GeoHeroes - Steve Wendland
In this episode Guy Marcozzi interviews Steve Wendland, PE, PG, BC.GE of Bedrock GeoConsult about his journey from dirt-eating toddler to geotechnical expert perfectly embodies the phrase "you are what you eat." Raised in a blue-collar Kansas City family, Steve transformed childhood fascination with soil into a 40-year engineering career spanning international power projects across the world. After navigating corporate management roles at Black & Veatch and Kleinfelder—and discovering they weren't his calling—Steve found success as a self-employed consultant specializing in legal claims and contractor services. He shares candid insights about industry commoditization, the critical importance of communication skills, and why the technical career path offers a rewarding alternative to traditional management tracks for geoprofessionals.
Steve Wendland, PE, PG, BC.GE, started Bedrock GeoConsult in 2022 to provide expert geotechnical engineering and engineering geology consulting services in the central USA. He helps contractors, owners, legal counsel, and design teams overcome concerns with geotechnical aspects of their projects by providing third-party peer reviews, independent guidance, construction engineering support services, and expert evaluations. He also conducts geotechnical forensic analyses of structures that have been impacted by expansive clay, soft foundation bearing materials, groundwater, or poor construction. These forensic analyses include a variety of failed retaining walls, cut slopes, embankments, foundations, and floor slabs. Previously, he was the national Director of Geotechnical Engineering for Kleinfelder.
Guy Marcozzi, PE, D.GE, LEED AP BD+C, is a GBA past-president and an experienced CEO, President and Board Member with a demonstrated history of working in the engineering, science and data technology industries and in leadership for various boards of ESOP, non-profit, professional and business organizations.
Show Notes
Introduction
Steve Wendland, geotechnical engineer and owner of Bedrock GeoConsultSelf-employed for 3 years, providing geotechnical services to general contractorsExpert geotechnical work for legal claimsLives in Kansas City with wife Molly (married 35 years), two daughters, grandchildrenEarly Life and Education
Grew up in blue-collar Kansas City suburb, youngest of four childrenParents were Depression-era children who emphasized hard work and self-relianceFather: factory worker whose education ended at age 10 due to DepressionMother: school lunch lady at public schools Steve attendedEarly interests: Lego building, creating cities in backyard "dirt pile" (later learned it was loess soil)First job: Age 14 in school cafeteria, working before school started dailyHigh school: Worked 3 years at Dairy Queen, played baseball and basketballCollege guidance: Math teacher told him "you're going to be an engineer" and attend University of Missouri at RollaBachelor's degree: Geological engineering, University of Missouri at Rolla (1986)Master's degree: Civil/geotechnical engineering, University of Texas at AustinKey college decision: Joined Sigma Chi fraternity (calls it "one of the best decisions I ever made")Career Path
Black & Veatch (11 years): Power division, geotechnical work for power plants and transmission linesExtensive international travel (Thailand, Guatemala, Argentina, Turkey, Pakistan, Taiwan)Promoted to management in 1996 (found it stressful and unsuitable)Geosystems Engineering (1999-2002): Engineering manager, became partnerFirst exposure to ASFE/GBASold firm to Kleinfelder in 2002Kleinfelder (2002-2006): Area manager for Kansas City operations (60 employees)Left due to management stress and dislike of operational responsibilitiesSmall local firm (2006-2011): Opened Kansas City office, worked through Great RecessionKleinfelder return (2011-2021): Technical roles onlyRetaining wall practice leader (nationwide position)National geotechnical director (overseeing 220 engineers)Self-employed (2021-present): Bedrock GeoConsultLeadership
Management philosophy: Discovered management roles didn't suit his temperamentKey insight: Technical career path is viable alternative to management trackRelationship building: Defended general contractor at meeting, leading to 20-year client relationship with JE Dunn ConstructionGolden rule approach: Treat everyone well regardless of hierarchy positionExpertise development: Made himself indispensable by becoming technical expert in areas firms neededThe Geoprofessional Landscape
Changes Over Career:
Computerized drafting and word processing eliminated many drafters and typistsInternet, email, and global telecommunications revolutionized field communicationFirm consolidation - many great geotechnical firms from 30 years ago no longer existConstants That Remain:
Shear strength and effective stress fundamentalsImportance of treating people well (Golden Rule)Critical need for strong communication skillsFuture Opportunities:
Ground improvement technologies to reduce expensive deep foundation needsGeneral contractors hiring more engineers in-houseTransition from paper drawings to augmented/virtual reality for project visualizationIndustry Concerns:
Continued commoditization and poor quality work damaging professionContractors don't trust geotechnical information (especially groundwater predictions)Geotechnical engineers often not considered part of design team after report completionLife Advice
Communication Skills (Highest priority):
Take formal training (Dale Carnegie courses)Practice through presentations to professional societiesBoth oral and written communication require deliberate developmentCareer Development:
Make yourself a technical expert in areas your firm needsDon't assume management is the only path to successConsider self-employment earlier if you have technical expertiseProfessional Growth:
Learn from mistakes rather than avoiding themSeek mentoring opportunities and provide mentoring to othersStay engaged with design teams throughout project lifecycleSpeed Round
Favorite Book: Hyperion by Dan Simmons; Bible Optimism index: 3 out of 5Proudest accomplishments: Mentoring younger engineers who still use lessons years laterTechnical guidance that continues to benefit former colleaguesWhat he'd change: Become self-employed sooner (considered it in 2010, should have done it by 2016)Lesson learned: Good technical work creates opportunities even without aggressive business developmentAdvice for young professionals: Focus on communication skills developmentBuild technical expertise proactivelyTrust that opportunities will emerge for prepared professionalsFinal Thoughts
Learning from mistakes: Essential in risky geotechnical workImportance of quality: Poor work continues to damage entire industry reputationValue of persistence: Bosses who chose to teach rather than fire after mistakesGBA connection: Became involved through Joel Carson when Kleinfelder needed representation after Carson became GBA executive directorKey Takeaway:
Technical excellence combined with strong communication skills provides foundation for successful geotechnical career, whether in management or technical track.
Calls-to-action:
Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for other training resources and reference materials and/or to become a member.Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future podcast episodesContact us at [email protected] with any podcast-related questions or commentsSubscribe
Subscribe to the GBA Podcast https://www.gbapodcast.com/subscribeThis episode was produced by the following GBA Members:
Ryan White, PE, GE – Principal Geotechnical Engineer/Apex
