Hidden Gems: Meet Tom Braatelien of Consor North America

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Braatelien.

Hi Tom, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating high school, I served 3 years active duty in the United States Marine Corps. Then, with money I’d saved, and help from Veteran’s Assistance Program as well as help from my parents, I enrolled at San Jose State University, California and earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering. Upon graduation I immediately started working in the field of engineering. I became a licensed professional engineer and had the opportunity to design and build infrastructure including buildings, bridges, tunnels, pump stations, roadways, reservoirs, water transmission systems, treatment plants and hundreds of municipal assets. Early in my career, I married and my wife and I had five sons together, each child about a year apart. Myself and several other engineers bought a large engineering company which later merged with the engineering company that I work at now.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve worked as an engineer for over 35 years. Early in my career I became part owner of an engineering firm. Our firm was very successful, but there were a few really tough times. In 2008 the world economy crashed and infrastructure improvement work throughout the United States pretty much came to a screeching halt. Many engineering firms either went out of business or implemented huge staff layoffs. Fortunately, our firm had enough backlog to get through that crisis. Then, in 2019, the COVID pandemic swept over the world. The Pandemic also shut down much of the infrastructure improvement work. Again, we survived but those time were also very difficult. On a personal level, my wife and I lost one our son, Siever, in 2018. The loss of our son was and is devastating. My wife, and I, and Siever’s four brothers are still very much in grief, but through our love for each other, and the support we are able to give one another, we are able to carry on.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Consor North America is a highly successful engineering firm with over 90 office locations and 1,800 employees. Consor specializes in the design and construction of large infrastructure facilities including buildings, bridges, highways, railroads, airports, transit systems, water and wastewater treatment systems, wastewater collection systems and water transmission systems. I manage Consor’s north Phoenix office.

What matters most to you? Why?
As one of the principal engineers at Consor, what matters most to me is providing the public with safe transportation systems, clean drinking water, a safe and healthy environment and a higher standard of living. As a civil engineer, I’ve dedicated my life to serving the community and helping others.
At home, what matters most to me is being a good husband, father and grandfather. I strive to always do what is best for my family and loved ones. While I am by no means perfect, I do everything I can to be there fore them when they need me.
As an American, and a veteran, what matters to me most is serving my country and being a good citizen. Those things matter to me because I believe it is the duty of every citizen to practice good citizenship!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPK7-v0BXDXKOy7hzGjGTboLF6YzY9_xb