PSU Magazine Spring 2001

A Ben Williams tell the story, it was a thing of beauty, long and sleek and able to carry two passengers across the lake faster than the other schools' contraptions that day. "It" was a white concrete canoe constructed as part of an annual college civil engineering challenge. Teams of students design, test, build and finally race the canoes, which must be made-mostly-out of con– crete. Not surprisingly, many of the conte tant ' projects sink better than they float. However, Portland State's entry that year was the best in the West, out-floating and out-racing teams primarily drawn from Pacific Ten con– ference chool . The PSU canoe not only left broken and sunken canoes from other chools in its wake, it did so in style, says Williams '88. "It had Viking heads, one male at one end and one female at the other end. It wa beautiful." And probably intimidating. Some 10 year later, Williams and colleague Darren Welborn '85 are still buoyant about their PSU civil engi– neering experience. So, not surpris– ingly, when they look for new talent for their civil engineering design firm, WRG Design, they turn to their old 16 PSU MAGAZINE SPRING 2001 chool first. WRG boasts 12 PSU alumni among its approximately 100 employ– ees. Welborn is a principal and presi– dent of the firm, while Williams is a principal in charge of private develop– ment. Other company principals include Jon Reimann, Terry Goodman, and Jeffrey Simpson. The company is now headquartered in Beaverton but is in the process of moving to the Sylvan area of Portland. WRG also has offices in Las Vegas and Phoenix. The company tallied over $11 mil– lion in revenue in 2000, designing and project managing schools and sports facilities, plus office, industrial, retail, and other construction projects. Clients include Home Depot, Costco, Birtcher Development (AmberGlen), and many cities and school districts. High-profile regional projects have included Skamania Lodge in the Columbia Gorge, Century High School in Hillsboro, and the Hillsboro School District' sports complex just off the Sunset Highway. WRG's motto is "Everything but the Building," which means it handles feasibility, tran portation issues, surveying and landscaping, public involvement, and overall project design. It then partners with companies like Portland' Hoffman Construction to carry out the building plans. "We're lucky to be able to build the communities we live in," says Welborn. WRG' projects have proved to be a good fit with PSU's emphasis on prac– tical civil engineering, including learn– ing experiences like the concrete canoe contest. A similar student chal– lenge involves building a bridge out of steel components, a second example of how PSU focuses more on the how-to of building than the theoretical. Also, WRG know that many PSU civil engineering students already have experience in the building trades before they c me to PSU. A nother plus for WRG is simply PSU's proximity. Both Welborn and Williams attended Oregon State prior to Portland State and have high regard for its engineering school. However, with PSU so clo e, it is convenient for students to work at the company while continuing their studies. That's an advantage that cuts both ways. Many P U students are support– ing families and need to work while continuing their studie . In some cases, WRG not only pay a salary, but also assists with college costs.