OUR TEAM

PE Licenses:

AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring
• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Specialty Equipment Design

About Me:

When I grew up in the Bay Area working construction with my father, I remember crossing the Golden Gate and regularly dreaming of becoming an engineer. In 1998 as I was preparing to graduate from UC Berkeley, I applied for a job at DHC, a small startup firm at the time. Although the position sounded perfect, I was a little apprehensive about working in a granny unit behind Don’s house in Sonoma County.  Little did I know, he was having similar concerns as he had intended to hire someone with experience to help him grow his startup firm.  Luckily, we both took a risk, and the relationship with him and the industry he introduced me to were more satisfying than I could have ever imagined.

I began as an associate engineer and immediately fell in love with my work.  I was exposed to a multitude of aspects of construction and engineering that I never knew existed. I loved the fast pace, complex designs, and tight knit office that began with just three of us.  We quickly began to grow, hired additional employees, and after three years, I moved south to open our office in San Diego.

After non-stop growth and expansion, we established ourselves as one of the top temporary works engineering firms in North America.  Suddenly and tragically, in 2006, Don passed away.  It was only with the support of my family, the employees around me, and our loyal customers that I was able to navigate one of the most difficult times in my life and DH Charles Engineering, Inc. was ultimately able to grow stronger and healthier than ever before.  All these years later, as President, I am actively involved in most areas of our firm. From mentoring and managing, to design and client relations, I get to do what I love day in and day out.

While work creates ample opportunities to be fulfilled, I believe it is also my responsibility as President to model that there is more to us as individuals than our career. Outside of DHC, I love to tap into my creative side to find relief from the challenges of the day.  I also spend as much time outdoors as possible and never stop trying new things. More than anything, I love my family, and keeping up with my three amazing children.  Passion is what drives me, and nothing is more exciting than building relationships and solving problems. I am beyond lucky to do what I love and be surrounded by people that continue to inspire me.

PE Licenses:

AL, AK, AR, CA, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI

SE Licenses:

AL, AZ, CA, HI, ID, IL, NV, OK, UT, VT, WA

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Excavation Shoring
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore

About Me:

My father was a college math teacher, and I remember hearing stories of students coming up to him years later and thanking him for the impact he made. It always meant a lot to him. Seeing this, I knew it was possible to impact others, but it wasn’t a driving motivator for me until I worked at DHC. When I first joined DHC, Jasper was a mentor to me, demonstrating how passion and a competitive drive could help my career and the company reach new heights. His influence at the beginning of my career here solidified in me a desire to similarly impact others.

As Vice President, one of the best parts of my job is helping with the development and growth of employees. At DHC, we work on big jobs and, while that itself can be fulfilling, it’s even more rewarding to see a younger employee confidently complete projects their self. I feel a real responsibility that every employee feels valued and challenged. I want those who work here to be fulfilled in what they do, while also working in an environment that facilitates their personal and professional growth.

The support and problem solving I do with my team is always driven by the betterment of others. Much of how I’ve learned to manage well comes first from learning it with my children. As a father, I work hard to create a safe and loving atmosphere where my kids have the freedom to learn from their mistakes as they become more independent.

Being a husband and father is one of my greatest joys outside of work. My wife and I are very family-focused and love spending time with our daughters, whether that’s family game nights, teaching them tennis, or going camping. I love to spend time outdoors in almost any form of recreation. At the top of my list right now is mountain climbing. While it is arduous, I enjoy the mental and physical stamina required as well as the new perspective I gain from each excursion.

PE Licenses:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Kansas
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington D.C.
• Wyoming

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Exterior Building Maintenance
• Special Events
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

One of my favorite quotes is Theodore Roosevelt’s comparison of the critic and the man in the arena. He says:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

One of my worthy causes is civil and construction engineering. I found a passion for this line of work through my time as a carpenter and volunteering with various nonprofits, such as YWAM in Australia and Shelter for Life in Afghanistan. I have firsthand experience seeing how engineering directly impacts a community at its core. I’ve carried this with me into my work at DHC. As a Principal Engineer, I help with company strategy, manage a team and interact with clients on a daily basis. I enjoy using that as an opportunity to help lead this company, connect and develop my teams’ skills while bringing to fruition our clients’ visions. I strive to help those on my team become the best they can be. I am thankful to get to work with such a great team of people who genuinely enjoy developing safe systems for construction projects as I do.

