Executive Suite: Engineer Jaclyn Peranteau

Jaclyn Peranteau, president of Prime Engineering, is a rare breed of woman. Not only is she a licensed engineer, but in 2010, after working for a large civil engineering firm for 10 years, she dared herself to co-found an engineering company with co-worker Marc Pilotta, under the terms of a noncompete agreement.

That meant they couldn't woo any former clients to their new business. After establishing themselves with large projects at West Point and the Hamlet Condominiums in Jericho, Peranteau, 34, is now getting certified as a Woman Owned Business to score government projects as a female minority.

Recommendations; infrastructure projects primarily come through municipalities, whether it's through New York State or through a local agency. A lot of clients tend to go to the architect first . . . [I'm also courting] big banks and retailers, who will tend to be very loyal to their [engineering] consultant. [Retailers] that are building 10 [stores] a year give some sort of stabilization to your company.

I think a big problem on Long Island with development is that we don't have the infrastructure to support more development. We've sort of maxed out our roadways, and we've maxed out our sewer systems. We can't add any more flow to the sewers or cars to the roadways. It's always the biggest complaint in all the applications that we've done.

Most of the towns on the Island have adopted some requirements for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) . . . part of that is solar work. Also, more streetscape design is happening on projects, like incorporating a plaza area in a shopping center with seats -- something that's a little more aesthetically pleasing and gives it more of that smaller-type feel.

I have a very supportive husband. He sees the satisfaction in what I'm doing . . . when I come home with a signed contract, how excited I am. And he became a much better cook since I've been working so much.

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