Fehr & Peers Career Blog

Dan Hennessey, Walnut Creek Engineer, Gives His Take on Fehr & Peers

 

I was guided to Fehr & Peers while in an interview with a different firm during my final year of college; it was apparent that our interests didn’t match, and the interviewer said he knew someone at a place I’d fit better.  I learned the name Fehr & Peers because I took a transportation planning class at UC-Berkeley taught by Richard Lee, who works in the Walnut Creek office, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.  I couldn’t have landed in a place that was better for me, and for the most part it was luck and timing.  Younger employees are assigned to a variety of projects to experience a taste of different technical areas, but the project managers and senior staff are receptive to the preferences of each individual.  In my short time here, I’ve worked on travel demand modeling and forecasting, microsimulation, and many other aspects of transportation engineering.  More than anything else about Fehr & Peers though, I’m glad I work here because of the people with which I work.  I enjoy coming to work and interacting with the other members of the office.  This is an environment in which an individual who is both introverted and successful is rare.  The senior staff is invested in the growth of younger employees and does everything possible to be receptive to ideas and discipline interests.  Some of the other younger staff members I don’t consider or refer to as co-workers; I call them friends (yes, even interns).  They’ve helped make the transition from school to life after as seamless as possible, and I could never thank them enough for the help they’ve willfully given me.  There are no ulterior motives here, just personal and professional investment in everyone.

- Dan Hennessey

Fehr & Peers Launches CoolConnections

It's official, Fehr & Peers is proud to announce CoolConnections! A company-wide initiative that reflects Fehr & Peers’ commitment to innovative transportation solutions that improve communities, with a particular emphasis on sustainable climate, energy conditions and healthy lifestyles. CoolConnections is in line with the current trends of reducing green house gas emissions and providing solutions for developers and governments to help reverse the trends of global warming.

Included in the initiative is www.CoolConnections.org, a Web site dedicated to innovative transportation solutions and our commitment to help improve communities.

"Transportation engineers and planners play an essential role in helping communities understand the consequences of their transportation and land use decisions, especially when it comes to the new focus on climate change, energy, and health. CoolConnections.org will be a source of related information for the general public," said Jerry Walters, Fehr & Peers Chief Technical Officer and recent appointee to the Regional Target Advisory Committee for California.

Want to learn more?  Visit CoolConnections and learn about our initiative and what it means to Fehr & Peers.

                      

Tamar Fuhrer, a Planner in Our Inland Empire Office, Gives an Inside Look to Working at Fehr & Peers...

I completed a summer internship with the San Francisco office of Fehr & Peers in 2007, and returned full-time this past summer as one of the first employees in the new Inland Empire office. As an intern, I was impressed by the level of training that I received, and the skill set that I developed by the end of the summer. Despite working in a different region, in a smaller office, with different staff, the core values in my current office are the same as in San Francisco (or any other F&P office). While the senior staff in my office have responsibilities like marketing and managing projects, they prioritize the professional development of me and my other entry-level colleague. We have been assigned a variety of projects, many of which require different skill sets. For example, I am currently working on building a travel demand forecasting model in TransCAD, and I was recently working on a parking study and an environmental impact report. My colleague just wrapped up a bicycle planning project for a local university, while concurrently working on a corridor microsimulation using VISSIM. They also expose us to the business aspects of transportation consulting, by taking us to client meetings and having us assist in marketing efforts. The investment of the senior staff into developing good consultants from junior staff is just one indicator of how Fehr & Peers values all of their employees, regardless of their position.

- Tamar Fuhrer

Do You Have a Fehr & Peers Teacher?

Do you attend UC Berkeley?  Sacramento State? Or maybe UCLA?  Well if so, and if you're interested in the transportation field, you may have had a class with one of Fehr & Peers' Principal Owners.  Several of our Principals and senior level staff teach transportation courses at their local universities.  To learn more about the classes they teach and where they teach, click here. 

