Celebrating Boomerang Employees:
An Interview with Chris Russell, Shannon & Wilson - Denver
In our 71 years, Shannon & Wilson has had numerous employees return to us after a brief stint elsewhere bringing new skills and knowledge.
These "boomerang" employees return to Shannon & Wilson with acquired skills, yet are still familiar with the company and culture, which is known to be a strategic hiring advantage for any business. The value of an employee who understands the company and confidently returns knowing we’re a better place to work is certainly something we’re proud to share.
Chris Russell, a Senior Geological Engineer, returned to our team after spending a decade as an employee with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). He first joined Shannon & Wilson in 2007, and was employed as an Entry Geological Engineer for seven years before deciding to go work for a government agency. Chris understands CDOT’s current practices and is a trusted partner to CDOT staff, making him a valuable addition to the Denver office.
Chris has lived in Denver, Colorado for the past 20 years. He is a single father to two boys, Jacob and Warren, and spends most of his free time with them enjoying Colorado’s outdoor recreation. His favorite roles at Shannon & Wilson involve work related to rock slope stabilization, landslide remediation, and geological hazard mitigation.
We recently sat down with him to learn more about his decisions to leave and come back to the company, and his advice for anyone considering becoming an employee at Shannon & Wilson.
What initially attracted you to join Shannon & Wilson the first time around, back in 2007?
I was very motivated to work for Shannon & Wilson because of the variety of geological and geotechnical projects that they undertake. I understood that I could gain experience in several aspects of geotechnical/geological engineering that I had interest in: landslide characterization and remediation, rockfall hazard mitigation and rock slope stabilization, and tunnel construction and rehabilitation. In addition, unlike other companies that I interviewed with, the benefit of being compensated for every hour I worked rather than being considered a straight salary employee was a big perk.
What motivated you to return to Shannon & Wilson after working with CDOT?
Over time I discovered a lack of advancement opportunity. I had become pigeon-holed, and the majority of the projects I was working on had become repetitive. I was no longer gaining experience in a variety of geological / geotechnical fields, and I wanted to gain further technical analysis and design experience.
The other piece that specifically influenced my decision to return to Shannon & Wilson – as an owner’s representative I was exposed to and required to review and evaluate geotechnical reports and design work from a number of other firms in the industry. I was often disappointed, and even at times in shock, over the disparity I observed in the technical quality and standard of care set forth in Shannon & Wilson’s work verses other companies’ geotechnical deliverables. Shannon & Wilson simply sets a much higher bar and puts forward much higher quality geotechnical deliverables that are meticulously checked—from geotechnical reports, engineering analyses and calculation packages, to production of plans and specifications. As an owner, I learned over time which consultants I could trust to provide high quality work (Shannon & Wilson was always on this list), and which consultants I would have to continually track down to provide justification for their geotechnical conclusions and recommendations.
What skills or experiences did you gain at CDOT that you are excited to have been able to bring back to Shannon & Wilson?
I did a lot more traditional geotechnical engineering at CDOT verses my first round of employment at Shannon & Wilson (deep foundation analysis, retaining wall analyses, soil settlement, etc.) I had little experience in this realm of geotechnical engineering when I first worked here.
How does your experience/insight from your time at CDOT help you with your work at Shannon & Wilson?
It seems much of my work in the Denver office is now related to bridge replacements, highway widening, and associated geotechnical challenges. Though I am happy to say I have already gotten back into some rock mechanics, geohazards, and even tunneling in my first year back.
How has your perspective on the A/E/C industry changed after your experience with a government agency?
Things move much quicker in our private sector, and if we want something done it is very easy to contact a vendor and put a subcontract together and get moving in a matter of days.
The biggest lesson I learned for our project pursuits – make sure when working with a public agency we have all of our potential costs with some wiggle room negotiated up front. It is much harder with the government agencies to ask for more money later and because of the hoops they have to jump through it is at times not possible to get it.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career at Shannon & Wilson?
Keep trying to learn new and different skill sets, and rely on those who have a lot of experience for guidance as you work through various components of a project. The more you know how to do, and the more you do it well, the more you will remain busy and have work flow to you.
What have you come to appreciate most about the team and leadership at Shannon & Wilson?
The veteran staff with decades of experience who we can lean on, ask questions, get technical guidance for just about anything.
