Leading engineering firm provides $5,000 gifts to each of five nonprofits
RENO, Nevada — Wood Rodgers, whose engineering teams remain at the forefront of the rebirth of Northern Nevada, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with donations to create a strong future for its profession.
The company’s STEAM Team (the initials stand for “Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math”) has made donations to five Northern Nevada nonprofits — Awaken, Northern Nevada Children Cancer Foundation, Society of Women Engineers, Envirolutions, and Sierra Nevada Journeys.
Each of the groups provides scholarships or educational opportunities that encourage students to build career skills, including STEAM-related fields.
“Wood Rodgers wants every student to have the opportunity to experience STEAM education and also to know that STEAM careers can be a possibility for anyone,” said Andy Durling, managing partner of the Wood Rodgers office in Reno.
Durling, named to the position early this year to succeed longtime Managing Partner Steve Strickland, said donations from Wood Rodgers represent an investment in the future of the engineering profession, which relies on development of new generations of skilled professionals.
“We envision continued growth of our STEAM Team initiatives, with more young people being introduced to STEAM-related education and career opportunities,” Durling said. “We also envision greater partnerships with STEAM-related organizations to provide more robust educational opportunities in Northern Nevada.”
Since the inception of its STEAM Team, Wood Rodgers has donated more than $84,000 to organizations in Northern Nevada. Company-wide, donations total more than $212,000.
“Through our program we have developed multiple opportunities for our employees to give back to the community, while also giving Wood Rodgers a platform to educate students about civil engineering, land planning, surveying and geotechnical engineering as a career path,” Durling said.
Launched in 1997 in Sacramento, Wood Rodgers established its Reno office in 2003.
The company, founded by Rich Wood and Mark Rodgers in a small basement office in downtown Sacramento, soon will eclipse 350 employees in eight offices across Nevada and California.
The company’s services include planning, civil, structural and geotechnical engineering, construction testing and inspection services, landscape architecture, surveying and mapping, and engineering of public projects for transportation, water resources and aviation facilities.
Durling said the company expects to add more capabilities to provide comprehensive services to its clients.
“Our growth will continue in concert with the growth of Northern Nevada,” he said. “We will seek to continue attracting the very best and most creative staff to address our clients’ needs.”