1. Greg, could you please share how long you have been with ENGEO and what some of your favorite ENGEO projects have been?
I joined ENGEO very shortly after I obtained my M.S. in geotechnical engineering from UCLA in 2013. I was excited to join ENGEO because of the diversity and complicated nature of the projects that ENGEO was engaged in. My favorite projects at ENGEO have involved observing driven pile installation in Redwood City and San Francisco, logging fault trenches in the SF Bay Area and Northern Nevada, and performing geologic inspections on mass grading projects in hillside terrain.
2. What were the factors that influenced ENGEO’s decision to open an office in Reno?
Although ENGEO has been working on projects in Reno for many years, we did not have a permanent physical presence in the area. With all the growth, new businesses and development in that area, there was a great opportunity for ENGEO to serve clients in Northern Nevada and this potential was further reinforced in 2017 when we were approached by one of our clients to open an office in Reno. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to relocate my young family to Reno. My wife, daughter and I love the easy access to the outdoors. We can’t imagine being anywhere else!
3. Could you discuss the prevailing trends that are currently shaping ENGEO’s focus?
ENGEO’s roots can be traced back to large, master-planned communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, we have noticed that development has been shifting to infill type projects within urban areas. Typical development types in these areas include stadiums, multifamily, mixed-use, and mid- and high-rise structures. Because of space constraints, many of these projects include subterranean parking. Developing in urban areas can be challenging due to soil and/or groundwater contamination, old man-made fills that are unsuitable to support new structures, and stability of temporary excavations during basement construction. We have successfully partnered with our clients, their contractors, and regulatory agencies on infill projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and New Zealand. Pertinent examples can be found on our website: Projects | ENGEO. Recently, we have partnered with the Oakland Athletics to provide geotechnical engineering design services for the planned stadium at the former Tropicana site in Las Vegas, Nevada.
4. What is unique about ENGEO?
ENGEO is unique in being a mid-sized engineering firm that operates like a nimble, smaller-sized company that focuses on client service. We share the workload between our many offices, including our overseas offices, to ensure that project deadlines are met. This allows for our broad range of experience to be applied to projects anywhere in the world, which often results in cost-effective, innovative designs for our clients. We are all earth scientists. We are not civil engineers or materials testers that dabble in the realm of geotechnical and environmental engineering, we are geotechnical and environmental engineers first.
5. How would you describe ENGEO’s present standing in the Reno market?
We have been continually expanding our Reno office and field staff. We also have a material testing laboratory in Reno and are accredited to perform concrete compression tests. We will soon be accredited to perform soil testing. Due to the increase in staff and laboratory testing, we may soon be looking for a bigger office space!
6. Could you shed some light on ENGEO’s future objectives, plans for service expansion, and overall vision for Northern Nevada?
Our Reno staff has been focused on supporting single-family residential projects in the region. However, due to rapid growth in Northern Nevada, we anticipate that infill type projects such as the planned redevelopment on and around 4th Street will come online. We also anticipate that construction at our logistics hub, TRIC, will continue. We are eager to apply our expertise and experience with similar projects in Northern Nevada.
7. Finally, are there any ongoing or upcoming projects in Reno that ENGEO is particularly enthusiastic about?
We have already begun to serve infill projects in Northern Nevada, such as the Mathewson Gateway College of Business project at the University of Nevada, Reno. We are excited to see redevelopment occurring in and around downtown and continuing at TRIC.
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