The Life of An Engineer

“I always thought engineering was about developing creative ways to solve problems and while it is, it is much more about being good stewards,” says Andrew Schantz, AEI Chicago projects manager for Advocate Aurora Health, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago. “It’s about being good stewards of our client’s resources and of the earth’s resources while developing ways to bring value to every aspect of a project. It’s about earning a client’s trust while pushing the limits of proven design methods in order to support their mission.”

Nick Martin, AEI national healthcare market leadership team member, says, “I got into engineering because I wanted to do something that made a difference. Our healthcare practice implements the belief that our work needs to be at its best so people can be cared for when they may be at their worst.”

Matt Koukl’s career has been distinguished by expertise in cutting-edge technologies and evolutionary design, construction, and commissioning of data centers. “Being able to support some of the largest tech companies in the world is a privilege,” says Koukl. “Being able to advance the systems and technologies that support our daily lives, these are the achievements of a lifetime.”

“AEI inspires me to work smart and hard. It also helps me combine my love for all things mechanical with the fast-paced construction community,” says Brett Friedman, whose polymathic engineering career has spanned process plants, engine test cells, healthcare, and research. Today he leads AEI’s aerospace market.

Managing Principal of AEI’s Denver office, Blythe Vogt began her career as a mechanical engineer and project manager, and evolved through teaching at the University level. “Technical prowess will always be the standard of excellence in engineering, but the people in this profession represent the basis for a collaborative future in our industry.”

“I constantly remind myself and those around me of the significance of what we do every day,” says Jeff Heiken, Managing Principal of AEI Tampa. “The facilities we help create enable curing and research, productivity, entertainment, and a better quality of life for millions of people every day.”

With a collaborative professional culture dedicated to improving lives and protecting the future, AEI applies industry-leading expertise and achievement in engineered systems to complex building, energy, and utility projects worldwide.