Pond Ingenuity Fall 2018

Pond Ingenuity Fall 2018 21 Technology. Unfortunately, Williams interrupted his undergraduate degree to enlist in the military for financial purposes. However, this dedication to his education prefaces his long journey of working tirelessly, which in turn resulted in his success. After completing his degree, Williams debuted his career at a small full-service engineering firm where he was the only civil engineer besides the vice president at the company. Due to the firm’s limited staff, a substantial amount of responsibility fell on Williams’ shoulders, which accelerated his development as an engineer. Although he had very little guidance, Williams was tasked with more advanced duties, such as running hydrology reports, writing specifications and advising the client. The rigorous sink or swim mentality was indeed stressful at times, yet he gained a firm grasp on the ins and outs of how the industry operates. Around this time in the early 90s, there was a minor economic downturn in which jobs were few and far between; however, with Williams’ considerable experience obtained from his last position, it was not hard for him to find work. Williams was hired as a municipal engineer at a company that held contracts with local municipalities. Up until this point, his scope of civil engineering as a whole was limited to design and technical consulting; however, this job allowed him to explore the public planning side of city infrastructure projects. As a municipal engineer, Williams operated behind the scenes, providing services such as subdivision and land development plan reviews, zoning and land use planning, preparation of design plans and contract bidding documents for public works projects as well as construction administration and inspection. In 2004, Williams was deployed to the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay where he worked as a future operations and task force engineer. For 14 months, his duties for the military unit were to conduct civil-military operations such as planning and constructing new detention facilities. Working from a remote location made him appreciate the cost and time it takes to acquire materials. Even to complete the most basic of tasks, he was required to meticulously plot to produce the most efficient outcome with the least amount of consequences. Although not everyone will face the same obstacles, difficult circumstances and unforeseen issues will put every engineer to the test throughout his or her career. After completing his service, Williams proceeded to pick up where he left off in his career. In 2009, he became the only vice president at Travis Pruitt & Associates, a full-service civil engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture and environmental engineering firm. While leading a team of engineers in their endeavours to completing projects, Williams dabbled in the business side of the industry. For six years, he expanded his expertise in seeking out work for his group by putting together proposals, pursuing contracts and building relationships with clients. The proficiency Williams gained in selling segued into his current line of work. Since 2014, Williams has been Vice President of Community Development at Pond. As the face of the department, Williams is front and center when it comes to building relationships with clients, pursuing and executing contracts, providing technical oversight, making sure the department meets its financial goals, staffing the department, coordinating with the other program officers and making sure the program is growing and effective. On a more day-to-day scale, Williams’ activities may include providing technical guidance to a team member about an ongoing project, meeting with clients to discuss contracts, interviewing new talent, attending conferences to promote the company and much more. Utilizing his many years of experience, Vice President Williams sculpts the group to excel in both performance and dedication. Although the road has been strenuous and challenging, Williams has reached a satisfying point in his career with a company that he describes “sets an exceptional standard for integrity.”  Mia Pendergast Junior, Georgia Institute of Technology Although not everyone will face the same obstacles, difficult circumstances and unforeseen issues will put every engineer to the test throughout his or her career. Mia Pendergast at Georgia Tech Bob Williams at his office at Pond

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