This year, Thank Your Mentor Day falls on Saturday, January 21^st. This is a great opportunity to show your appreciation for all the mentors in your life, both personal and professional. This day is especially impactful in the AEC business, as experiential knowledge and leadership skills being passed to younger generations ensures a thriving future. Once formal education ends, and young professionals enter the workforce, the practical experience and wisdom of those who have many years’ experience becomes invaluable. We asked a couple of professionals within Westlake, and in Westlake’s orbit, to share a short anecdote, story, or quote from a mentor that has stuck with them and resonated throughout the years.

Jeff Hinton PE, in Engineering recollects a former colleague with:

“One of my early engineering mentors, Jon Forester, would take me out on vague drive abouts to project sites. One time we grabbed sandwiches and posted up in foldable chairs near a sanitary manhole, popped the lid, and spent an hour simply watching the sewer flows as they fluctuated during the lunch hour. He instilled in me the value of direct observation as a precursor to making an engineering judgement.”

Ryan Crowther PE, Capital Projects Manager at Marion County Public Works, credits Westlake Associate and Director of Engineering Bernard Smith PE, PLS, with providing him valuable mentorship early in his professional life. Ryan started his career off at Westlake and earned his PE license while working with Bernard. He reflects on this experience with:

“He shaped the way I and many others approach the engineering profession and has made me a better engineer and project manager. The influence he had on my career will stick with me in any role I take in the civil engineering profession in the future.”

­Moments of mentorship can linger with such detail that we remember them for years-on-end, carrying them forward to one day pass on ourselves. So, if you find yourself reflecting on the wisdom or guidance of a trusted mentor over the weekend, reach out and show them your appreciation.