Gary Castleberry
Senior Construction Consultant
There are few things in life that can rival the feeling of accomplishment associated with watching an HDD that you have spent countless hours designing, analyzing, planning and managing being successfully installed.
Hired
- 2017
Location
- Springfield, MO
Gary is our point man for coordinating and implementing various aspects of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations out of the Springfield office. He coordinates with contractors, designs HDD engineering plans, and shepherds HDD projects from feasibility studies through permitting and to construction.
Almost 20 years ago, Gary entered the world of HDD and trenchless pipeline installations after completing his service as a United States Marine. He began as a drilling fluid technician and laborer, and gradually worked his way to drilling crew foreman, technical consultant, construction inspector and finally project coordinator. Working on HDD projects in so many different roles gave Gary a deep understanding of the discipline, and a passion for deciphering subsurface details at a site.
“HDD construction differs from other types of construction in that you cannot typically see what is happening,” Gary says. “Instead you must understand the process and collect information from gauges and instruments which lead to inferences and conclusions.”
Gary was hooked on HDD, so he enrolled at Old Dominion University and graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology, setting him up for a job as a field engineer for several pipeline owners before he finally brought his many years of experience to GeoEngineers.
“I enjoy the challenges associated with analyzing data and developing conclusions,” Gary says. “In my opinion, HDDs require strong analytical and math skills and really require a person to think to be successful.”
As a part of GeoEngineers’ pipeline unit, Gary is a member of one of the leading teams of trenchless engineers in the country, with particular experience permitting HDD projects under strict U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standards and working in the challenging soft soils of the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Basin.
“GeoEngineers has some of the brightest engineers in the trenchless industry,” Gary says. “I enjoy working with people of this caliber. The Geo team are great people and tremendous problem solvers!”
When Gary’s not working with his GeoEngineers HDD team he’s usually spending time with the other tremendous people in his life—his wife and two daughters! When they have time to break away from the marathon of school activities and events they enjoy the outdoors and spend time riding their horses and ATVs, hunting, fishing and camping.