When I am not at the office, I can be found exploring Colorado with my wife, Carrie, and two children, Isaiah and Ellyana. We moved here in 2021 and have loved discovering all that Colorado has to offer. We go camping and hiking, and Isaiah and I also practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We are thankful to DHC for the opportunity to have a new adventure in Colorado while I manage the Denver Branch and help expand the company into a new region.

PE Licenses:

• California
• Florida
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Tennessee

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Special Events

About Me:

As a California native, I grew up in the north Bay Area with my parents, two younger brothers, grandparents, and extended family. I have fond memories of being outdoors, going camping and fishing, as well as attending frequent family events. Family has had a large impact on my life. My mother’s and father’s sides of the family shaped my childhood through two seemingly opposite paths: ministry and construction, each having a profound effect on who I am and what I value.

Building relationships is core to who I am. While some are career-driven or numbers-motivated, I find myself caring more about connecting with others. I see working at DHC as an opportunity to encourage growth with employees and clients alike. I love that I am able to develop a deeper understanding of what others need or are capable of and helping them achieve their goals while maintaining a professional environment. This wasn’t always how I operated as I am highly competitive and driven. Early in my career I had a narrower view of success that was based solely on professional growth. However, through life experiences and a growing understanding of my faith, I began to realize the impact that connecting with others can have.

I saw this firsthand with my dad and his work in the scaffolding industry. I would join him at job sites when I was younger, and many of the people he worked with then encouraged me in my pursuit of engineering. Now, some of these same people are clients I’ve had the privilege of working with and can return encouragement and support to them both professionally and personally. Through DHC’s work nationally, I have been able to expand this to clients across the country. Relationships really are fundamental to the success of a business and a person.

This love for connecting with others has given me an appreciation for different cultures. My wife and I have visited Norway multiple times, which has set me on the path of learning the language. In 2022, we went to Norway again and I was able to communicate almost fully with those we interacted with, even having opportunities to share meals and cultural outings with other Norwegian families. My goal is to learn additional languages as I become proficient in Norwegian, in hopes to be able to travel and experience more with my wife and two kids.

PE Licenses:

• California
• Oregon
• Washington

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring
• Tunneling Engineering
• Crane & Rigging
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

I’ve always enjoyed being creative, building, and learning how things worked. I was the Lego kid growing up, and a lot of this stemmed from my dad; he was a mechanical engineer and owned his own business. He exposed me to the world of engineering and drafting at a young age and provided me with opportunities to work alongside him. He encouraged me to pursue a career in engineering, and I naturally gravitated toward civil and structural engineering because I was interested in working on large-scale projects.

At DHC, that’s exactly what I get to do. I began my career in our Southern California office before moving to Washington to open our branch there. I now manage our Oregon branch, close to where I was raised, and oversee our excavation shoring design division in the Pacific Northwest. I love my work because it’s fast-paced, challenging, and allows me to make a difference both locally in my community, and nationally, by working on large-scale infrastructure projects. I especially enjoy the collaborative aspect to our work, both with our own team and with our clients, solving complicated problems with safe, innovative, and cost-effective solutions.  Working at DHC has offered me many opportunities to grow both professionally and personally; I’m thankful and humbled to work with such an amazing group of people.

Away from work, I can be found at the golf course or spending time with my wife, family, and friends. We enjoy camping during the beautiful Pacific Northwest summers, traveling, and visiting our favorite Willamette Valley wineries. We like to have fun and try not to take life too seriously. At heart, I am still a kid, just with bigger Legos.

PE Licenses:

• California
• Oregon
• Washington

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Excavation Shoring
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Growing up, I enjoyed solving puzzles. I found working through the logical progression to be very satisfying – the idea that there was a clear problem with a clear solution. However, as I got older, I realized not all challenges are straightforward, nor can they all be solved by logic. They often require a creative approach, as well. I wasn’t sure how this would play into my career, but the university I attended required me to declare a major before ever stepping on campus or taking a class. Without knowing a lot about the field, I chose civil engineering. But as cliché as it is, I would actually say that civil engineering really chose me.

My first job out of college was with DHC, and I have been working here since. It strikes me how unique that is — to be with the same company this whole time. I’ve talked to former classmates who’ve worked for many different companies and still haven’t found their fit. I consider myself lucky. Not only do I work for the same company, but it’s a job that I love. In my current role, I oversee staff and ensure they are supported throughout their projects. Additionally, I still do a lot of design work for clients. Both facets of my job allow me to problem solve and see our products accomplish the goals our clients lay out. That is one of the aspects of my job that I love the most — creative problem solving that requires logic and outside-the-box thinking.

