Convention Center Chief Engineer is First Employee to Celebrate 25 Years
03/17/2009
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Chief Engineer Robert Taylor is the first employee in the Center’s history to celebrate 25 years of service.
Taylor’s career with the Convention Center pre-dates the facility itself. He was hired by the New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority, the board that governs the Convention Center, as an operating engineer on December 26, 1983, while the building was used as the Louisiana Pavilion for the 1984 World’s Fair.
When the World’s Fair closed, Taylor, as part of the Operations department, worked to retrofit and refurbish the convention center in 60 days before welcoming its first tradeshow, Helicopter Association International, on January 15, 1985.
Over the years, Taylor rose through the ranks to engineering lead, engineering foreman and finally to his current position as chief engineer. The Chief Engineer is critical to the success of the Convention Center by overseeing the operation and maintenance of the physical plant and heating and air conditioning systems.
Taylor was on the team that oversaw the opening of the Center’s Phase II expansion in 1991 and Phase III expansion in 1999. Following hurricane Katrina, Taylor helped coordinate the building’s recovery efforts and readied the building to re-open for business.
Taylor was recognized at a luncheon in his honor, held at Ma Maison, the Convention Center’s private dining suite. “The Convention Center is fortunate to still have Rob on the team; no other employee possesses such a wealth of institutional knowledge and history of the building and its internal operations systems,” said Bob Johnson, president/general manager of the Convention Center. “His 25 years of dedication, engineering expertise and leadership have played a significant part in the success of the Convention Center, and his tradition of faithful service is applauded.”
Taylor has been married to wife Tammy for six years. He has three step-children and four step- grandchildren.
Chief Engineer Robert Taylor
Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority President Melvin Rodrigue, Convention Center Chief Engineer Robert Taylor, Convention Center President/General Manager Bob Johnson
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About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
With 1.1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, an award winning staff and first class amenities, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOMCC) is the sixth largest convention center in the nation and a consistent Top 10 host of the largest number of conventions and tradeshows annually. A leading rainmaker of the city’s hospitality industry, NOMCC event activity has produced $39.12 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $2.19 billion in new tax revenue.
