Chris is one of CM’s Traffic Engineers in our Columbus office. He is a 2022 Ohio University Alum, who grew up in Twinsburg, Ohio. He has been with our team since graduating college, bringing valuable insight to our projects and traffic team. On a normal day outside the office, you can catch Chris hanging out at home with his girlfriend and their dogs, cooking, or playing video games!
Why did Chris opt for a career in engineering? For Chris, the path to engineering was paved by his lifelong fascination with the creation and design of things. He was also so intrigued by the process of how buildings and infrastructure were designed. From an early age, he found joy in deconstructing and reconstructing, often playing with toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs, and K’Nex. A few years into college Chris was able to take more engineering courses. He found he liked the traffic courses more than any other disciplines. Chris enjoys the challenge as well as the learning of something new. At CM he gets that thrill with every project!
When Chris started at CM his very first project was ‘City of Obetz – Sheetz Traffic Control Plans / Signage’. We asked Chris his thoughts and he said, “I didn’t learn about signage or markings in college, so it was interesting to learn about while working on this project. I also learned how much actually goes into plans since I didn’t have much knowledge on the subject before either”. When asked what he wished people knew about his job, Chris replied, “I wish people understood the extent of lighting and electrical engineering in my role as a traffic engineer”. Chris went on to explain he has worked with all different types of lighting including high mast towers (highway lighting), conventional lighting and decorative lighting.
Chris has been with the CM team for a little over a year now and we wanted to know out of all the projects he has got to work on what one was his favorite so far. “One of my favorite jobs to date would probably be the Miami County Project. This was one of the first projects I got to work on more independently. It was also signal design which I tend to be more interested in.”
Since Chris is a recent graduate and has experienced the working world outside of college for a while now, we wanted him to give advise to students looking for a career in engineering. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, that is the best way you will learn!” he said. Chris also mentioned how much he has learned since leaving the classroom setting. “You learn all the technical jargon in class, but the real engineering design happens when you start your job.”
“What’s something that might surprise people about me? During our family vacations, my dad, three sisters, and I spend the entire day working together to build elaborate sandcastles. Oh, and I stress clean” Chris mentioned.
Our final question we asked Chris was what he liked most about working on the traffic team at CM. Chris said, “Everyone supports your growth, and traffic managers Neal and Gina trust their employees to work independently. I also enjoy our team environment. We go to Skyline for lunch every Thursday and have Thumbs Up Thursday events where we get together and do activities like trivia, bowling, and more! I would recommend to anyone looking for a traffic position to consider joining the team at Carpenter Marty!”
