Get ready to meet Omar, a multi-talented member of the BSK Associates team with a fascinating background! Omar’s journey is as diverse as it is impressive. Join us as we uncover Omar’s story, from his early days in Lodi, California, to his adventures in geology and project management. Discover Omar’s favorite on-the-job moments and learn about his passions outside of work. Join us in celebrating Omar’s unique perspective and invaluable contributions to our team!

Interviewer: Hi Omar! Can you tell me a little about where you are from. Where is your hometown and where did you go to school?

Omar: I was born in a somewhat small village – Barazai – in the northern part of Punjab Province, Pakistan, prior to moving to Lodi, California in 1985 or 1986 (cannot recall exact year as I was less than 10). My mom was born in Lodi before she went overseas to spend some time in Pakistan, where her father was originally from, while her mom was originally from New York with roots going back to Italy. My extended family has roots in Barazai and Lodi (working in agriculture back in the day).

Very few relatives are left over there.  I have been in Lodi since moving to California. With little English that I knew, I was thrown into the lion’s den in elementary school, which was 3^rd grade. Probably because I was in that age range. Just imagine someone my age in 1^st or 2^nd grade 😝. I did have the privilege of leaving class from time to time to attend ESL program, which was fun. After graduating Tokay High School, attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, graduating in 2004 with two BS degrees (one was geology). Mind you, I did not think too much about college after high school nor did I know which direction to go once I got accepted.

Interviewer: How long have you worked for BSK and what do you do for the organization?

Omar: I have been with BSK since the end of September 2018. I started in this industry back in 2005 (feel like an old timer) doing various task. Currently, I consider myself a project manager/proposal gunslinger (as recently titled and probably trademarked)/geologist/ARSO/etc.

Interviewer: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Omar: Definitely do not enjoy the stress that usually comes with this job. Some clients can be very difficult to deal with/demanding, but the feeling of completing a project is a great feeling/sigh of relief. The most joy comes from the everyday interaction with my colleagues (not always about work work work) and perhaps traveling between Tracy, Livermore, and Sacramento offices. It’s a livelier crowd than my previous work environment.

Interviewer: Can you tell us your favorite on the job story?

Omar: A favorite story would be difficult to select since I started working in 2005. I know I can recall plenty of negative stories and the times I have encountered underground utilities. Never fun encountering any utilities, especially pressurized sewer lines. I suppose as a geologist, it was very exciting to finally get to see an actual, active fault zone in an excavation some years ago. I had seen various landslide planes, but never a fault zone. I have been involved in various fault trenches near or along the Hayward Fault (always a grueling task), but never found a fault (great for the Client). I was working on a project just west of Fairfield among the hills. A landslide had occurred, encroaching on a major gas line that ran parallel with Interstate 680 along the hills. Also parallel along this ridge is the active Green Valley Fault Zone. Besides investigating the landslide via continuous borings and trenching for relocating the gas line within the landslide zone, the Client wanted to investigate the overall impact the fault would have on the line. Who would install a major pipeline parallel with and crossing a major fault? After excavating a few trenches at various locations, we got lucky with one that indicated a clear and present danger. It left me amazed and speechless. Only a fellow geologist would understand.

There was another time in San Pablo where we were investigating why the floor was buckling inside a supermarket along San Pablo Dam Road. We ended up excavating a trench behind the store along the toe of the slope. The area originally was hilly and underwent mass grading to create the shopping center and the residential unit atop the slope. The original consultant had mapped a massive slide in the area and during grading had assumed they had repaired the slide, including removing the slide plane. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We found the old slide plane just beneath their drain blanket. They had missed it by a foot or so. As we were pulling out the hydraulic shores, majority of the trench immediately collapsed creating this BOOM sound effect. Left one in shock with increase heartbeat. We backfilled the trench and informed the Client that here are our findings. Good luck going after the previous consultant/contractor. Not much we can do. The liability is too great for such a massive landslide.

Interviewer: Thank you so much for answering all these questions today. Can we leave off by you relaying some fun facts about yourself?

Get ready to meet Damian Montoya, our skilled IT Analyst at BSK Associates! Damian plays a crucial role in ensuring our technology runs smoothly, supporting our team in delivering top-notch services. Join us as we delve into Damian’s journey at BSK Associates, showcasing the diverse talents that drive our success. Stay tuned for more insider glimpses into the incredible individuals shaping our work!

Interviewer: Hi Damian! Can you tell me a little about where you are from. Where is your hometown and where did you go to school?