88Th Annual TRB Meeting – 3rd Annual Fehr & Peers Hospitality Suite

For the third year running Fehr & Peers will be hosting a hospitality suite during the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.  The suite will be open from 6 – 10 p.m. on Monday, January 12, and will be located at the Omni Shoreham Hotel right in the heart of the meeting location.  Fehr & Peers hosts a suite each year to meet students, introduce them to Fehr & Peers and recruit possible candidates for our firm.

“Each time we host a suite at TRB we meet exceptional students and end up hiring several full time employees and interns.  It’s a great experience and I’m looking forward to meeting new students this year,” says Tina O’Hara, HR Manager at Fehr & Peers.  Tina will be attending the meeting and will be hosting the hospitality suite.

Click here to learn more about the suite and Fehr & Peers.

Fehr & Peers Gets an A+ From the Sacramento Business Journal

The Sacramento Business Journal recently recognized Fehr & Peers as an A+ Employer placing us within the top 40 businesses in the Sacramento area.  Each company that was named a finalist was evaluated and the top 10 companies with the highest scores in each of the four size categories (micro, small, medium and large) were listed as an A+ Employer.  Congratulations to the Sacramento Region offices for placing in the top 10 of medium-sized companies!

Fehr & Peers Makes CE News’ Best Firms To Work For - Three Years Running!

CE News has just announced the winners of their Best Firms To Work For contest.  Fehr & Peers ranked fifth overall, and placed second in the mid-size firms category.  This is the best standing we’ve received on the list.Our placement is a direct result of how employees here at Fehr & Peers feel about the company. 

The survey is almost entirely based on employee feedback.  A total of 152 firms participated in the survey, but only 50 were recognized at an awards reception on September 18 at ZweigWhite's 2008 Best Firm To Work For Summit in San Francisco.  Firms were selected based on their commitment to provide a positive work environment and challenging and interesting work opportunities for their employees.

Fehr & Peers is, once again, excited and honored to have made the list.

Fehr & Peers Hosts Student Mixer at ITE Conference

Fehr & Peers held its second annual student mixer on the patio at the ESPN Zone at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California during the ITE District 6 conference.

The mixer, for students attending the conference, drew over 75 guests including students from UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, San Diego State, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Sacramento State, Montana State, and the University of Wyoming. Though free food and beer may have been the original lure, students were able to mix and mingle with 17 Fehr & Peers employees and learn more about the company, its locations (there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in the Seattle office) and its projects. The event generated not only attention at the conference, but also a great deal of interest among the students, most of whom will be looking for full-time positions and internships within the next year.

Fehr & Peers Receives ITE Employer Recognition Award

Last week the Western District of the Institute of Transportation Engineering (ITE) presented Fehr & Peers with its Employer Recognition Award.  According to ITE, the award “is an effort to recognize employers for supporting young professionals (professionals 35 years or younger) in ITE activities, technical training and professional development/mentorship.”

This is the first year ITE has implemented this award and Fehr & Peers is excited to have been recognized as an employer who supports its employees in a variety of ways including providing significant opportunities for internal and external career development.  Meghan Mitman of our San Francisco office and Kristin Tarr of our corporate office worked together to nominate Fehr & Peers for this award.

“I heard about this award through my involvement with ITE and I wanted to nominate Fehr & Peers because I know we exemplify all the qualifications noted in the application and especially because of the unique opportunities I have been afforded through my involvement in ITE.  This is a well-deserved honor for Fehr & Peers!” said Mitman.

An award presentation was held at the recent ITE District 6 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Anaheim, CA.  Steve Brown, Principal of Fehr & Peers, was present to accept the plaque.

Click here to view more information about the award.

Internal Collaboration for New Hire Orientation and Training

One of the most important things Fehr & Peers focuses on is our internal employee training programs.  Several different avenues have been developed to achieve this, but most recently our offices have been looking to each other for the best solutions on training interns and recent college graduates.  Each office is sharing their training strategies on how to introduce new hires to Syncro, TransCAD, Traffic Impact Studies, and various other project related specialties.   A lot of effort is being put into place to get interns and recent graduates up to speed and equipped with how to get started in their new work environment.  By sharing training ideas, collaborating on tech sessions, and learning from each other, we are integrating new hires faster than ever.  Sam Tabibnia, Associate in our Walnut Creek office, has been leading the training in Walnut Creek for a while.  The new efforts to collaborate are turning out to be beneficial, “We’re integrating students and giving them hands-on experience to help them with their day to day work,” says Sam.
 

