Putting Down Roots: Associate Profile on Project Engineer Ross Williams

P1 Project Engineer II Ross Williams spent most of his life bouncing around from place to place. Being brought up in a military family, he moved all around the East Coast, finally settling in Indiana for high school and then attending Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., where he earned a degree in Construction Management.

Ross’s first job had him on the move again. Working for a construction management company, he monitored the closure and structural components of construction sites, a job which took him to Las Vegas and Nashville before he landed in Kansas City.

Tired of moving around, Ross said he was ready to find a job where he could stay in one place, and that’s when he found P1.

Shortly after hire, he was assigned to Project Kansas, the massive battery plant in DeSoto, KS.

“My background was primarily in electrical, so stepping into that project was a huge whirlwind, but I was able to learn so much about piping and mechanical, which was all new to me.” Ross said.

“I really enjoyed being exposed to the different trades and learning how to implement the skills I already possessed in a manner that could assist the team and project.”

Ross had substantial experience with Microsoft Excel, which turned out to be a benefit.

“During Project Kansas, Chris Champagne [Operations Manager] asked me to design a of way of tracking our progress,” Ross said. “I was able to create a form for logging the progress, installation, and linear footage of everything we had going into the project, following it from ordering materials all the way to full production.”

Senior Project Manager Zach Kittle worked closely with Ross and said it was great to have him on the team.

“His upbeat personality brought some levity to the fast-paced and often stressful work environment,” Zach said.

“And he would keep you on your toes by randomly speaking to you in German.”

“Manchmal sage ich es auf Deutsch.”

“When P1 was awarded Wing 2 at Project Kansas, we put Ross in charge of the assembly/winding project,” Zach noted.

In this role, Ross learned all about reviewing and generating submittals, RFIs, writing POs, managing subs and vendors, and also gained some experience in forecasting.

To date, Ross says Project Kansas is the largest project he has worked on.

“My biggest project prior to that was the Sphere out in Las Vegas,” he said.

“I thought that was big, but then I got here, and Project Kansas is significantly larger. I can’t count how many times I’ve gotten lost in that place!”

Ross is now working on NRD, a large data center currently underway in Kansas City, MO (referenced in the June issue).

Ross says he is confident that his experience at Project Kansas will guide him into this next challenge, and onto what he hopes is a lasting career at P1.

“I’ve only worked on two projects for P1 so far, and they’ve both been massive,” he said. 

“I think this work will continue to come in,” he added. “I understand the workload could easily surpass five and maybe even six years just on this one project.”

Feeling comfortable that P1 will sustain work for the long term is just one of the things that Ross enjoys about P1.

He says he noticed one thing right away: P1’s commitment to develop the next generation.

“I’ve only been here a little over two years, but I’ve already greatly benefited from the training and development culture that is so prevalent here,” he said. 

“I’ve been instructed not only in the areas I need to do my job today, but also for growth and advancement in the future.”

“Together WE Grow” aren’t just words on the list of Guiding Principles, but something the company truly believes in.”

Just For Fun

Ross doesn’t have any family nearby, so he spends a lot of his free time working on his fitness and hanging out with his dog Balto, a 100lb husky pit bull mix.

“Balto is an adorable idiot who doesn’t realize how big he is.”

Ross is also still finding out what Kansas has to offer. “I’m still pretty new here, and I have a lot to see.”

Speaking of fitness, Ross recently trained and ran a “ruck race” on June 4.

In a ruck race, participants run two miles while carrying 40 lbs. of weight. Several P1 associates participated, with VDC Specialist Ozzy Scoggin placing first, Project Engineer Griffin Souder coming in second, and Ross finishing third.

Pictured from left to right:

Ross, Kevin Warnake, Griffin Souder, Brooks Peek, Zach Kittle, and Ozzy Scoggin