In 1939, as John Gould walked the grounds of the Exposition on Treasure Island, San Francisco, his thoughts were lost to us. But as he founded his firm John Gould and Associates the following year, 1940, we can imagine he was setting out to create a new type of structural engineering firm: one based on multiple professionals collaborating to achieve grand-scale projects. It would have been a stark contrast to the single shingle hung on an office door that was commonplace for building designers in the western United States at that time.
And then along came Henry. Henry Degenkolb, namesake of the firm Degenkolb Engineers. He steered the firm and the field of earthquake engineering in the direction of continuous improvement through the exercise of learning from earthquakes.
We embrace their legacy in our practice today. Recognizing we are better together, our team learns from one another, our clients, and our partners; we embrace practical experience to drive continuous improvements. We foster knowledge sharing across the industry. We improve client outcomes by embracing collaboration.
Our future lies not in one individual, one service, or one type of engineering, but in embracing the growth created through collaboration, diversification, and learning.