Experience
“You get out of engineering what you put into it. You can sit on the bench and watch, or get out front and lead.”
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Influences
“I like to golf and hunt—when you’re from South Dakota, pheasant-hunting is in your DNA. But when I was a kid, what I remember is that if there was a screwdriver lying around and it fit into something next to me, I’d take it apart, see how it worked, then put it back together and see if it still worked—or worked even better. I had my engineering side, but I was also an athlete through school, mostly football and baseball, so I guess you could say I was a nerd-jock.”
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Culture
“Dunham is a family-oriented company. We all work hard and have high expectations here, but we also know that family comes first. Within the industry, we’re known for the quality work we do and the relationships we have. In my area (healthcare), it’s all repeat business. Our reputation is that we back our work. We’re proud of what we do, but if the client thinks something isn’t right, we take responsibility. And it’s never about blame. We’re always right there with a solution in hand.”
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Motivation
“I like the construction side of engineering because you get to drive by a hospital and say ‘I did that.’ At the end of the day, you’ve got a building that’s going to operate and function properly, the Owner’s going to be happy and the patients are going to be comfortable. Working in healthcare, you’re always aware that the patient is in a difficult place. They’re worried enough just being in a hospital, so giving them a friendly, healing environment is critically important. And I get a lot of satisfaction out of that.”
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Challenges
“We don’t hold our knowledge tight. We share. There isn’t a situation in the industry that someone here hasn’t run into at some point in their career—that’s the benefit of having a lot of horsepower. And we’re passionate about what we do, but we also like to have fun. What gets me up in the morning are the technical challenges of every project. You never know what you’re going to run into. It could be a 500,000-sq. ft. hospital or a small clinic; they each have their unique challenges. I like being kept a little off balance. As in sports, you get out of engineering what you put into it. You can sit on the bench and watch, or get out front and lead. I coached my son’s baseball team for six years, and when we got down to the last out, I’d always say ‘who wants it?’ That’s when you find out who the leaders are.”