With the fall recruiting season just ahead, all offices will continue to work together to develop effective integrating solutions to make new hires feel welcome and comfortable in their new career.

Fehr & Peers' Walnut Creek Office Challenges RBF Consulting to Softball Game

A (friendly) softball rivalry continued for the third year in a row between the Walnut Creek office of Fehr & Peers and the Walnut Creek office of RBF Consulting.  The game was held at Heather Farm Park where lunch was provided by Fehr & Peers.  After enjoying sandwiches, both teams took their positions on the field to battle it out for 9 innings.  An exciting game ensued, but after many great plays and lots of hustle, the RBF team came out on top.  Each team did a great job and we look forward to next year's face-off!

Commuter Check Benefit Goes Online

Fehr & Peers has always offered commuter benefits, but now that benefit has been improved as an automated, online process.  Before this automation, employees were given commuter checks to be redeemed at their local transit provider.  Now it is a more convenient, easier process as employees can order actual transit tickets/passes from an online system.  The transit tickets/passes are then sent directly to the employee’s home – eliminating the administrative step of the check being handed to the employee, the employee then heading to the transit station to redeem the check, and then receiving the transit ticket/pass.  The online system also allows employees to make monthly changes and updates.  Overall, the commuter benefits program offered by Fehr & Peers has become much easier for all employees to use.  We’ve received great feedback from a test group and now the online system is available company-wide. 

Fehr & Peers Hosts Company-wide Spring Celebration in South Lake Tahoe

Fehr & Peers Hosts Company-wide Spring Celebration in South Lake Tahoe

For the first time in company history, Fehr & Peers hosted our “holiday party” in May in South Lake Tahoe.  Typically, the company-wide event takes place in January of each year.  Due to our company-wide retreat in October of 2007, it was decided that our next get together would take place in the spring.
 

The event consisted of a one-night stay at Harvey’s Resort and Casino and a dinner cruise on South Lake Tahoe.  This was the first time Fehr & Peers covered the costs for all employees’ hotel accommodations.

 

The evening was a great experience as 322 employees and guests boarded the M.S. Dixie II and embarked on a dinner cruise and tour of South Lake Tahoe.  Dinner, dancing, networking and overall fun was the main focus.  All employees had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere South Lake Tahoe had to offer.

 

APA Conference Big Success for Fehr & Peers

The 100th Annual APA National Conference took place April 27 – April 30, 2008 in Las Vegas. Fehr & Peers hosted a booth in the exhibit hall and Jerry Walters, Fehr & Peers’ CTO, spoke as a panelist during a conference session.

We joined many others in the industry in showcasing our areas of expertise and our newest projects. Also on promotion at our booth was Jerry Walter’s co-authored book “Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change.”

We had a great time during the conference and our staff presence allowed us to network with clients, industry professionals and students. Thanks to all the students and professors who stopped by our booth and dropped off resumes and contact information! It was nice to meet everyone and to answer questions about our company, our offices and future employment opportunities.

Click here to view video footage of the conference.

F&P CEO Bets All On Alma Mater But Comes Up Short!

Matt Henry. CEO of Fehr & Peers, and Jon Nepstad, Principal-in-Charge of Fehr & Peers' Utah office, recently made a bet over who would win the NCAA Basketball National Championship. Matt, an alum from the University of Memphis said it would be his alma mater Memphis. Jon, an alum of the University of Kansas placed his bet on, of course, his alma mater Kansas.

This was the wager:

• Straight bet - no points
• Loser must make a $50 donation to the athletic fund of the winner's university.
• Loser must wear team logo attire (to be provided by winner) around the office for one day.
• Loser must pose for pictures while wearing attire - to be published via the intranet.

And the winner was.... University of Kansas. And we have more than just photos of Matt wearing Kansas apparel proudly - we have video...