The Heart of Houston - Q&A with Our Houston & Gulf Coast Engineers

The Energy is Palpable, and the Culture is Electric

Ever wonder what it’s like to be right in the middle of the Houston energy corridor? At Brindley Engineering it’s about more than location – it’s about camaraderie, experience and collaborating with the best of the best. We sat down with Jim Woodard, SME Reliability Engineer and David Gaddy, Senior Project Manager from Brindley Engineering’s Houston office for some insight on what it’s like to work in the heart of Houston’s energy corridor.

Q&A with Jim Woodard, SME Reliability Engineer

“I love mentoring younger engineers and sharing what I know to help them make BE a great place and a solid trusted partner.” – Jim Woodard, SME Reliability Engineer

Q: What is the key focus on the BE Houston office?

JIM: Our main focus here is Capital Projects but we support clients in the Gulf Coast across all of our areas of expertise including Capital Projects, Maintenance Projects & Programs, Construction Solutions, Reliability Initiatives, and Turnarounds, Outages & Shutdowns.

Q: What’s your background? Your focus at BE?

JIM: I come from a background in the Engineering Procurement Construction world overseeing Technical Services. Technical Services is an engineering role with specialization that many companies do not have in house. Services include material selection, metallurgy, corrosion, welding engineering, and mechanical engineering. We consult, analyze, and provide solutions for problems with fixed and rotating equipment and understand how to help clients get the results they need. QA and QC, inspection is also part of supplier quality, being able to inspect manufacturing and the quality of products that go into a capital project.

I also have extensive experience with certified API inspections, in-service inspections, Fitness-For-Service, and remaining life predictions.

Q: Does managing Capital Projects require a Project Management certification?

JIM: Certification of a Professional Project Manager is great, but experience is more important.  We look for people to fill this role who have a full resume of projects they have successfully completed. While not always required, being a degreed engineer does build a strong foundation for success given the complexity of what we do. But ultimately it’s about being a good fit and bringing experience to the table to manage complex capital projects.

Q: What trends do you see in these types of projects?

JIM: Supply chain issues will always be a big obstacle for all projects. So, PMs needs to be very experienced making vendor selections. They need to have trust with vendors who will deliver.

There has been a real migration towards units that are built as components that can be moved. No stick-building in the field anymore on many projects. We are buying modules that can be manufactured anywhere in the world. This has happened because fabrication costs for modules are more cost effective versus stick-building in the field (brownfield situation).

This differs in Greenfield scenarios, which are highly dependent on client needs. The specific requirements and availability of resources—such as the availability of skilled labor, transportation costs, urgency, and other factors—can significantly influence the outcome.

Q: What makes a good Capital Projects PM? What skills do they need?

JIM: They need the ability to bring together necessary resources for execution and to conform to the budget and schedule. The worst that can happen is a project extends beyond cost and/or schedule. PM’s need to keep things moving forward. They don’t need to be process engineers, they need to see the whole picture and stay on task. A good project manager brings proper resources to fit the needs of the project, scope, budget and schedule.

Q: What advice do you have for clients looking for an engineering partner for Capital Projects? What should they look for in a partner?

JIM: Name recognition, great PMs, flexibility and adaptability in a team, and the amount of experience executing projects like theirs. Ask them: “Are we getting the A Team?”

Q&A with David Gaddy, PE, Senior Project Manager

“BE attracts a very specific person. They are helpful, curious, smart, and collaborative.” – David Gaddy, PE, Senior Project Manager

Q: What’s your background? What is your focus at BE?

DAVID: I have been in the industry for 34 years working on a lot of Gulf Coast work as well as other areas of the US. I joined BE in 2024, and we have been focused on connections in Houston to grow Capital Projects in the process industries.

Q: Why should clients choose BE?

DAVID: Our Maintenance experience adds tremendous value to capital project work and sets us apart. The inspections, reliability initiatives and client communication that we execute in maintenance translate very well to capital project work. Our team’s extensive field experience gives them a deep understanding of  constructibility and how equipment needs to operate

Q: Why should clients care about BE’s Maintenance expertise?

DAVID: After investing in a brownfield or greenfield project, maintaining the integrity is essential to maximize the lifespan of that infrastructure. BE can do all of it, and all of it well! We are really good at reducing risk for turnarounds, outages, and shutdowns.

Brindley has a phenomenal inspection program and that’s where it all starts. Inspections and the results from inspections lead to well informed project scope and ultimately maintenance programs to maximize lifespan of their facilities.

Until I started working at BE, I hadn’t heard of companies with both Capital and Maintenance experience like this. BE is unique.

Q: What does success look like for you and BE in a year from now?

David: As a PM, I want the opportunity to work on client projects and deliver successful results that earn their repeat business. We want to be top of mind for the next project in the pipeline. In Kansas, we currently have a project where the feedback tells us that we are doing quality work that has translated into expansion of our services. Our organization, PM and reporting stand out and will earn us more work which would signal success for us and the client alike. Projects are starting and scaling up?, so now is the time we get to show what we are made of!

“Projects are starting and scaling here, so now is the time we get to show what we are made of!” – David Gaddy, PE, Senior Project Manager

Q: What’s the BE culture like in the Gulf Coast?

David: This year we doubled in size! We are getting so many great people who fit in here so well. There is so much camaraderie from across disciplines – it’s incredible. We enjoy meals and outings together and when people come from our HQ in Lisle, IL, we all get together. We are the same people across offices. BE attracts a very specific person. They are helpful, curious, smart, and collaborative.

Q: How does BE compare with other places you have worked?

David: BE has core values that are REAL. When Tom Brindley comes and talks about that from the heart, it really resonates and makes me want to be part of it. He lives those values from the heart. You want to work with this type of company. Authenticity goes a long way. Khanh Phan, PE, PMP and VP of Project Services at BE is working hard to spread the word in the Gulf Coast. We are being aggressive, and I love it!

• Want to Talk about Capital Projects? Get in Touch with Brindley Engineering Today!