction management program with classes from Foster's School of Business. From there, he had to convince a panel of 12 professors to let him follow his own path to earning a degree. Despite one professor flatly saying he would never get a job with his selected coursework, Patrick knew he was on the right track to work for his family's business, Leewens Corporation. Aer three years of monitored classes, writing a thesis, and receiving the panel's approval, Patrick earned a degree in what he called business contracting. At Leewens Corporation, a professional industrial contracting company that repairs, strengthens, and coats concrete started by his parents in 1976, Patrick serves as vice president of operations. In his position, he acquires customers from the industry and supervises all estimating and field operations as well as CONSTRUCTING HIS OWN PATH TO SUCCESS Patrick Leewens '82 Credits Sigma Nu for Keeping Him on Track at UW (Continued on page 4)

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