Drew Laurent is a Transportation Planner in our Columbus, Ohio, office and has been with Carpenter Marty Transportation (CM) for over eleven years.

A Little Bit About Drew

Drew grew up in Gahanna, Ohio, a suburb on the east side of Columbus. He attended The Ohio State University, originally studying civil engineering. His first internship came as a Survey Technician with Mead & Hunt during his sophomore year. He worked there for two summers. Near the end of the second summer, Mead & Hunt’s survey workload was depleted. Luckily, a new firm at the time (CM) had plenty, so Drew was loaned to CM to help manage their survey workload. Drew spent the remainder of the summer with CM and eventually led to a full-time job as a Survey Technician in 2014.

With a degree in Urban Planning, Drew had expressed interest in joining the traffic department. After spending a year as a Survey Technician, he transitioned into his current role as a Transportation Planner on the Traffic Team, and the rest is history!

A Day in the Life of a Planner

On a typical day, Drew manages client relationships, prepares proposals for new projects, develops schedules for ongoing projects, responds to clients inquiries, assists the traffic staff with their workload, and actively pursues new project opportunities.

Much of Drew’s career has been focused on private development, where he has worked on traffic impact studies, access planning, and other development consulting services. Two of his favorite private development projects include Intel in New Albany, Ohio and Hamilton Quarter in Columbus, Ohio. However, his true passion lies in the revitalization of urban areas.

“I really enjoy seeing urban infill, where previously underutilized plots of land are redeveloped for modern day use while still maintaining the historical character of the surrounding community.”

Although development projects have been his bread and butter for years, Drew’s true passion is the development of safe and active networks for communities.

“My education background in city/regional planning and experience with private development has really sparked my desire to promote and enable more active transportation infrastructure within communities. As a born and bred suburbanite, I love taking the best parts of dense, urban living and applying some of those characteristics to where I call home.”

Through his experience, Drew has recognized that relying solely on driving is not a sustainable solution in Ohio’s future. He hopes to see a change in culture and the way we look at mobility, now and in the future. His work on school travel plans and other active transportation initiatives has fueled his motivation to reshape the way people navigate built environments. Not only are multimodal accommodations more equitable and sustainable, but they also make communities feel more alive, dynamic, and connected.

Finding New Work

When asked how he finds new opportunities, Drew emphasized the importance of relationships and a strong work history.

“Most of my clients are repeat clients who come back to CM because they know the quality of service we provide. I truly enjoy building positive relationships, especially in this industry.”

Drew’s Path to Planning

Drew admits that he’s never had a true calling for a career, and he naturally gravitates towards what interests him. Interestingly, he initially pursued civil engineering in college. However, he soon realized that he disliked the math-heavy coursework and was more interested in the bigger picture of how people move through and interact in built environments.

One day, he noticed an advertisement for the urban planning program at OSU, decided to explore it, and ultimately changed his major. “I realized I had a knack for working with people and enjoyed the communication and relationship-building aspects of planning.”

If he weren’t a Planner, Drew would have loved to be a professional chef! However, he’s always feared that the passion for cooking would be lost if he pursued it as a career. Cooking for friends and family is enough for him.

What People Might Not Know About a Planner’s Job

Planners have a unique role, and not everyone fully understands what they do. In Drew’s case, he is currently the only planner at CM. When asked about an overlooked aspect of his job, Drew shared: “No two days are ever the same. Every day brings its own challenges and opportunities. I often get complaints (jokingly) about how many different projects are on my timesheet each week. Thinking about working on the same project for an entire week gives me anxiety.”

Life Outside of Work

Outside of work, Drew is an avid hockey fan and player. He has been a partial season ticket holder for the Columbus Blue Jackets for many years, through their successes (few) and failures (many). He started playing ice hockey at 10 years old and eventually became the captain of the Gahanna Lions in high school. Now, he spends his time in beer league with other out-of-shape guys who still love the game.

He also enjoys tinkering with small machines like his lawn mower and snow blower, spending time outdoors with his wife (Cara) and daughter (Jovie) and going to concerts.

Drew loves to travel and recently visited France! He’s also been to Canada, Jamaica, and Mexico.

“Only in recent years have I had the privilege to travel outside of the United States. Experiencing other cultures has reignited my passion for city planning. Every place has a unique story to tell, and I want to hear it!”

A fun fact about him is that he loves motorcycles-until his wife made him sell his when they had their first kid. However, he’s already looking forward to the day his kids move out so he can buy another one. Shhh!