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Rob Stevenson, PE is a senior structural engineer and associate at Davis & Floyd. He started his engineering career with the firm in 2007 by participating in a survey internship, followed by going through the co-op program, and eventually joining full-time in 2011. Rob shares his take on engineers behind the scenes and the effort needed to create the best project outcome.

Professional Questions:

1. What is your favorite part of working at our company?

   Aside from working with family and friends, I enjoy seeing the projects we do and how they impact the community. Working on transportation projects give me the chance to see the direct impact our designs have on designing/improving access roads and bridges.

2. What is one thing that surprised you about your current role?

   Everything can surprise you at some point. The biggest thing I find amazing is how we work with so many different groups to get projects done. A standard bridge project involves communication with a minimum of 20 groups. Not only are there the core design groups, but there are SCDOT, utilities, government agencies…it grows pretty quickly. The challenge of that is balancing feedback to create the best design.

3. What is one thing that you wish people knew about your job?

   Just how much effort goes into efficiently using clients’ dollars. Sometimes, we need to take a couple more weeks on a design to make sure it’s the best option possible. Taking the time now can save hundreds of hours and millions of dollars in construction down the line. In that period, we look for things we can improve and adjust while maintaining the integrity of the project.

4. What are you most proud of in your career so far?

   I’m most proud of when I’ve been given a significant challenge and then having to step up and do it. You may not feel like you’re ready, but you step up and do it anyway.

5. What’s unique about your team/sector?

   We’re willing to joke and have fun while we work. Having fun keeps a positive attitude when you have to grind out something for a project.

6. What is the most interesting project you have worked on with D|F?

   Port Access Road Design-Build. It was fast-paced, and it was motivating knowing the economic impact it would have connecting Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal to I-26.

7. What are your goals for the next few months/years?

   I want to continue growing my experience with design-builds and developing skills as a multi-design manager. Davis & Floyd has done design-builds in the past, but SCDOT has started utilizing this method more often recently, so we are doing more of them.

   As a multi-design manager for these types of projects, I manage the designs of all the disciplines and am responsible for combining them. I’ve learned more in the past year doing this than any time before. It reminds you how easy it is for people to take the work other disciplines do for granted, and you appreciate all the effort they put into the designs more.

Personal Questions:

1. What is one thing people do not know about you that they would be surprised to find out?

   I enjoy playing golf, but I’m really bad at it.

2. What is one thing on your bucket list?

   I want to go to Alaska at least once because there are not as many people and it’s more remote.

3. What would you eat if you had to eat only one meal every day for the rest of your life?

   Fajitas.