Principal and Local Office Lead, Eric Girod, is showcased this month on I AM BKF.

I Am a Husband.

I Am a Proud Father.

I Am a Dog Father.

I Am a Cyclist.

I Am a Skier.

I Am a Fan of the Beautiful Game (soccer).

I Am a Principal / Local Office Lead.

Eric Girod’s path into engineering was shaped by curiosity, perseverance, and a lifelong fascination with building. Growing up, he spent countless hours with Legos, Erector sets, and model airplanes—always drawn to creating things with his hands. Some of his fondest childhood memories include tagging along with his father, a Swiss geologist, on expeditions in South America. Wearing a hardhat far too big for his head, Eric was captivated by the massive rigs and earth-moving equipment transforming the terrain to create access roads and staging areas for the workers. Those early experiences planted the seed for a career in land development.

His work ethic started even earlier. Beginning in fifth grade, Eric delivered newspapers on his bicycle before school every morning—rain or shine. “Although it was hard, that job taught me work ethic and perseverance, even when you didn’t feel like going to work, and doing your job to the best of your abilities,” he says. “Collecting payment from customers who expected their papers on time gave him an appreciation for responsibility and hard work at an early age.

Eric’s university experience significantly shaped him and set the foundation for his 20+ year career in civil engineering. Although initially intending to apply as an undeclared engineering major, the universe had other plans. “Whether it was fate or dumb luck, somehow I checked the civil engineering box on one of my entry applications and the rest is history,” he says. His mother also played a major role in facilitating a path that allowed for his Santa Clara education.  Initially intending to study at UC Santa Barbara, his mom wisely predicted he’d have a much harder time focusing on his studies at the beach.

Today, Eric is a Principal at BKF and is also the Local Office Leader for the Pleasanton office, where he oversees teams and guides major land development projects across the Bay Area. For him, the most exciting part of the job is collaboration. “I really enjoy when I get to collaborate with other engineers and consultants during the initial stages of a project when out-of-the-box ideas are flying and the creative juices are flowing. The process of working with a team, collaborating on ways we can take our clients’ ideas and make them real is the essence of what it is I love about my profession,” he says.

Over the years, Eric has leaned on qualities that continue to shape his success: positivity, resilience, and focus. “I learned early in my career that the interview doesn’t end when you get the job. Coming to work each and every day with a positive attitude, ready to learn and contribute, is something I have always felt is extremely important,” says Eric. Guidance from early mentors also left a lasting mark, especially the advice to leave problems at home so he could take on challenges at work with full focus.

Even after decades in the industry, Eric’s sense of wonder hasn’t faded. “After all these years in the engineering business, I’m still absolutely fascinated by the basic transformative process of changing and improving our environment,” he says.

Outside of work, Eric’s life is full of movement and connection. He’s an avid cyclist and skier, balancing weekend rides and mountain runs with family time at home. A devoted husband, proud father, and dog dad, Eric also has a deep love for soccer—the “beautiful game”—whether he’s watching matches, playing, or cheering from the sidelines.

For Eric, leadership is about more than guiding projects. It’s about inspiring the people around him, supporting the next generation of engineers, and making sure his team feels valued. And at the heart of it all is the same spark that first drew him to engineering: the joy of shaping ideas into reality.