While I enjoy the mental sharpness required to problem-solve in my work, I also enjoy other more laid-back endeavors. I was a Boy Scout growing up and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and this has instilled a love for the outdoors. I enjoy taking hikes and exploring the fantastic local wine made in our region here in Sonoma County.

PE Licenses:

• Nevada
• Washington

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Engineering and design run in my family. My father is an architect, and my brother and brother-in-law are engineers. It was a career field I was familiar with and drawn to, but it goes back even further than that. My great-grandpa was a civil engineer, and when I decided to pursue engineering, my dad gave me an old field handbook of his that detailed the railroad work he was a part of. It was never really a question of if I’d become an engineer, but rather what type of engineer I’d be. I explored a variety of fields while I was in undergrad. During that time, my brother-in-law was completing a graduate degree in structural engineering, which exposed me to the work I do today.

I am a branch manager at DHC which entails a wide variety of work, including managing projects, mentoring younger engineers, designing, and customer satisfaction. In this line of work, we are often faced with challenges that call for creative thinking. This presents the opportunity to grow as we develop new, innovative ways to solve the tasks at hand. Collaborating with others to find these solutions is something I value a lot, as I am a firm believer in teamwork. This mentality is something I gained from team sports when I was younger. I recognize the value of paying attention and being present in my work to help my team reach their fullest potential.

I take this same approach of being present at home, as well. I learned this from watching my brother balance his career and his family; he is extremely intentional with both. This is something I strive for with my wife. We enjoy hiking and backpacking together, as well as trying local breweries, and as a personal hobby, I really enjoy music. I play the guitar, ukulele, banjo and piano. I’ve loved playing music and learning new instruments. I’m a believer in life-long learning in all aspect of life, which has helped me grow to become more patient and industrious in all that I pursue.

PE Licenses:

• Colorado
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Nevada
• New York
• North Dakota
• Pennsylvania
• Washington D.C.

SE Licenses:

• Illinois

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring
• Tunneling Engineering
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Crane & Rigging
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

The variety in each day is one of the many reasons I enjoy my work at DHC. Prior to this, I had over 20 years of experience in the industry designing buildings, bridges and utility structures.  Now, as the branch manager of the Chicago office, I have the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects with a team as committed as I am.

That’s one of the things I enjoy most about my job: the chance to lead others in a positive way. The Golden Rule, treat others how you want to be treated, heavily influences my managing style. I’ve worked for a myriad of bosses, some good and some that were very difficult. These previous exposures have helped me realize the impact a manager can have on their team and their morale, as well as the company itself. Pulling from my experience, I know what is important to communicate to achieve a high-performing and enjoyable work atmosphere. This drives me to bring out the best in my team and DHC.

I attribute a lot of what I’ve learned about hard work to my family who are all first- and second-generation immigrants. I was fortunate enough to grow up very close to my grandparents and visited them regularly. Their commitment to work and family helped me see the importance of both. When I’m not at DHC, my wife and I are actively involved with our three daughters and in our community. We like to travel and hike as well as visit our other non-local family in New Orleans.

PE Licenses:

• California
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania

Design Specialties:

• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Scaffold Design
• Excavation Shoring
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore
• Rebar Cage Support

About Me:

When I first found DHC, I was applying for jobs right out of college and taking as many interviews as I could get. I thought it would be a good way to gain experience, but at the time, I wasn’t seriously considering working for such a small firm. After my interview, however, I saw the vision Don and Jasper had for the company and how much opportunity was ahead of them, and I wanted to be a part of it. I have been working at DHC since 2001, and it is incredible to see how much it’s grown and all that I’ve learned. One of the greatest parts of working here is that my career has become what I choose to make it.

As my life has gone through transitions, my role has grown and changed along with it. When I first started at DHC, I was an ambitious kid with dreams of climbing the corporate ladder. However, I started to experience burnout and feared I wouldn’t be able to maintain the trajectory and still enjoy my work. All of that changed when I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor in 2013. DHC supported me as I went through one of the scariest times in my life, and it gave me the perspective I needed to turn my career into what I needed it to be, not just what I assumed it should be.

