Over the last two months, K Friese + Associates (KFA) has welcomed four new employees to its Austin office as part of its talented pool of engineers-in-training (E.I.T.s). This group has added to the firm’s numbers, which now stand close to 45 employees with expectations to grow even more before the end of the year.
Left to right: Marie Gleichauf, Brenna Seams, Allison Densler, Eric Virag
Brenna Seams was the first to join the firm, coming from Corpus Christi, Texas. Brenna recently graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and was looking for a company that aligned with her priorities. “I chose KFA because it’s a company that cares about its employees and encourages them to grow – You’re not just a number. Also, KFA allows you to work on different types of projects so you aren’t restricted to one aspect of civil engineering. You get exposure to many different parts of the engineering process, allowing you to learn so much more than if you worked on the same tasks every day.” Brenna has experience working as an Engineer Intern for multiple engineering firms and is eager to continue to expand her working experience under KFA’s leaders.
Allison Densler relocated in June after graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. While attending the University, Allison worked as an Engineer Intern for the Village of Wheeling, Illinois. Living her whole life in Chicago, it was a big decision to move to Austin. However, Allison says, “It was a lot easier having people, not just a company, that were invested in supporting my integration into the workforce and a new home. Everyone made the transition a lot easier just by being accessible.” Allison is most excited to work on projects dealing with water scarcity and providing water for those who may not have access, now or in twenty years. She is looking forward to learning more about her profession, KFA, and Texas.
Eric Virag brings with him approximately three years of transportation engineering experience since graduating from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also spent the summer of 2012 working as an Engineer Intern for the Montana Department of Transportation. Eric is looking forward to working on projects that support the growing mobility needs of Texas. This summer, he will be taking advantage of KFA’s activities like the Foosball Tournament starting this month.
KFA welcomed Marie Gleichauf in July after she graduated from Rice University in Houston, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She has experience working as an Engineer Intern at multiple engineering firms and is looking forward to “working on interesting and challenging projects with no clear best solution that require in-depth study, modeling and creativity.” When applying for jobs, Marie “preferred the work culture that comes with a mid-sized company, like KFA. I like to be able to know everyone’s name and interact with everyone in the office in some way.” Marie considers engineering to be as much of an art as a science and enjoys the challenge of finding the right balance.
KFA is happy to have our new team members and is looking forward to a great summer.
