Always one to go where he was needed, Chris played an important role in the opening of several of our BKF offices. He started in 2000 in Walnut Creek, worked two years in our Pleasanton office, helped to open the office in Oakland, and then in 2008 when we won our first project in Southern California, he was responsible for the formation of our Newport Beach office.

Realizing that his success was largely attributable to having a good team around him, he “likes being a champion of the people that work with me.” I make sure they have the resources needed to grow and I genuinely enjoy seeing them progress in their careers.

He says that BKF, as a business, has a unique philosophy. “We do the right thing internally by taking care of our people,” he said. “We do the right thing externally by taking care of our clients and being their advocate and helping them through the process. If we make a mistake out in the field, we fix it; if we make a mistake on a schedule, we work the weekend. Those two combos are hard to come by.”

Originally from Huntington Beach, as a youngster Chris was good at math. Initially he had wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a pilot, but after touring Cal Poly Pomona, he decided to give their civil engineering school a shot. Three decades later, he still enjoys his work, coworkers, and clients. “Over the years, some of my best clients have become personal friends,” he says. “They make us feel like we are part of the team’s success.”