I was able to focus more on family and my faith, which have always been important to me. My parents emphasized the importance of hard work and education to me and my siblings, and my sister was a rockstar example of success. While my family taught me to strive, my wife has also kept me grounded and continually encourages me in my faith and belief in God’s providence.  I encountered another medical issue in 2022, and before it, I had wondered if I had let too much of my career pass me by when I had stepped back after the tumor. However, it has become even more clear that He had these things work out exactly as they were meant to be. God has blessed me immensely over my life. I’ve had the opportunity to be with the same company over 20 years, get married to a wonderful woman, and have two beautiful children, and I know there is still so much more in store for me.

PE Licenses:

• California

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring
• Tunneling Engineering
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

When I was graduating high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I loved math, but I didn’t want to be a teacher and have homework for the rest of my life. I loved solving puzzles, but that didn’t inherently lend itself to a career, either. However, my brother’s best friend was a civil engineer and advised me to look into the field because it married my two interests. I’ll be honest, though, I thought I’d made a huge mistake at first. I had an internship that was tedious, and I found little love for what I was doing; working at DHC has changed that.

As an engineer at DHC, I use math and problem solving to help our clients and ensure they are taken care of. I mainly work on excavation shoring, or as my wife describes it, making sure holes in the ground don’t collapse. I also assist younger engineers and help them develop the skills they need. In addition, I am responsible for our scholarship program and coordinating our volunteer efforts; I find a lot of drive and passion in giving back and ensuring opportunities are presented and available to others.

I value these things because of my parents. While they’ve always supported my siblings and me, I’ve also seen them support and do what’s right for others. They taught me the importance of defying peoples’ perceptions and focusing on doing what is necessary and right, not just what is easy. I don’t believe in taking shortcuts. I pursue excellence in all that I do for the benefit of others, whether that is my coworkers, clients, or friends and family.

I value my relationships with others quite a bit; one of the people I work hardest for and alongside is my wife. She is wonderful and courageous, and I desire to be a contributing member in our relationship because she deserves nothing less. One of our favorite things to do together is play Settlers of Catan, the same board game we played the night we met. When we aren’t playing games, I can be found watching sports, hiking, or grabbing drinks with friends. I believe life should be enjoyed with others, which is something I try to do when I’m at work and when I’m at home.

PE Licenses:

• California

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Exterior Building Maintenance

About Me:

When I was a kid, I loved building things: Legos, Bionacles, you name it. I’d wake up early just to build something before I had to go to school. Combine that with my grandma, a high school math teacher, who would assign me math problems whenever I was bored, and I was practically destined for a career in engineering.

I found DHC at my university’s career fair and was immediately drawn in by their multifaceted work. I’d originally considered a field of civil engineering that would be more monotonous in its day-to-day, but now, it’s never the same day twice working at DHC. My projects cover a variety of engineering systems, such as access scaffolding, structural shoring, rooftop equipment and suspended platforms. I enjoy the challenges that I’m faced with each day and the chance to problem solve in ways that bring out my inner child.

I wouldn’t have made it here on my own, though. I owe my family and mom a debt of gratitude for all they did. As a single mom she dropped out of college to take care of me, and when I was young, I didn’t realize the sacrifices she made to ensure that I had the opportunities I needed to get where I am today. She has shown me how to be hardworking and tenacious, while also not taking life too seriously. I have found a lot of joy with that mindset, and I try to bring that into work with me. I accomplish all that I can, and I take my work seriously, but I also enjoy it. I don’t ever want to lose the kid who just loved to build.

PE Licenses:

• Oregon

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Excavation Shoring
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking

About Me:

I was at a holiday party years ago talking to a neighbor about how I was graduating from Oregon State soon and looking for a job. He took out a business card and told me to give his son-in-law a call because he worked in construction engineering, a field in which I had strong interest. As it turns out, the name on that card was Luke Griffis, the Vice President of DHC. I called him, had an interview, and as the cliché goes, the rest is history.

Since working at DHC, I have focused my engineering skills in three main areas: excavation shoring, scaffold shoring and general scaffold. This variety of work allows me to work on multiple projects at a time, which I enjoy because I love the challenge of quick projects and turnarounds. Every day I strive to move these projects forward, whether that’s working on the scope of the project, checking numbers, or partnering with our drafting team. The work I do is fulfilling because the concrete solutions are put in action, which brings my design to life.