Damian: Hello! I was born in Fontana, California and grew up all over San Bernardino County – living in Upland, Ontario, and Chino, to name a few, finally settling in Fontana, where I was the second graduating class from the then brand-new Jurupa Hills High School. After that, I ventured up to Monterey to attend California State University, Monterey Bay to pursue a degree in Computer Science. I attended CSUMB for a year before those hefty Bay area prices caught up to me, to which I then moved to Fresno and attended Fresno City College. It was there that I fell in love with Mathematics, earning my AA in Mathematics. I transferred to CSU Fresno shortly before the COVID pandemic (which made for some interesting and difficult times for my upper divisional classes for both students and professors alike) and ultimately graduated with my bachelor’s in Pure Mathematics.

Interviewer: How long have you worked for BSK and what do you do for the organization?

Damian: I first started with BSK part-time back in 2017 for a year while I was at Fresno City College. Shortly after earning my Bachelor’s, I started working with BSK at the tail-end of 2022. I have now been officially with BSK for over a year as an IT Analyst, where I provide technical support for all our locations and staff, manage systems, and develop automations that run behind the scenes of our operations such as automated notifications, project folder creations, data syncs between our systems. I’m also learning more about LIMS administration side – it’s got me really fascinated with managing databases and queries!

Interviewer: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Damian: There’s always something new to learn – we use many robust and complex systems so it’s always fascinating to me when I learn about them as I am the type who loves even reading the instruction/user manual for my tech purchases at home! I love when a good challenge comes my way because those ‘ah-ha!’ moments after solving a particularly frustrating issue are like a +1 on my personal scoreboard. The automation development part of my job is also such a fun time for me because I get to programmatically define the logical steps and control statements of a workflow using a low-code platform. It makes it all the sweeter to watch the jobs run as expected. As a bonus, when planning for some automations, I get to learn more about the processes of other departments. All this to say I enjoy everything about my job as it combines my love for programming, technology, math, teaching, and systematic problem-solving.

Interviewer: Can you tell us your favorite on the job story?

Damian: My favorite story is when I had the pleasure of representing BSK at last year’s Deltek ProjectCon in Orlando. We were chosen to give a presentation on how we used their low-code integration platform to improve efficiency for BSK. I was nervous and kept stumbling on my words during the practice presentations, but when it was our time to present, all the nerves just went away, and the presentation went flawlessly! We were complimented on how well and natural it was presented, keeping it fun and engaging with small quips and banter. After the presentation, I got to network with other attendees who saw the presentation, recognized me, and wanted to discuss the automations and all its possibilities – I really got to nerd out! It was a great opportunity and a new experience for me that I will always look back on fondly.

Back at our home office, celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries or holidays are a great time – playing guitar, laughing, shooting the breeze, and eating delicious food with everyone brings us all together. I love when I hear music in the air when I go into some of the labs, particularly when I go to the Micro department to work on their printers or computers, they have a great playlist that gets me moving with some nice 90s and 00s R&B!

Interviewer: Thank you so much for answering all these questions today. Can we leave off by you relaying some fun facts about yourself?

Damian: Of course! I used to compete in many MMA tournaments in California and Nevada when I was younger. During one of the tournaments, Tapout’s Skyscrape presented me with my medal – I didn’t know who he was until my sensei and parents excitedly told me. I had thought he was just some random tall guy giving me a medal. On a parallel note, my spouse and I were extras in a small independent movie shot in Fresno’s Rainbow Ballroom called Victory by Submission cheering in a crowd of an octagon fight – I didn’t see myself in the final cut, but my spouse can be seen cheering front row of the crowd.

I have my own home recording studio that I like to experiment with. I play the guitar, bass, drums, kalimba, and a mean triangle. I also have a didgeridoo that I got from Australia but still don’t know how to play it correctly (I’ve tried many times). I’m a big fan of classic rock and metal – been so since I was a kid. Aerosmith is one of my favorites. Fast forward to high school, I was at CSU San Bernadino leaving a class when I couldn’t get a ride back immediately, so I chose to walk back home to Fontana. By the time I should have been home had I gotten a ride, I get a picture from my mother of herself with none other than the lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, in the random Fontana gas station down the block from where I had lived. I still don’t let her live it down to this day.

Interviewer: Thank you, Damian, for your time in this interview, and being a part of this effort to introduce the amazing BSK staff!

