I spent the past week in Alaska meeting colleagues and listening.
Time with the team at DOWL is always valuable. Alaska made it even better.
The work happening here spans a wide range. Planning. Surveying. Engineering. Transportation. Aviation. Civil. Water resources. Geotechnical. Environmental. And plenty more. Hearing how these disciplines connect across Alaska and our other western US offices was a good reminder of how broad our work really is and how often it overlaps.
What stood out most were the conversations. Deep local knowledge. Real context. People who know their terrain, their weather, and their communities. You cannot fake that. It shows up in better decisions and better outcomes for clients.
And then there are the stories that only happen in Alaska.
One employee had their company iPad taken by a bear. It was in a backpack next to a sandwich. The bear kept the sandwich. It returned the iPad with a cracked screen and clear bite marks. AppleCare handled the rest.
Another story involved employees stuck inside their office because a large moose decided the front door was a good place to hang out. Work paused until the moose moved on. No rushing that process.
That mix of serious work and very real nature is part of what makes Alaska unique. It is demanding. It is beautiful. And it requires people who respect both the work and the environment it happens in.
Tomorrow I head south and leave Alaska behind.
It has been a week of good conversations, strong work, and reminders of how different conditions shape how people think and build.