I think engineering was a given for me when I was young for that same reason — I used to do little projects with my dad, and it was gratifying to see tangible results through the improvements we did around the house. I loved doing this alongside my dad because he was someone I always looked up to, along with my brother and best friend. They all taught me to push limits and believe I was capable of more. The first time I realized this was true was when I biked the Oregon coast. I hadn’t ever biked more than a few miles in a day, but over the course of a couple days I completed over 200 miles. It affirmed that I wasn’t limited to the goals I set for myself, and that I could achieve more than I’d believed.

While biking the Oregon coast was fun, it isn’t the only thing I like to do outside. My passions lie in being active and outside — fly fishing, hiking, golfing, and the like. Summers in Oregon are beautiful because I get to do these things and the sun is out (a rarity at times given the rain!). When I’m not engaged in the outdoors, I throw pottery and volunteer doing small construction projects for people in the community who need assistance. I am at DHC today because someone took the time to talk to me and give me a chance I might not have found on my own; it’s only fitting that I do the same when and where I can.

PE Licenses:

• California

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring
• Exterior Building Maintenance

About Me:

I love being an engineer at DHC because the work is exciting and engaging and there is so much variety in this industry. I primarily work on access scaffold, structural shoring, and exterior building maintenance — all these areas present new challenges that require out-of-the-box thinking to develop creative solutions. I enjoy that I get to work with contractors directly to solve problems alongside them. This fosters great relationship building in the industry and genuinely makes me feel like I am on their team.

Working alongside contractors allows me the chance to showcase two traits I learned from my parents: hard work and empathy. I try to bring these strengths together by working hard to help my clients meet their goals while providing superior service by anticipating, listening to, and prioritizing client feedback to ensure they receive the high-quality final product they are looking for.

The care I bring to my work and to the relationships I develop here stems from a passion for service and a love for others. Since moving to work here at DHC, I have prioritized maintaining existing friendships while also striving to foster new ones as I create a home in Santa Rosa. When I’m not at the office, you can often find me cooking, doing yoga, or spending time with friends and family. Cooking is one of my favorite ways to express my creativity outside of design work, while yoga provides a chance to decompress and relax after a day at the office. The work I do as an engineer at DHC is demanding but also extremely rewarding, and I am glad to have found a way to express who I am while helping our clients achieve their goals.

PE Licenses:

• California

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Excavation Shoring
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Crane & Rigging

About Me:

From an early age, I always found myself tinkering with anything I could get my hands on. Breaking toys and items, not because that was fun, but to see if I could put them back together again and learn along the way. If I had to choose a defining moment where I realized engineering was what I wanted to do, I’d pick my elective class in the 7^th grade called Exploring Technology. It was a small class, maybe 10 students, and it’s where I was exposed to concepts of engineering for the first time. Building bridges out of toothpicks, learning how planes fly, and soldering electrical circuits helped me discover what I wanted to do: I wanted to build and create.

As an engineer, I find reward in the challenges I face daily. The fast-paced work at DHC requires me to process and problem solve quickly, which never grows old because I consistently gain exposure to new projects and discover ways of accomplishing different tasks. I’m constantly learning from the work and others around me. As an employee, that’s one of the things I love about working at DHC; everyone is extremely intelligent, resourceful, and great to work with. Everyone cares for one another, and we all do our part to be team players. It’s a privilege to work at a company where we all encourage each other to be the best possible resources we can be for our clients.

The family atmosphere at DHC is something I resonate with as I value my own family and the lessons they taught me. My grandma was an immigrant from the Philippines who faced life and death struggles while worrying about feeding her eight children. Yet she never faltered in her belief that she was doing the right thing for her family, which made me realize that I come from a long line of people who persevere. Her persistence and confidence paid dividends as her children and grandchildren are successful because of the work she put in. My family also taught me it can’t be all work and no fun. In order to balance the responsibilities of work and family, I also enjoy letting loose. I find a lot of joy in dancing and goofing around with friends, running to give my mind a clean slate, as well as playing tennis and hiking with my wife.

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to be a part of building structures; I liked the idea of being able to point to something and say, “I helped make that”. I started off thinking I wanted to be an architect, but quickly realized I was more interested in the math side of things, so I decided engineering was the way for me. I still remember in eight-grade looking up ‘best schools in California for civil engineering’ and seeing UC San Diego at the top of the list and wanting to go there.

In high school I took a series of engineering classes that showcased a variety of different disciplines, which caused my interests to wander a bit. When it came time to apply to college, I put both mechanical and civil engineering as my major choices. But when acceptances came in, and I saw that UCSD had admitted me for structural engineering; I took it as a sign and immediately made my choice.

