If you haven�??t yet witnessed Thunder Over Louisville�??one of the most impressive airshows and fireworks displays in the United States�??consider adding it to your bucket list. It begins each April, timed to kick off two weeks of Kentucky Derby Festivities. It�??s probably the event that led me to my career in civil engineering.

When I was a child, my Aunt Sharon took me�??a small-town Kentucky boy�??down to the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville to watch the show. As I stared up at the fireworks, I was awed by the 2,400-foot long John F. Kennedy bridge that carried vehicles across one of the widest points of the Ohio River. I thought to myself, �??How cool would it be to build something like that?�?� It may have been that moment that made me interested in civil engineering.

And as I grew, so did my interest in highway engineering. Living in northeastern Kentucky, I began to see how difficult it was for rural folks to get somewhere to see a good doctor, to find a job (or a better paying one), to shop, or merely to be entertained. This realization made me want to help improve people�??s lives by building better highway transportation. Therefore, in 1996 I accepted a scholarship from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to attend the University of Kentucky.

While working for 15 years at KYTC, I worked on a variety of projects, including routine grade work and asphalt; however, my proudest achievement was helping build the Abraham Lincoln Cable Stay Bridge. Standing adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Bridge, it now carries all northbound I-65 traffic across the Ohio. I feel blessed to have been able to realize my childhood dream and I�??m thankful to the leaders of KYTC for their faith in me.

My wife Cindy and I now live in the Portland neighborhood in Louisville�??s West End. I joined Qk4 in 2016, and during that time I�??ve helped communities and governments solve transportation problems on a shoestring budget. I�??ve also helped reshape the UofL campus. And, lately, I�??ve been helping my friends at the KYTC improve over 1,000 bridges in short order.

I told Cindy that I would keep working as long as I was having fun�??so I imagine I�??ll be at Qk4 for quite some time! Beyond the work itself, it feels like I�??m working with family here. . . because people treat each other like family. It is a joy to be a part of such an awesome team of professionals.

Education

BSCE, 2002, Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky

Registration

PE / KY, IN, TN

Affiliations

Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers
Kentucky Association of Transportation Engineers
American Council of Engineering Companies

Awards

• 2018: University of Kentucky Young Construction Engineer
• 2015: Kentucky Society of Professional Engineer�??s Award Recipient for Outstanding Contributions in Construction
• 2008 and 2015: Two-Time Winner of the Kentucky Association of Transportation Engineer�??s Engineer of the Year Award