As a registered engineer in TKDA’s rail division, Manuel Macias has built a career at the intersection of design and construction. Based in our office in Riverside, CA, he has helped deliver complex railroad infrastructure projects across the country.
Manuel joined TKDA eight years ago as a graduate engineer and has since earned his Professional Engineer license, and is currently developing his skills to become a well-rounded project manager and leader. From managing complex construction projects to continuing his own professional development, Manuel shares more about his experience and growth at TKDA.
What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
When I first started my career, I was looking for balance between office work and field visits, and I can fulfill that here at TKDA. I also enjoy working here because I get to experience the best of both worlds in the engineering industry, taking part in the design phase and then also bringing the design to life through construction management.
Being involved in both design and construction allows me to see projects from start to finish. In the design phase, I can address all project constraints and help solve challenges, and in the construction phase I can help make sure those solutions get carried through. I believe this exposure to both project phases has greatly improved my effectiveness as an engineer.
What is a project you are especially proud of?
The project I am most proud of at TKDA is my work on the Merced Amtrak Station project, where we constructed a second platform and made multiple road and sidewalk improvements at the closest railroad crossing. It was the first project where I joined on day one of construction and was able to see it all the way through to completion.
I was the construction manager on that project for nine months and I oversaw many moving parts. I worked with multiple stakeholders like BNSF, Amtrak, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the City of Merced, and learned a lot about the importance of stakeholder coordination. There were also multiple construction operations involved, like grading work, shallow foundations, concrete work, electrical work, and city improvements, which helped me gain experience across the many areas of this complex infrastructure project.
Handling all these different elements allowed me to learn so much early on in my career, and that foundation continues to shape my work today.
What keeps your work interesting?
After nearly eight years here at TKDA, I am still learning and sharpening my skills to prepare to become full-fledged project manager. Before I earned my Professional Engineer license, as a graduate engineer I took on many roles with multiple disciplines like civil, structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering. In doing so, I developed into what I like to call a “Swiss Army Knife” engineer. I use my understanding of multiple disciplines to recognize possible constraints or problems that would affect a project’s design or schedule.
What is something you have learned from other employee owners at TKDA?
I’ve learned that there is always a solution to a problem. There have been some moments when I thought some walls seemed unclimbable, but my team would work together and find ways to overcome them.
My experience here has taught me that I don’t have to take on challenges alone. I have colleagues who are willing to lend a hand and share their experience with me to help me overcome any issue in front of me. Over the years, I have built the confidence to take on challenges on my own, but I know I have a team behind me that I can lean on for guidance.
What do you wish you had known when you were starting your career?
Looking back, I wish I set aside more time to pursue my professional licenses and personal career goals earlier on in my career. I was hyper focused on learning and absorbing everything I could to build a solid technical foundation that I devoted most of my energy to that. That commitment helped shape my career and helped me develop important skills, but it also taught me the importance of balancing both short- and long-term professional goals. Today, I’m much more intentional about balancing my time so I can make progress on all my goals.
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