Encorus has experienced an increase in growth, especially in the number of our employees. Most recently, Encorus has brought on John Bard as Electrical and Controls Project Manager, Gerald (Jerry) Sullivan as Senior Structural Engineer, Cheyenne Ricley as a Drafter, and Heather Stevens as a Civil Designer. To get to know them better, we asked our newest Encorus family members about their initial experience at Encorus, how the company is different than ones that they have worked at in the past, and what is their favorite thing about Encorus Group so far.

Electrical and Controls Project Manager John Bard has only worked at Encorus for 6 weeks, and he has already learned several things: despite his several years of experience, he should leave AutoCAD to the professionals; Encorus has interesting culture events, including a Chili Cook-Off, celebrating Chinese New Year, and Pi Day; and Encorus’ complete production division for the entire company is done by one guy who sits in the cubicle next to him. John has enjoyed the company culture at Encorus, specifically the celebration of Chinese New Year with Chinese food for lunch, and is patiently waiting for the company to participate in national “Take Your Employees to Vegas” week.

As project manager at his last job, John has worked with hundreds of companies across North America that focus on physical production. This is the first time that he has worked for a company whose emphasis was not physical production, so John is still adjusting to the focus of the firm.

One of John’s favorite things about working at Encorus is the firm’s proximity to his home. As someone who endured driving through the harsh Buffalo winters for 25 years, John claims that it feels like there are “Disney cartoon birds” that sing on his shoulder as he cruises down backroads on his way to work every morning, avoiding the traffic and maniac drivers.

Senior Structural Engineer Jerry Sullivan is finding Encorus to be a very professional workplace with young, enthusiastic, and talented employees. Jerry appreciates the systems that are in place to make each project easy to manage. His favorite thing about Encorus is that it is a family-oriented workplace that empowers each employee to find solutions. Jerry has found that many of the engineering challenges that he encounters can be easily resolved with professional interaction.

Drafter Cheyenne Ricley states that her experience at Encorus so far has been amazing. She was nervous with starting at Encorus and being able to remember the program as well and pick up the company’s standards and techniques, but with everyone’s help and willingness to work with her, it has been a pretty smooth transition for Cheyenne. Encorus is different than her previous company because she now works more closely with the engineering department and the firm is much more involved with their employees. Cheyenne’s favorite thing about Encorus so far is the flexibility to work with a family life, and her co-workers being willing to help her learn and grow in the company.

What really stands out to Civil Designer Heather Stevens is the attitude Encorus has towards its employees with teambuilding and training opportunities, lunch and learns, and encouraging cooperation between disciplines. According to her, everyone has been very welcoming, and after only a few weeks it’s evident how well the teams work together. Heather also appreciates the time and effort put into CADD standards and drafting to ensure a consistent recognizable final product. She has been involved in developing standards in the past and realizes how difficult they can be to implement. Heather feels like she is appreciated for what she brings to the table, that her opinion counts, and that there will be opportunities for her to grow within the company. It’s been a while since she has felt that way, and she wishes that she had started her job search a year ago.

We wish a warm welcome to our new employees and we are glad to have them as part of the Encorus Group family!