An Executive Interview with Civiltec Engineering’s David Song

David SongDavid Song has over 10 years of engineering experience. His expertise is in potable water infrastructure design, engineering, and management. David became the newest partner of Civiltec Engineering on January 1, 2017. Mr. Song’s typical responsibilities include project management and supervision of design staff, client correspondence, management of project budgets and schedules, construction management, technical writing and planning, hydraulic analysis and modeling, developing contract bid documentation, preparing specifications and cost estimates, and performing project plan checks.

Mr. Song has been responsible for the design and project management of over 100,000 linear feet of distribution and transmission pipelines that included construction traffic control design, pump stations, wells, and reservoirs. He has secured permits for projects with public agencies and cities located in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties, California Department of Public Health and Caltrans. Mr. Song has also completed numerous traffic control plans conforming to the MUTCD, Caltrans, and City standards for numerous clients that include the City of Pomona, City of Garden Grove, Suburban Water Systems, Newhall County Water District, and La Canada Irrigation District.

Where did you attend college and what did you study?
University of California, Los Angeles. I majored in Civil Engineering with a focus on Water Resources and Environmental Engineering.

After several years of working with and on behalf of Civiltec, you became a Partner in January of this year. What was that experience like?
I am very thankful to everyone at Civiltec for supporting my career throughout the years. Our organization makes the effort to recognize each individual’s accomplishments as well as prepare them for greater responsibilities. To be able to experience that growth has been immensely satisfying. I have learned so much not only from everyone in the workplace, but from the people in our industry that range from clients to subconsultants to private and public agency employees. The relationships built over the years has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career.

What are some of your favorite types of projects to work on?
I love working on groundwater well projects. We are involved from start to finish. As an example, the Well 15 (complete) and 16 (in construction) are two particular projects for San Gabriel County Water District that were great experiences. The project involved engineering, design, permitting, public relations support, and coordination during bidding and construction. I enjoy these types of projects knowing that these wells will bring a reliable source of fresh water supplies to the community.

When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time? Is there a particular hobby, interest, or skill you have that other employees might not know about?
With my church, we volunteer at Covenant House, an organization that serves homeless youth. We work with the youth to help them learn skills to allow them to be self-sufficient. Civiltec started a volunteer program that provides opportunities for individuals to help the communities around us. We have worked with organizations such as Union Station Homeless Services, Friends of the LA River, and the City of South Pasadena Arroyo Seco Clean Up. I also like to play the guitar in my free time, which I learned how to play when I was a teenager.

How do you want to help Civiltec grow in the future? Is there anything you want Civiltec to achieve?
I want to participate in encouraging and assisting others to reach their potential. I hope to be a model for those desiring to be a greater impact to our staff, clients, and communities. I wish for Civiltec’s reputation to be the go-to firm that provides the highest satisfaction in quality and customer service so that our existing clients can always depend on us for excellence in performance and that potential new clients will seek out our services. Our business model has always been built on strong relationships both internally and externally. We want to go beyond the profession and, through our influence, develop camaraderies that are well-established even amongst our clients. I’m excited for our future and welcome everyone to be a part of Civiltec’s success!