Being at DHC I appreciate the breadth of projects I get to work on, as well as the chance to be creative and problem solve on unique projects that come my way. The ever-changing situations that each day presents keeps me engaged and excited to do what I do. Another great aspect of DHC is the team atmosphere. Everyone is in it together and always willing to lend a hand.

Outside of work I mainly spend my time playing lacrosse, which I have been doing since fifth grade, and continued to play at the collegiate level for UCSD. I also surf as much as I can, something I usually do with my dad who was the one who got me into it when I was younger.

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring

About Me:

I’m originally from Oahu, Hawaii and grew up playing sports, going to the beach, and fishing. To this day, my family still loves to do all these activities. My parents take a lot of credit for my interests, as both are talented at creating things with their hands. One time, my dad built our dog a fancy little doghouse with windows, a mesh door, tiles, and even a porch. Watching how my dad enjoys planning and creating a project himself influenced me to become an engineer.

After high school, I left the rock and attended George Fox University in Oregon. This is where I discovered that I wanted to specialize in civil engineering. Now I see civil engineering everywhere I go whether it’s a storm drain system, parking lot design, or a temporary structure.

Right after graduation, I jumped straight into pursuing my career and joined DHC. Of course, I was a little nervous at first, but the team welcomed me and made sure I felt supported as I started this new chapter with them. I was amazed at how much they cared for each other and wanted each other to succeed both professionally and in their personal lives. It is amazing to be on such tight-knit team. My favorite part of work at DHC is that the work I do is always new. Most of the projects I work on have shorter timelines which means that I get to work on many projects – each one is different and brings its own challenges.

Outside of work, I enjoy visiting the Oregon coast and having campfires with friends. My husband and I like getting involved at our church, playing pickleball, and cooking new recipes. I also enjoy being able to do seasonal activities and see the weather change throughout the year.

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

I certainly didn’t come from a long line of engineers. Most of my family worked in medicine in some way or another. My mother was a nurse, both grandmothers were nurses, one grandfather was a paramedic, one grandfather was a doctor, brother is studying to be a doctor, and somehow, I became an engineer. Naturally, I always felt different from the rest of my family. They didn’t seem to understand why I liked working on cars so much or why I was so interested in computer software from a young age, that stuff was very foreign to them. I felt a lot of pressure to go to medical school and I tried my hand at premed very early on. It only took one semester for me to realize that the way medicine was taught was not the way I liked to learn. Medicine is mostly about memorization and ability to retain large amounts of information, but not necessarily about how to apply that information. So, I tried my hand at physics courses and higher levels of calculus. Everything just made more sense to me, and I excelled without much effort. Engineering is mostly about critical thinking and problem solving, which came very naturally to me. Much to the dismay of my family, I pursued engineering.

I have a strong desire to create a lasting impact on the world with my work. I strongly believe that we should strive to produce more than we consume, and we should always leave the world in a better place than when we came into it. Although not mentioned here, other fields of work I pursued were finance and computer science. The issue I took with both of those fields is that the work is driven by a desire to increase profits at all costs and are not necessarily interested in creating a better world for the people that live in it. I saw civil engineering as a field that I could still provide a decent living for my future family and sleep well at night knowing that I created a lasting positive impact on the world.

DHC pursues very interesting lines of work. When you are in school, the bulk of the material taught to you primarily concerns permanent building design and how to make a building work where it sits. What they don’t teach you is how that building gets put there. That’s what DHC does, and the work demands a high level of creativity and complex problem solving. College had me believing that I would be drawing up concrete slab schedules and foundations designs every day, but at DHC I get to design complicated shoring systems for buildings that are on the verge of collapse, platforms hanging from the bottom of bridges with cables, scaffold systems sticking out the sides of buildings and climbing all around them, and many other designs. Every day is different from the last here at DHC and I’m always ready for it.

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Like many of my coworkers, my passion for design/engineering started when I was a kid playing with Legos. I had a huge tub of my dad’s old Legos with which I spent hours every day designing and building countless structures. If you had asked me at the time, I probably would have loved the idea of designing structures out of modular components as a full-time job. I’m not sure I would’ve believed you if you said I’d end up doing just that, though. In high school I found I also had a passion for physics thanks to my phenomenal physics teacher. I knew I wanted a college major that allowed me to expand and implement my physics knowledge, but rather than just majoring in math or physics, I wanted something more applied and concrete (no pun intended).

