After having a temporary deferment from the army draft for studying engineering, at 23 and nearly 50 years ago (1960), I joined the original Clair Hill firm in the Redding office. This was between Korea and Vietnam. There were about 10 or 12 engineers then, one being a future president of CH2M HILL — Harlan Moyer who was around 32 years old. I was one of six engineers in one room, but I had my own room divider and table. Hand-cranked calculators were shared, but I had my own phone. Harlan was a supervisor and shared an office with one other engineer. He probably had his own assigned, maybe even electric, calculator when he needed more accuracy than our slide rules provided. It was 15 years before digital hand-held calculators were available and 25 years before I bought my first desk top and was issued my first cell phone.
I learned about the things that real world engineers do from this group and those who would soon follow. Above all else was an emphasis on quality work and that the client was nearly always right. I also loved learning about the business aspects of meeting budgets and schedules and beginning to understand that the word “profit” was not a nasty thing to pursue. We all were civil engineers and worked on every type of job Clair brought in the door. This included subdivision engineering, which is a great learning experience. I worked on our first major dam project, Stumpy Meadows near Sacramento; the rehab of the Beale Air Force base housing; and the large American River hydro project along with an Oregon firm, Cornell, Howland, Hayes, and Merryfield (CH2M). My first national exposure-type job was rehab of the Alaska Railroad following the 1964 earthquake. I had a couple of minor assignments assigned to me by Harlan; for instance, the soon-to-be-famous Lake Tahoe reclamation project, which also included that Oregon firm with the strange name (CH2M). I also spent many a year on the Glenn Colusa Irrigation project before handing it over to Ed Lance.
By the late 1960s, I was anxious to become an owner. Because Hill was a single proprietorship, I began to look around for another firm. I had decided to put a resume into CH2M; then Clair gave up some minority ownership to a small handful including myself. A rumor started in the late 1960s that a merger was being discussed with CH2M, so I patiently waited; and it happened in my 11th year with the firm.
I had the great experience of working with and personally knowing all of the original founding partners and each of the past-presidents or CEOs as they are called today. I am still amazed at the continued growth of the firm over the many years. In 1970, by my count, there were six offices (Seattle, Portland, Boise, Corvallis, Redding, and San Francisco) and about 300 people. From 1946 until I retired in 1993, we grew to about 6,000 and are now about 26,000.
Growth provides opportunities for people, and it sure did for me. I transferred from Redding in 1973 to manage the Sacramento office, then to Texas in 1985 to manage those offices, and retired in 1993 from doing project work again in Sacramento. For those who have forgotten, Jim Howland retired as President at 60 to return to project work, which is the fun part of the job. I have always lived and worked in a growing environment, and I often wondered what life would have been like living and working in a stagnant job and community.
It was a fun ride, and I am delighted to have been a part of the firm for 33 years, which represents two-thirds of the first 50 years of the firm. I only had one job after graduation; and I loved it, as I was rewarded both professionally and financially. I now am greatly enjoying my retirement years.