Life + Work = Balance.

The structural engineering profession thrives in a culture where technical proficiency and high production are paramount. Engineers are tasked with designing and analyzing structures to ensure they are safe, stable, and efficient. This requires a deep understanding of physics, mathematics, and materials science, combined with the ability to apply this knowledge practically. High production demands mean that structural engineers must also be adept at project management, often working under tight deadlines to deliver precise and reliable results.

Prioritizing a good balance between our professions and our passions can be a constant battle. I spent a few minutes talking to one of our engineers about how he manages to stay engaged and positive in his career by ensuring his life doesn't get too heavily lopsided either way. Please enjoy our chat as I learned a little more about what it takes to build our buildings’ bones.

Building Bones is a Miller Consulting Engineers series of articles highlighting the fascinating work being done by a small, Oregon-grown structural engineering firm located in Portland, Oregon. We hope you enjoy meeting our team.

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MEET EVAN

HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU BEEN IN ENGINEERING?

Eight. And, all that time with Miller.

It's kind of funny or happenstantial how I ended up at Miller. My senior year of high school I was trying to figure out how to pay for college. I remember people telling me that an engineering degree opens a lot of career pathways, "If you get an engineering degree you can work for anybody. Other degrees can be more limiting in what opportunities become available to you." So, I applied for and was awarded an engineering scholarship that my mom found at my high school's college and career center. It was a 4-year scholarship from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). During the scholarship awards dinner, I ended up sitting next to Ron Vandehey (one of the principals at Miller). That evening, Ron and I talked basketball (with a side of engineering), and something Ron said really stuck with me,

"An engineering degree tells people you have learned how to solve problems."

When I was ready to apply for an engineering position, I looked to Miller.

WAS ENGINEERING ALWAYS YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR CAREER?

Not at all. My main goal, until freshman year of high school, was to become a professional basketball player. Once I realized the slim odds of making it to the NBA, I decided it was time to explore other talents. My ACT testing identified a strong aptitude for engineering, as long as I was willing to focus on math and physics. And, this degree path had some good scholarship money to help with my education. (I ended up piecemealing my way to paying for college with scholarships from organizations like ACEC, Rotary, Elks Lodge, OSU College of Engineering, etc.)

ACTUAL EXPERIENCE AS ENGINEER VS. ORIGINAL VISION

I think my original vision was that I would constantly be at odds with the construction teams. When I first graduated with my degree, I anticipated I would be doing calcs all day long and telling construction teams what to do. And, they'd inform me, "I’ve been doing construction for 20 years. You’re 23. Please stop." I anticipated friction.

I have learned that we, as engineers, are part of a relationship in a customer service business. We provide technical expertise.

We can have way more synergy toward the cooperative effort and success of the project when our teams actually understand each others' perspectives (contractors, architects, engineers, owners, etc.)

As engineers, we help the teams arrive at the solutions. To work well, there has to be a little give and take. Coming at a team with a combative attitude doesn’t serve anyone. With a cooperative spirit combined with our technical expertise, we are able to build trust over time. Being on the team is pretty fun.?

WHO IS YOUR MENTOR?

My grandpa, a general contractor by trade, was certainly the biggest mentor of my life. I asked him so many questions about contracting, building, and life. "Why did you do this? Did you make any money at that? What's the point of doing it this way?" He was never cagey, and he answered all my questions with patience and honesty. We were super close and I would work for him during high school and on my times off from college. He taught me how to do stuff. How to see stuff. How to apply problem solving to situations. How to engage with others. I was able to pull a lot of knowledge and wisdom out of someone 50 years my senior. My grandpa helped me understand that things don't often go according to plan. The frustration caused by this, especially to newer engineers, can be a real struggle. We're trying to design a perfect system in an imperfect world. That is par for the course in life, and my grandpa gave me a head start and taught me how to navigate this reality.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECT ARE YOU WORKING ON TODAY?

I’ve got 22 projects in my queue. I’m focusing on two main projects today:

• The Green Valley 3 Apartments in Fairfield, California. This project is a luxury housing resort-style complex that includes 185 apartment units, parking garage, and other amenities. We have three engineers in our office coordinating work on different parts of the structural design. This project is one of several multifamily dwelling buildings we've been working on in California.

• The Oregon Military Department’s Owens Summers building is another project I’ll spend time on today. This is a seismic evaluation with upgrades. This building is difficult to analyze since it was built using an undefined seismic system that is not in the retrofit code. It was built shortly before the Northridge earthquake in LA, which changed many of the seismic provisions in the building code. Our job is to analyze and design upgrades which facilitate the building’s seismic?resiliency with the goal of life saving during a potential seismic event.?This is achieved by designing the structure’s systems such that the seismic energy travels back to ground efficiently.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE CAREER DEMANDS DON'T OVERSHADOW YOUR OTHER LIFE PRIORITIES?

I struggle with this. I think that one of the best pieces of advice I got in college was from an Engineering 101 professor. Early on, he told the class,

“You can pursue your passion, but for some of you, your passion may be river rafting in June. If that won’t pay you well, then you can be an engineer. This will give you the resources to be able to pursue your passions."

Being an engineer is not my identity. Being an engineer is my profession. I find that balance is very important and when I engage in extracurricular activities I’m not only developing skills and building networks, but I find that taking these breaks enables me to have greater enjoyment and creativity in my professional life. I remind myself to embrace being busy to make sure I’m able to keep enjoying the profession that funds the passions in my life.