After some research I concluded that structural engineering was the field for me, and I’m so glad I chose it. In my mind, structural engineering is the perfect combination of all my previous interests. It gives me the chance to apply physics concepts to design structural solutions for building-sized engineering problems. I first heard about D. H. Charles at a UC San Diego career fair, and just a couple interviews later I was thrilled to be offered a position. The work I’m now doing at D. H. Charles is varied, engaging, and just the right amount of challenging to always keep me on my toes. As I start my career here, I’m looking forward to the path that lays ahead of me and I’m excited for all of the structures I have yet to design.

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring & Bridge Jacking
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore
• Suspended Platforms & Containment
• Misc. Permanent/Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Whether it was big towers of blocks, giant layouts of toy train tracks, or elaborate Lego designs, I’ve been building things for as long as I can remember. I was always pushing the limits of how tall of a train bridge I could build or how intricate of a Lego ship I could design. Flash forward to today, and I’m no longer relying on trial and error for my designs, but instead using my knowledge and experience gained throughout both college and my professional career to guide my engineering designs.

High school was when I realized that engineering was the career for me, as I was able to be a part of my school’s 4-year engineering program called Project Lead The Way. This exposed me to various types of engineering fields and disciplines, and ultimately helped me to realize that the large-scale projects and tangible community impact of civil engineering was what I was the most passionate about. Jump ahead a couple years and I found myself at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where through one of the top civil engineering programs in the country I found my love for structural design. While in college, I was an extremely active member of our school’s Steel Bridge team, even serving as Project Manager in my senior year and leading my team to the AISC national competition for the first time since COVID.

Steel Bridge was also how I ended up finding D.H. Charles Engineering, as they have been a sponsor of our club for all three years that I was a member. I was contacted by Sean MacDonald, who found my info though our club resume book and was looking for a junior engineer to work back home in Seattle. A few phone calls and interviews later, and I found myself with a great job offer in a unique field that I was confident would keep me engaged and interested in an area of work in which I was passionate about gaining experience. After about 3 months of working here at DHC, I couldn’t be happier with how my professional engineering career has started. I’m looking forward to every curveball this job throws at me, and constantly seeking out opportunities to learn from everyone else in the company.

Design Specialties:

• Excavation Shoring

About Me:

I have wanted to be an engineer for as long as I can remember, with some of my earliest memories being visiting jobsites with my dad, sitting in crane and loader cabs, and being obsessed with all things construction. My childhood bedroom is littered with buckets of Lego, a toy that any engineer will tell you was where they got their start. Anyone who knows me would tell you, engineering was the only field for me.

I grew up in northern New Jersey, right outside New York City, where a collection of world class bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure helped deepen my fascination with the build environment and made me even more certain that an engineer was what I wanted to be. I attended Northwestern University, and spent four years exploring Chicago, another city I would consider essential for infrastructure and civil engineering nerds. While in college, I quickly discovered my passion for design, and solving problems creatively, which lead me to pursue a career in structural engineering and design.

Working at DHC is a truly rewarding experience, as not only do I get to pursue my passion for creative problem solving, but I also get to truly make a difference in the world. The responsibility that comes with being a design engineer is something that I take very seriously, and I truly enjoy knowing that the work I do helps other people work safely and effectively. Each and every project that comes across my desk is unique and presents its own challenges. I thoroughly enjoy being able to think creatively and solve each unique problem in an even more unique and clever way. However, the thing I enjoy most about working at DHC is being part of a close-knit team. Working with other engineers, as well as our top notch drafting and admin staff, is refreshing, highly motivating, and incredibly special.

About Me:

Growing up, I was exposed to a large variety of random construction jobs by helping my family maintain their rental properties. Those hot summer days were filled with learning everything from installing new shingles on a roof, excavating dirt for retaining walls, removing old trees, replacing dishwashers for tenets, replacing old house siding and anything else that was required to maintain a safe home for our tenants. This upbringing taught me the value of hard work as well as a love for construction and discussing how a project would be implemented at an early age.

My first degree was in economics. I enjoyed the analytical nature of the subject and its ability to explain the world. I focused on classes in mathematics and statistics for this reason. However, after graduation, I realized most jobs the degree could get you were focused in banking and finance, too abstract for my taste.

It was during Covid that I decided to take another chance at college and pursue a new career path I knew would give me more purpose. I knew after the first fall term that civil engineering was for me because it combined my analytical skills with the gratification of knowing that I can contribute to something real and physical. During my second go, I was able to work for an engineer as an apprentice for over a year and gained real world experience.

