2022 Ones to Watch: Andrew Thompson, P.E., Project Manager at Helical Drilling

What does it take to succeed in your specific industry? In one word, “thinking.” In geotechnical engineering we deal with site conditions that vary regionally to variable across a site. When subsurface conditions change, it’s not a simple solution to manage or engineer, you can’t just look it up in a book. You have to think about the most appropriate solution, how to implement it, cost & schedule impacts, etc. In my career as a consultant and contracting, the people that really stand out have been those that were willing to take a step back and think through a problem to solve it logically.

What led you to your current profession? The simple answer is “dirt.” I grew up on a family-owned farm, I realized I never wanted to be a farmer, so I took the first interesting job I could find in a big city; which was a geotechnical laboratory technician with an engineering consulting firm (CDM Smith). I never knew what geotechnical engineering was before working in the lab, from there I had the opportunity to explore the career more. With encouragement from friends, I went on to Tufts University to get my masters of engineering, and now work as a geotechnical project manager.

What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?

1. Ride motorcycles across South Africa or some other interesting destination 
2. Be in Sydney Australia for New Years to watch the fireworks over the Sydney bridge 
3. Playing goalie for the Bruins (even at a practice)

What are you doing when you aren’t working? Spending time with my family and planning our next adventure.