Russ Knutson, PE
Professional Engineer – Washington
BS, Civil Engineering, Washington State University
I have wanted to be a civil engineer since I was young, inspired by my neighbor. He worked for the Department of Transportation, and when we’d go backpacking in the Cascades, he would always point out his road projects. I thought that was so cool!
After earning my degree, I attended graduate school to become a geotechnical engineer, but economics intervened, and I started working as an engineer for a small city on an island in Puget Sound. My projects included water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, streets, parks, solid waste, and a marina: in all, a good primer on nearly every facet of civil engineering.
After several years, I relocated to Vancouver and, following a short period elsewhere, ended up at Clark Public Utilities as an engineer in the Water Utility.
I grew to love working to provide clean, safe drinking water to our customers and managing an extremely complex water system. I’ve always had a customer-first ethos, and being part of a utility that values safe, reliable, and financially prudent service to its customers became my professional life.
In my spare time, I enjoy going to the coast and the mountains, and exploring the area around our second home in the Palm Springs area.
What do you listen to while working toward a deadline?
Nothing, I need to focus.
What valuable lesson did you learn from your parents?
Look with your eyes, not with your mouth.
What was your first job?
Roofing and gutters, under the table, when I was 14. After that, I was a fish cutter for Ivar’s in Seattle. I cut big pieces of fish into smaller pieces for fish and chips. Didn’t help with popularity in high school.