I am driven to be as effective of an engineer as I can be, putting safety at the forefront and I take pride in knowing that I contribute to the safety of construction projects and work with such a great group of people!

About Me:

Every engineer has a childhood origin story. Most involve Legos, and I’m no exception. But my passion for engineering also traces to 9-year-old me watching hours of the Discovery Channel and the like – “How It’s Made” and “MythBusters” among my favorites. “Strip the City,” which explained how cities are built, also fascinated me, as did the process of problem solving and bringing ideas to life. I vividly remember the day my mom told me I could be an engineer. I was only in 3rd grade, but I knew she was right. I never looked back.

In high school, I engaged in engineering wherever possible. I enrolled in higher-level math, physical sciences, and design classes. At home, I indulged in bridge and city builder video games. When applying to universities, I sought to major in civil engineering. At UC San Diego, I found the more tailored offering of structural engineering. It was a perfect fit.

I discovered D.H. Charles at a university career fair when searching for an internship as I was nearing the end of my junior year. With more than 70 companies and hundreds of students jockeying for attention, I feared I’d fade into the crowd, just another aspiring engineer.

DHC simply shined — real people, genuine personalities, challenging (or unique) projects. They valued my passion for engineering and saw my professional potential. It went very well; so well that the following day the company reached out to me. DHC wasn’t offering internships, but we had clicked, and they wanted to talk about a full-time position after graduation. One year (and a college degree) later, my dreams of becoming an engineer came true.

The design, the reimagining, the math, the problem solving – engineering is in my core. With DHC, I am thrilled to bring ideas to life, just like “MythBusters” taught me.

Design Specialties:

• Scaffold Design
• Structural Shoring
• Falsework, Formwork & Reshore
• Permanent. Temporary Works Design

About Me:

Structural Engineering is a gateway into architecture from physics and mathematics.

What really drew me to structural engineering is how it bridges creativity and practicality. I love taking a concept on paper and figuring out how to make it stand safely in the real world. I first caught a glimpse of this passion on the car rides through the city growing up, always wondering how skyscrapers could ever get so tall, or why some buildings had used specific design elements over others.

At D.H. Charles, I get to work alongside people who share that same energy and passion. My previous experience focused on designing permanent structures, and D.H. Charles Engineering has broadened my horizon into the world of construction engineering. I love that we get to be a part of a multitude of projects not only locally, but everywhere across the country. Each project has its unique nuances and challenges, including field/design changes that could completely change the entire scope. The demanding and fast-paced environment is where I find myself growing- the learning never stops, and that’s something I value deeply.

Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my family and cats. They support me through life’s ups and downs and keep me company through many rainy days in Seattle. Aside from that, I have been searching for hobbies. In recent years, I picked up skiing, running, fishing, and golfing to round out local year-round activities- but I am always eager try new things. Whether that is traveling to new countries, trying new foods to eat and cook, or even starting a baseball bat company, there is always new adventure out there!

PE Licenses:

• California

About Me:

On my first day of college at Cal Poly, my department head asked all of the incoming freshmen why we wanted to become engineers. To no one’s surprise, a majority of us said we liked to play with legos and k’nex toys growing up and I knew I was in the right place. Unlike other engineers, I didn’t always know this would be my career path. When finishing high school, I struggled to find what I should do with my education until a family friend helped me find a way to combine my love of buildings and my affinity for math through architectural engineering. Since then, I haven’t looked back.

After graduating with my Masters from Cal Poly, I went to work at a structural engineering firm in Southern California. However, that was short lived as the Tubbs fire brought me to Sonoma County to help with the rebuilding efforts in the years after the fire. Getting to experience the area through the community’s eyes as we worked to get families back into their homes helped solidify my choice to make Sonoma County my home. As I became ingrained in the community by joining the board of the local ASCE branch and volunteering my time with various nonprofit groups, I found DHC.

While my previous experience focused on permanent structures, I have always had a passion for learning new things. The variety of projects and fast paced environment at DHC is engaging in a way that you won’t find anywhere else. The field of engineering is constantly evolving and the creativity required to find new solutions to unique problems keeps you on your toes. When I’m not in the office, you’ll likely find me sipping a cold beer at a local brewery, at a concert, or trying to learn a new hobby. I’m always open to new experiences and learning new things, especially if it results in a good story.