At Larson Design Group, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. This spotlight is on Bryan Pauling, Director in our Williamsport Infrastructure group.
What is your position here at Larson Design Group and when did you join LDG?
I am the Director of the Energy Department. I started working here in December of 1992, as part of a program through my high school. My initial role was as an intern in the Architectural Department. I continued to work at LDG during my college summer breaks and had the chance to work in Architecture, Highway, Site and Survey over those breaks. After college, I started full time, in 1998, as a designer in the Highway Department.
Describe a typical day in your role:
My role is partly technical, partly client based, and the remaining portion is operational. I act as the engineer of record on projects for some of our Energy clients, which allows me to remain on the technical side. I act as the Client Manager for a handful of our Energy clients. The remaining portion, I am responsible for the operational decision making for our group. I work with our Management team and our VP to ensure that our department is making good business decisions and is functioning as efficiently as possible.
What attracted you to join Larson Design Group originally?
I grew up in the area and I liked that LDG was open to allowing a HS senior the chance to intern and learn more about a wide range of technical fields.
How has Larson Design Group helped you in your career development?
During my time here, I have worked in Architecture, Survey, Highway, Site and Energy. I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects in several different geographic locations. In addition, I had the opportunity to be a part of the team that started and grew the Energy department into what it is today. That was a unique opportunity that I have really enjoyed. Since its inception, Energy has completed hundreds of projects across the country and secured over 50 million dollars of sales.
What is your proudest moment at Larson Design Group?
When we started Energy, our goal was to align ourselves with clients that viewed us as valued team members, that we could work closely with to allow everyone on the chance to learn, grow and succeed. Really, the goal was to become trusted advisors to them and secure repeat business, year over year. This year we are celebrating 10 years of business with a group of core clients that were critical to our success in the Energy space. I am very proud of the fact that we have maintained these significant relationships in a market this is packed full of consultants and therefore extremely competitive. We have consistently delivered cost effective solutions and have achieved the Trusted Advisor status with them. They see us as critical to their success and we see them as critical to ours.
If you could switch places with anyone else at Larson Design Group for a day, who would it be and why?
Steve Hammel is my pick. I was told that I was selected to help develop/grow Energy because of my comfort level with clients and client pursuits. I have been successful with that in Energy, but I would like to see what he gets into on a bigger scale. I would use the day to learn the techniques he uses to continue to grow our client base.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Over the past 10 years or so, I have been a coach for soccer and track. In 2019, I became the Head Coach of the Montoursville Area High School boys’ soccer team. Also, in 2019, I re-started a co-ed indoor track and field program at the Montoursville High School. Both programs have allowed me to work with many excellent student-athletes to help them succeed both on and off the field/track.
What advice do you have for a prospective candidate considering Larson Design Group?
LDG is a great company. There are so many opportunities to get into a wide range of projects across many office locations. The employees at LDG work well together to ensure that the company is successful. The ESOP is also a very nice and isn’t available at lots of other consulting firms.