J. Gordon, PE, Principal Geotechnical Engineer and the Geotechnical Business Unit Leader for the Puget Sound region, recently celebrated his 25-year anniversary at GeoEngineers. His Bellingham office mates threw a big roast-and-toast party for J. that featured treats, pictures from his past, and both serious and mischievous staff testimonials.
J. has enjoyed his career and the many changes he has seen in over 30 years in the business. He became licensed in Alaska and worked in Anchorage and on the North Slope with another firm during the early- to mid-1980s.
When he came to GeoEngineers, J. broadened his technical background into environmental assessment and cleanup projects. Then in 1993, J. moved to Bellingham to open and manage a new GeoEngineers office, which now boasts a staff of 13. He remarked, “The Bellingham office has a very broad range of skill sets, has an enterprising spirit, and loves to think and do stuff out of the box.”
Today J. still focuses on geotechnical and geological work, however, with the broader staff in the Bellingham office, he has the opportunity to collaborate on permitting, river and habitat projects as well. Looking back on his years in Bellingham, J. said, “Working in Bellingham has been challenging and rewarding. The geology in Northwest Washington is very different from Central Puget Sound. Even most of the smaller projects have challenges. In a small town, we get to work on most of the major projects, which is a lot of fun and gives us pride in our community.”
When asked about his future plans, J. reported that he is looking forward to contributing to the future success of GeoEngineers and made no mention of slowing down or retiring.