andy szatkowski, pe
Senior Engineer
Licenses
Professional Engineer - Washington & Oregon
Education
MSc, Environmental Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | BSc, Chemistry (with Honors), University of Texas at Austin
andy.szatkowski@graylingeng.com
I have an extensive background working on drinking water and wastewater projects in the United States and overseas. I enjoy the challenge of combining the technical aspects of my work with the social, cultural, and economic conditions of the community to develop solutions that fit the needs of the people who own and operate the facilities. I have applied this approach when designing technically complex facilities for urban communities as well as for smaller, less complex systems in rural communities in both the US and overseas.
In my spare time, I prefer to do almost anything that takes me outside to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, or wherever I am traveling at the time: hiking, biking, backpacking, sailing, rafting, kayaking, and open water swimming in warmer weather, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. When not working, traveling, or playing outdoors, I volunteer to provide dog walking and animal enrichment activities at the Multnomah County Animal Shelter and the Oregon Humane Society.
What do you listen to while working toward a deadline?
If I’m working on calculations or CAD drawings, I like raucous, high energy music from the genres of rock, Afrobeat and world music. Bands like Pearl Jam, Cracker, Drive by Truckers, Springsteen, Fela Kuti, Johnny Clegg & Savuka. If I am writing or reviewing a written document – anything where I need to focus on the wordsmithing – I prefer music with either no lyrics or lyrics in a language I don’t know very well, so lots of African and Central American music like Oliver Mutukudzi, Habib Koite & Bamada, Salif Keita, Rokia Traore, Andy Palacio.
Where do you feel most at home?
Anywhere outdoors, regardless of where on earth I am at the time…unless it’s a highly polluted mega-city, which are not my favorite places to be outdoors, nor to visit for that matter.
In a parallel universe, what is your profession?
If I hadn’t been raised in the landlocked states of New Mexico and Arizona, I would probably have become an oceanographer or a marine biologist.
What valuable lesson did you learn from your parents?
Acquiring loads of money and stuff is not at all the point of life. My Mom and Dad (both children of the Depression) always said the most important question to ask yourself is “How much is enough?” Then don’t waste any of your precious time striving to acquire more than you decide you really need. Spend that time with friends and family, doing the things you love.
What is the strangest question you've ever been asked in an interview?
When interviewing with a large, national consulting firm some 25 years ago, the interviewer noted that I had always worked either as an independent contractor or for small and mid-size firms and asked “Why on earth would you want to work for such a large, bureaucratic company?” It was a good question and I did not have a good answer (other than the fact that I needed a steady income at that time). I did not get the position (and I am glad I didn’t!).