We are excited to announce Brad Shores as JEO’s 2022 Employee of the Year! Brad joined JEO in March 2020 as a senior project manager on the structural team in the Transportation Department. Since joining the firm, he has consistently demonstrated the values critical to JEO’s success over the decades. In his service to JEO, Brad exhibits a dedication to the principles exemplified by the three-legged stool, which represents the JEO culture.

Brad has been an asset in recruiting people to JEO and mentoring existing team members. As the Branch Manager of the Wichita office, Brad has worked closely with team members in the Human Resources Department to attend career fairs and provide mentorship to interns in Kansas. Brad supported a group of interns from KSU and ISU this summer on an intern project to deliver a bridge design project to Derby, KS. Beyond his work with interns, Brad is a team leader for the structural group and works with his team members and the Wichita office group to identify professional development goals and supports them in pursuing those goals. Currently, the Wichita office is home to team members from the structural group, water resources (WRED), construction services, and environmental science. Brad is committed to the success of the people he works with, and this commitment extends beyond the structural team and the Wichita office. 

From the business development perspective, Brad has developed strong relationships in his region through his involvement in civic groups in and around Wichita and professional associations. His connections include folks at the Kansas DOT but extend far beyond. Brad has earned the reputation of an excellent engineer, strong project manager, and trusted collaborator.  Throughout 2022, Brad and other team members across JEO have worked to increase the number of municipal and county projects in Kansas. This is consistent with the 2022 priority to increase business diversity in the area to build redundancy in where our work comes from. An excellent example of these efforts is the recent successes in Hutchinson, KS. Hutchinson was experiencing some challenges in delivering projects to residents and sought a firm to assist them through the process. Brad had worked for Hutchinson in years past, and when they needed support again, they called Brad. In collaboration with multiple departments and team members across JEO, he pursued the opportunity, and, in short order, JEO was selected for an on-call appointment. Since that selection, our team, including Brad, has worked on several multi-discipline projects for Hutchinson. 

Mike Malone, Transportation Department Leader, nominated Brad for employee of the year, stating,  “Brad has done a tremendous job since joining JEO.  He is a highly respected structural/bridge engineer with a real passion for JEO and growing JEO in the Wichita market.  He works hard and is not only great at executing work at a high level but at winning work – and not just from KDOT.  He is marketing clients all over the Wichita region for many JEO departments.”

Brad has been a team player from day one. He is a trusted community member who has worked to foster internal and external relationships. Brad takes the time to ensure things are done right and is always willing to lend a hand. Brad handles a challenge with grace and helps those around him do the same if there is a challenge.

We are proud to have Brad on our team, and we can’t wait to see all he’ll continue to do. 

Congrats Brad.