Staff Spotlight – Gavin Keating

Introducing Gavin Keating! Based out of the Rancho Cordova, California, office, Gavin is an Associate Engineer with our structural group, where he’s been a team mainstay for over two years. What does Gavin love most about his work? Designing bridges of course! When he’s not assessing and designing the bridges across the state, he spends his time exploring his other passions, including hiking, traveling, playing sports, and reading.

Gavin is a talented engineer and up-and-coming manager. He is very easy to work with and jumps in with both feet when taking on new projects and tasks that he hasn’t necessarily had experience with, but he’s always willing to learn. He is an effective mentor for younger engineers, providing them with challenges, but also timely advice and guidance.”

– Carolyn Davis, Senior Project Manager

There are a few factors that led me to engineering. A lot of my family was involved in construction when I was growing up, both from the design and the construction side. In school I really enjoyed math and science, and therefore was naturally drawn to civil engineering. But what sealed the deal was when my family and I went on a tour of the Confusion Hill Bridge in Mendocino County just before it opened when I was in high school. It was an incredible experience that inspired me to want to design a bridge just as unique when I was older.

This is a tough question because I’m currently working on two projects that I’m really excited about, but I’ll focus on the storm damage culvert replacement project. I’m particularly excited about this fast-paced project because I’m taking on a completely new role as the project manager. We’re working with a new client in California who came to us directly after finding us online. We developed the scope of work and cost estimate, signed the contract, and are submitting the final plans—all within approximately one month. We’re working with multiple public agencies on this effort to balance permitting and design to help meet a demanding construction schedule.

I’d like to continue developing my knowledge of bridge design concepts and structural analysis, as well as in the application of the code. I also want to grow in my ability to manage all aspects of a bridge design project, and a thorough understanding of bridge design is a strong foundation to develop this skillset.

If I could try something different in my next life, it would either be related to starting a new business or investing in existing businesses. Currently, I really enjoy the process of investing and diving into the details to understand whether an investment really makes sense for me. There are so many exciting businesses and technologies out there. It’s a lot of fun to discover how they work, grow, and make money.