Engineering Manager, Luke Jannusch, PE was recently honored with the 2021 Phenom award. Luke has been in the A/E/C industry for eight years. His career started working in the construction field as a general laborer. Being exposed to the in-field daily tasks, the construction management world, and now designing the structures as Engineering Manager with CIDA Inc, it has given him a view that not many engineers have and provides him with a firm grounding in how design translates to the field.
Luke brings a strong desire for collaboration, humanity, and self-awareness, both with his fellow engineers but with all disciplines in our office. He shepherds young architects and patiently walks them through the structure’s needs and impacts to design, guided by a contagious positive attitude and a belief that as a team we can accomplish great things.
Luke is humble, intuitive, and brilliant, when asked he says:
‘My accomplishments thus far in our industry mainly revolved around design and learning as much as I could from supervisors and people in the construction industry. I feel my largest impact to the industry has been leaving my ego at the door. What I mean by that is if team members, such as architects, clients, and construction personnel desire something on a project, listen to those requests instead of saying, “My way or the highway.” We can all learn something new on a daily basis, but it requires us to leave our ego at the door and listen to other professionals in the industry. Ultimately, this tactic will lead to a better and more cost-effective product for our clients.’
Lately, Luke has stepped into a supervisory role while still doing significant structural design projects of his own he understands that teaching is an important part of our industry, and his goal is to lead by example but always with compassion.
“[Luke’s] positive attitude and technical expertise make him a highly valued and trusted member of our team. In addition to his project work, Luke has taken on the role of mentoring our junior engineers as they progress on the path towards licensure. He exemplifies the ideal of one who is always willing to extend a helping hand to those around him.” Curtis Gagner, Principal Structural Engineer with CIDA Inc.
Luke has been with CIDA for over 6 years and has become one of our most trusted and valued employees due to multiple factors that are both quantifiable and intangible. As the engineering manager, Luke oversees and guides a team of engineers and interns to create and renovate structurally sound buildings. Some of the projects he’s worked on have gone on to win awards and accreditations from entities such as the LEED Building Council and DJC Top Projects. He’s consistently looking to improve his work and has a true passion for structural engineering that stemmed from his desire to know how things worked. “As a kid, I always took things apart to see the internal components, everything from basic electronics, to taking down structures on my parent’s property. It all fascinated me. That combined with my love of mathematics and physics made structural engineering a perfect career for me.” Luke Jannusch.
In addition to his many accomplishments as an engineer, some of the most memorable attributes about Luke is his willingness to reach out and ask how he can help. He’s always the first person to volunteer to help other disciplines, such as help drafting or whatever anyone needs to complete a project or task. Luke has become the all-around person to volunteer his help without you having to ask for it.
Luke has contributed and helped solidify the culture that CIDA has today. Luke’s honesty, hard work, and team-first mentality radiate and create a ripple throughout the entire company. He has a drive for the greater good and to bring “CIDAites” together, even through tough times such as with the pandemic. Due to all of these intangible attributes, he has been instrumental in helping to cultivate a fun yet productive place to work and not many people can claim to possess these same skills.
