Office Highlight: Corvallis Satellite

As GRI continues to grow—both in staffing numbers and in office locations—we’re taking the time to highlight our different branch and satellite locations across the Pacific Northwest.

Today we’re featuring our Corvallis, Oregon, satellite founder and firm Associate Jon Huffman, PE, GE, PhD. Jon brings his love of the geotechnical engineering craft and commitment to mentorship to each GRI project he touches. He recently shared what excites him about the work he does, his plans for helping grow GRI, and the path that led him to GRI in the first place.

  1. What brought you to GRI?

I came to GRI in Spring 2021. The company was growing and looking for people to fill senior-level engineering roles. At the same time, I was looking for more opportunities for growth after working at a smaller engineering firm for several years. I knew about GRI’s work and great reputation in the region, so I reached out and had an immediate positive connection with the leadership group.

  1. Can you tell us about your journey to establish the Corvallis satellite location?

I’ve been a resident of Corvallis for most of the past 25 years after attending Oregon State University (OSU) as an undergrad, then staying to complete my PhD. My family and I had settled in the area, so I was not seeking to relocate after starting work at GRI. Instead, this became a great opportunity to gain a better foothold south of GRI’s main office location. I maintain a strong connection with weekly in-person visits to the main office while working most of the time in Corvallis.

  1. What is your number one goal for the Corvallis satellite location? How do you see this location fitting into the broader goals of the company?

Geotechnical engineering is hyper-regional, with gaining expertise working on several projects over many years, establishing and maintaining clients based on trust, and using our understanding of the complexities of a given region. GRI’s main office has primarily served the Portland-metro region for many years. Having the Corvallis office location helps to ensure GRI provides the best service to our clients in other areas, particularly in the central and southern Willamette Valley and nearby locations between the Coast and Cascades.

  1. How do you plan to grow the team here over the next few years?

There is great young engineering talent in the area with our proximity to OSU. In addition, when catching up with older OSU alum, I often hear the refrain, “Oh, I loved my time in Corvallis.” Combined with GRI’s strong reputation, I do not anticipate it will be a challenge to grow the Corvallis location further in the coming years.

  1. What are the unique opportunities or challenges you see in this region?

The geology in the region is varied and complex given our proximity to the Coastal and Cascade Mountain ranges and the valley in between. Even within the Willamette Valley, the soils are variable and offer complex challenges, such as compressible or expansive clays, or liquefaction-prone silts and sands. Each project provides its own unique challenges that we look forward to helping develop engineering solutions for.

  1. What excites you most about having a presence in this region?

I love being able to work on projects in an area that I have called home for so long. I frequently travel to locations between Salem and Eugene or to the coast and see projects that I worked on and helped to provide design for. Also developing long-term relationships with our clients in the area is very rewarding.

  1. What has been your main focus at GRI (either market sector or service)? What is so important about that to you and why does it matter?

Throughout my career, I’ve had a strong focus on transportation projects—including bridges and roadways for various local and state agencies—and aviation projects. That continued and expanded when I came to GRI, with the opportunity to work with people who I consider experts in our field. Given GRI’s breadth of work, the range of projects I work on has also expanded. I have also had the opportunity to grow in leadership and mentoring responsibilities and work with GRI’s leadership group to help facilitate our ongoing growth and improvement.

  1. Can you tell me about your background and how you got into engineering?

My father and grandfather both worked in the construction industry. I think that influenced me to some extent. I’ve always liked knowing how things get planned and built. I decided to study civil engineering in college, then gravitated towards geotechnical engineering for my graduate studies.

  1. What excites you most about building something new in this location?

GRI is well established as a leader in the geotechnical, geological, and pavement engineering field because of hard work, innovation, client-building and client satisfaction, and dedication to our craft. The prospect of taking part in possible future growth in the Corvallis satellite location by fostering this same mentality and culture is very exciting.