News and Media

Meet some of our Wilson & Company family during Engineer's Week 2018:

Lucas Reed, PE, 

1. What about the engineering profession attracted you? Why did you first get into engineering?
   I have always had a technical and analytical way of approaching things. I enjoy the problem solving aspect of a project and seeing my designs take shape in real life. I’m passionate about the transportation sector, and rail specifically because the use and application is so diverse. 
2. Does the engineering profession run in your family? Or do you have a mentor/friend/etc that inspired you? Tell me more.  
   My parents are civil engineers and both worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation for +30 years each. I grew up in a household where talking about plan sets around the dinner table was normal and where most trips involved making a “quick stop” to their most recent job sites.
   My mother’s father, brother and sister are engineers as well – electrical, aerospace and electrical, respectively. I had several professors in college who got me excited about engineering as a career and a way to make real, measurable improvements which impact so many communities and businesses. 
3. What is your favorite project you have worked on?
   My favorite project I’ve worked on was designing the modernization of a 100+ year old multi-line elevated transit corridor for the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority). I learned a lot about the history of the CTA and how rail standardization for their transit system came about. I was able to design innovative route improvements which will reduce crowding and improved train efficiency in CTA’s busiest corridor.