IS THERE A PROJECT WHERE YOU FELT 'THIS IS FUN'?

A lot of what we do on buildings is behind the scenes, ensuring safety and viability. Most of our structures are “wrapped” by aesthetic elements (finishings, windows, etc.) often hiding the bones from visibility. I’ve done some really cool designs in manufacturing facilities that no one ever sees. So, I guess I’d call “fun”, the projects that people can relate to; the projects people can see when I talk about them.

One of these projects, where the skeleton of the structure is completely visible, was the Buxton Trestle for the Oregon State Parks system. Built in 1920, the trestle was originally a high railroad trestle that bridged the Mendenhall Creek Valley. It is 733 feet long and 80 feet high. The trestle was converted for cycling and hiking use and became the marquee feature of the Banks Vernonia Trail. My job was to evaluate the trestle for the Parks Department. We teamed up with Synergo and climbed every single bent on the structure to inspect using measurement, visual observation, sounding, tapping, drilling, etc. The poles are creosote-treated wood timbers. Calculations were performed to determine if the trestle poles were structurally adequate to act as hollowed sections, and if not, what options were available for remediation.

A lot of people enjoy the use of the trail for biking and hiking. And, even without being there yourself, you can see the uniqueness of this fun project through the lens of our camera.

SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERS

Have you noticed any recurring characteristics or qualities of successful engineers?

I think I would say to be a strong structural engineer you need to be technically proficient, self-starting, and be willing to research problems.

And, then you have to be customer service oriented. How I explain it to new engineers is to call out that,

You are the best structural engineer that this person (stakeholder) knows. They don’t know how to check your math. They DO KNOW how they feel when they interact with you. They DO KNOW how readily available you are to address their problems.

It reminds me of the Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But, people will never forget how you made them feel.”

One of my work mentors, Andrew (another principal with MCE) does this quite well. He has a lot of technical knowledge. But he also knows how to interact while projecting authority combined with customer service. He is focused on helping his clients meet their needs. When you get along well before the day you have to actually do the work, the project goes smoother and ultimately better. Learning how to get along with people, grow, and take on knew things is critical to personal and team success.

TELL ME A BIT ABOUT SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES

Right now, outside of engineering, I enjoy coaching youth basketball, playing softball and pickle ball, rafting, and helping my mom and grandma with their projects. And, I dabble in music (rap, to be specific), from time to time.

Why coach basketball?

First, I like the kids. They're funny, interesting, and are full of personality. With the right amount of encouragement they can do a lot more than they realize.

Second, being raised by a single mom was not always the easiest. I played baseball, basketball, and football. I had some excellent male role model coaches and I want to be that for somebody else. One of my best friends from college and I decided to go into coaching together. We are purposeful about every one of our players. Everyone gets a fair shot at playing.

I remember one kid I had a couple years ago. I had to pick him up for practices because he didn't always have a ride. He's the kid who often slips through the cracks. He'd heard about our program the year before and told his mom he wanted to play. It was really encouraging to us, as coaches, that he sought us out because of our program's reputation for encouragement.

A rapper?

It's funny what you get up to when you're on summer break from high school and bored. My friends and I had been listening to rap and decided we'd give it a try. We would play the beat on a laptop and then record vocals as voice notes on an iPod Touch. We had to be perfect on the first take.?It turned out to be a fun and creative outlet. I really enjoy writing the music.

Since then, my foray into music seems to reappear from time to time. During college, a friend took an Animation 101 course and needed a backup track for a project. I wrote & recorded the track and he put it into the animation project. His professor asked, “Who is that? And how did you get a rap song for your project?” Then a few years later, when covid hit and we were all less able to go out and engage with others, my friend and I made a recording studio in his back yard. We used more professional recording equipment and we figured out how to upload music to streaming sites including Spotify and Apple Music. When folks find out that Strawberry Jamz is me, their typical reaction, at first, is to bust out laughing.

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Typically working behind the scenes on projects, structural engineers are the innovators and problem solvers that move the artist's vision into real, workable plans that contractors can use to actually build the structures. Stay tuned for more interviews behind the screens, with the folks whose passion it is to make our structures possible and safe. You can learn more about our team at miller-se.com.

Jane Mayfaire, Business Development | Miller Consulting Engineers | 07/2024 BB9

Series Index

Article 1 | "A Glimpse of the Magic Behind the Screens" 11-2023 | Kevin McCormick, PE, SE, Managing Principal

Article 2 | "Structural Sleuths" 12-2023 | Lane Jobe, PE, SE, Principal

Article 3 | "It's About the People" 01-2024 | Sherri Mansur, Controller

Article 4 | "Tree Forts & Geodesic Shapes 02-2024 | CJ Marquardt, PE

Article 5 | "A Heart for Math & Mentorship" 03-2024 | Michelle Juarez, PE

Article 6 | "Engineering for Joy & Inclusivity" 04-2024 | Ben Steer, PE

Article 7 | "The Haiku Project" 05-2024 | Jordan Toews, PE

Article 8 | "Peru to Portland" 06-2024 | Jennylin Lopez, Structural Designer

Article 9 | "Numbers Tell a Story" 07-2024 | Kylean , PE

Article 10 | "Life + Work = Balance" 08-2024 | Evan Altorfer, PE