Pardeep Jhutti, LEED AP

Culture:

Why did you choose Degenkolb?
I chose Degenkolb because of its commitment to growing well-rounded engineers who will excel technically, while developing their own skill-sets and interests within the field. Opportunities for advancement are available at all levels, and the resources within the firm make it easier to grow. The most special thing about Degenkolb is that we promote seismic safety worldwide, and have a good time doing it.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The people. Our group is full of folks from different backgrounds and ages. Diversity of experience, backgrounds, and projects really make our group special.

Career:

How does Degenkolb support you in your career goals?
Degenkolb provides me with all the tools necessary to achieve my goals. The firm is committed to mentoring, cross-collaboration, and technology – all of which help form a solid foundation for your career.

What does it mean to you to work for an employee-owned firm?
Being part of an organization that’s owned by the employees is great. Knowing that each of us hold stock and share a common goal really helps keep us motivated to keep going. It makes us tick.

Passion:

What’s the best thing about being an engineer or your job?
The most rewarding thing about being an engineer is making a difference. Being able to help clients achieve their goals by providing innovative, cost-effective solutions is a wonderful feeling. Keeping people and their structures safe during an earthquake makes us real life heroes. It’s also pretty cool having something tangible from work, that is, we get to see our product out there once it’s built.

What do you do for fun?
I’m an avid college football and basketball fan. I also love to travel. I’ve been to 14 different countries and my goal is to see each continent during my lifetime (minus Antarctica). Perhaps the greatest joy is spending time with the people that are most important to me, that is, my wife and my family.

On the job:

Recount a memorable or favorite story about working at Degenkolb?
An ongoing experience for me here at Degenkolb is working on CPMC Cathedral Hill, which is a new hospital design that is anything but conventional. The approach to the project veers away from the traditional “design-in-a-vacuum” model that most of us have been used to, and emphasizes on a collaborative approach to design. Our design team spends at least one day a week at the project’s design headquarters, where we work in an open-door environment with all the different consultants on the job. The experience thus far has been eye opening – there’s a lot more that goes into a building than just gravity and lateral framing. Who would have thought?