Bob — A Mentor

Some time ago, I posted an article about one of my clients, Nancy. Bob knows Nancy well, loved the article and jokingly put in his request for an “I love Bob” posting when he retired. That time has finally come.

So, this is Bob. I love Bob. We’ve worked together for nearly 22 years. Bob is an executive vice president and the chief technical officer for Hanson. He will fully retire with over four decades of service in June 2018. That is amazing staying power!

Bob’s technical background is in structural engineering. While I never worked directly for or with him in this capacity, I understand he was quite competent. That competency led to project management opportunities and eventually to corporate management, which is when I came to know him.

I’ve always been amazed at Bob’s ability to discern the necessary facts of a situation from amongst a plethora of technical and non-technical information items presented to him during business conversations. Bob is able to cut to the heart of the matter in short order and make a decision allowing others to move forward, quickly and with confidence. He often provides clarity when clarity is needed most.

Bob also served as our chief risk manager, at least for me. From contract review to proper conduct while on a job site, he provided mentoring, training and guidance in a way that has enabled our staff and business to avoid many high-impact risks over the years.

When it came to financial matters and understanding the firm’s metrics and accounting process, Bob was second to none. I was fortunate to participate in project manager training sessions alongside Bob and found myself being a student during his presentations. His explanations were succinct, informative and led to a deeper understanding of what makes our services of value to our clients while also being profitable for our employee-owners.

I’ve collected a few Bob-isms over the years. He admits most of these were borrowed from others, but I credit him for passing along these proverbs.

• Trust, but verify (Bob said he borrowed this from Ronald Reagan).
• You get what you negotiate, not what you deserve (can we talk about a raise before your official retirement date?).
• Remember, your job as a professional engineer is to protect the public’s health, welfare and safety, regardless of the potential financial or schedule impacts on a project (well said, though I wish you were at that meeting instead of me, when my $800,000-per-day decision to hold production off two days was given to a room full of people who didn’t know this Bob-ism/professional engineering act requirement).
• Have a little fun every day (I agree, we all need to be reminded of that from time to time).
• Be nice, because you never know what kind of day the other person is having (please remember that when you call me from the golf course).

Bob, congratulations on your retirement! Thank you for all the mentoring you’ve provided to me and to all of us at Hanson over the years. You are a huge part of our company’s success and our individual professional development! We love you for that.

Michael Flatt is a project manager and licensed structural engineer serving the government market and project management office at Hanson Professional Services Inc.