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Meet the BSK Staff

We’re excited to kick off this series by introducing you to Amy Blazer, one of our talented female engineers at BSK Associates! Amy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team. Get to know Amy and her journey with BSK Associates as we highlight our amazing staff every other week! Stay tuned for more introductions and behind-the-scenes looks at the faces behind our work.

Amy Blazer, female engineer for BSK Associates

Interviewer: Hi Amy! Can you tell me a little about where you are from. Where is your hometown and where did you go to school?

Amy: Yes. I was born in in Jiangmen, Guangdong, which is the southern part of China. My family moved to America in 2000 when I was about 3½ years old in hopes for a better future and achieving the American dream. Although I was born in China, I was raised in Bakersfield, and I have not moved anywhere since except for college. I went to Bakersfield high school for my high school years, and I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2018 with my bachelor’s in civil engineering. Then, I was able to get my master’s in geotechnical engineering in 2020 before COVID shut down the college campus.

Interviewer: Wow, it sounds like you’re on your way to achieving that American dream! How long have you worked for BSK and what do you do for the organization?

Amy: I interned with BSK for 3 summers, and then I began officially working in 2019 while I was still finishing up my master’s degree. As of now, I have been with BSK for almost 5 years. I am currently a Project Professional I, and I handle majority of the report prepping and analysis at our branch. I still occasionally go out to mark sites or go drill to get samples, but lately I have been coordinating, directing, and training our staff more to be out in the field instead. I also help prepare proposals and oversee more projects from start to finish. I also occasionally help with Construction Services Division and Environmental when they need assistance and vice versa. I also assist with projects from other branches like Fresno or Livermore from time to time.

Interviewer: What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Amy: I love being able to be able to switch between working in the office and going out into the field to visit many different sites across California. This gives me the opportunity to visit cities I would have rarely thought to travel to or to access sites I would normally not be allowed on such as going in naval bases or on the runways of an airport. I also love that although our work typically covers the preconstruction portion of the projects, I still enjoy being able to recognize the projects I was a part of when I see them around town.

Within the company, I love having the opportunity to meet and connect with all the different people on the job and in the office. I enjoy various activities with coworkers like Christmas parties, bingo, trivia, and volunteering. Additionally, I was able to join IGE (Introduce a Girl to Engineering), the Bakersfield College board, and APWA (American Public Works Association) through BSK to help and inspire future engineers in the community.

Interviewer: That all sounds really fun! Can you tell us more about your favorite on the job story?

Amy: I experienced many different things on the job in the past 5 years at BSK, so I have some difficulty pinpointing a favorite story. Recently, I never thought I would have been excited to see a sinkhole in the middle of a road in Bakersfield. For one of our projects, we needed traffic control to close a lane on SR 204 to access a vibrating wire piezometer to collect groundwater data. However, due to the extended time needed to grant approval for our subcontracted traffic control company to be on site, we were quickly approaching the deadline for the quarterly sampling at that location. At the end of January, a sinkhole appeared on SR204 due to the recent rains, so Caltrans closed down access on the northbound lanes between F Street and the entrance to the 99 North. Coincidentally, the sinkhole appeared near the piezometer location, and we realized that we could technically access the piezometer without traffic control since Caltrans already closed the needed lanes. Luckily, I had already met with Caltrans to go over the permit prior; therefore, I was able to make a quick phone call with the Caltrans inspector to allow us onsite the same day we initially heard about the sinkhole. We were in and out before the sinkhole was fixed, and that allowed us to stay on track despite some initial setbacks.

Interviewer: Thank you so much for answering all these questions today. Can we leave off by you relaying some fun facts about yourself?

Amy: Sure. I am currently married to my high school sweetheart for about 2 years, but we have already been together for almost 10 years now. I enjoy drawing and creating art like the big chalk arts at Via Arte in the Marketplace or making Christmas cards in the past. Although I was raised in Bakersfield, my parents did make sure I could still converse in Chinese (specifically Cantonese) with them and educated me about my Chinese heritage and customs. In my down time, I enjoy reading webnovels/webtoons and reading/watching anime. I also like to bake occasionally and go all out during the holidays or for birthdays. Although I don’t travel much, I had the opportunity to visit Japan for week as my college graduation trip and got to swim with dolphins in Cancun on a different trip.

Interviewer: Thank you, Amy, for your time in this interview, and kicking off this effort to introduce the BSK team!

Like us on Facebook. Also, follow us on LinkedIn. Explore our other projects here! Have a question about the services we offer? Check out our webpage @bskassociates.com.