2025’s 30 Under 30 EC&M Electrical All Stars: Prime Hein
Prime Hein
Job Title: Street Lighting Engineering Associate
Company: Bureau of Street Lighting, City of Los Angeles
Location: Los Angeles
Age: 29
Years on the Job: 5
Interests: Advocating STEM subjects, making home improvements, investing in collectibles, and going to the movies
Prime Hein’s interest in engineering began at a very young age, but when he got shocked during a high school project, he discovered he wanted to pursue electrical engineering.
Born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar, he came to the United States at the age of 15, and he struggled to adapt to the culture and contend with the language barrier. Fast forward to 2018, and he graduated from California State University-Los Angeles with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. He then completed the Engineer-in-Training exam while in school and then became a professional engineer.
“Education provides you with knowledge, and training impacts you with life-long lessons,” he said. “I’m blessed to receive both as I embark along my journey.”
As part of the Metro Transit Division, a typical work day consists of prioritizing tasks, meeting with the project team to provide updates, and reviewing technical drawings to prepare comments. He also attends meetings to look at the schedule/budget and creates spreadsheets, and reports for management.
“Every day is different and interesting,” he said. “As a supervisor overseeing engineering and drafting staff, I become responsible not just for delivering results with quality but also improving the team as a whole.”
With strong technical expertise, leadership, and dedication to improving the city, he aims to make a significant impact on the lives of Angelenos and visitors to the City of Angels. For example, the Metro Transit Division at the Bureau of Street Lighting is working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to deliver 28 projects by the 2028 Olympics, which involves street lighting improvements near and at the bus and rail stations.
“I supervise at least half, which are multi-million-dollar projects from conceptual to construction phase,” he said.