Our Roots
The history of Howard I. Shapiro & Associates dates back to 1946, when Charles M. Shapiro opened an independent consulting engineering office. When Charles’ two sons, Howard and Elliot, joined him in 1956, the company became known as Charles M. Shapiro & Sons P.C.
The New York City Council adopted laws regulated crane usage in 1968, and Charles M. Shapiro & Sons P.C. began to focus on crane related engineering projects, in addition to practicing traditional civil engineering, as well as environmental engineering. In 1989 the company was split into two, Howard I. Shapiro & Associate P.C. and Shapiro Engineering P.C., with the working in the environmental engineering field.
Howard I. Shapiro & Associates P.C. has been the leader in the field of crane engineering since 1989, helmed by Howard Shapiro until his passing in 2007.
Today the company is led by Howard’s sons, Lawrence K. Shapiro and Jay P. Shapiro.
HOWARD I. SHAPIRO, P.E.
(1932-2007)
Howard I. Shapiro received his B.C.E degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and was licensed as a professional engineer in six states. As Principal Structural Engineer of the consulting firm of Charles M. Shapiro & Sons, P.C., he participated in the design of hundreds of crane and derrick installations throughout the United States and served as a consultant to both domestic and foreign crane manufacturers. He was an active member of crane and derrick technical and safety committees, developing consensus standards in programs of the Society of Automotive Engineers, American National Standards Institute, and the International Organization for Standardization. His design practice, consulting, and committee work made him a contributor to, and participant in, the rapid development in the mathematical analysis of cranes that have been such an important feature of the industry in recent years. He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Institute of Steel Construction.
