Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about your company.
Allen Forbes: We are a full-service structural engineering firm. Because we focus only on structural engineering we are specialists in all types and aspects of structural design. We are experienced with small structures like retaining walls and larger full-scale projects such as high-rise construction.
NNBW: What role do you play in the company?
Forbes: My partner and I are involved in every part of the business. In addition to managing the business and supervising, we are still hands on with the entire process. Much of my time is spent on quality control.
NNBW: What kind of boss are you?
Forbes: I probably push my employees too hard. I want them to be successful and be the best engineers and draftspersons they can be.
NNBW: How did you get into this profession?
Forbes: I majored in geological engineering, of which a part is studying earthquakes. This led me to thinking about how buildings resist the forces of nature, so I migrated to the structural side. Structural engineering is really the art of applying the mathematical and physics aspects of natural forces to the economical and aesthetic design of a building. I love problem-solving, so it was a natural fit.
NNBW: What do you enjoy about it?
Forbes: Because I love problem-solving, when I first started I especially liked the analysis of buildings to determine snow, wind and earthquake loads. I am fortunate to work with a lot of highly accomplished people in the building industry. Now I enjoy the creativity involved in designing and constructing buildings as part of a team. My job is to economically address each of the different principals' requirements and do so in an acceptable timeframe. It is extremely satisfying when you can take complex challenges and create seemingly simple solutions to make a project successful.
NNBW: What do you find annoying or frustrating about it?
Forbes: Being a boss in a recession is the most difficult thing that I have ever had to deal with in all of my years in business.
NNBW: If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
Forbes: Medical research. When you're young it seems like you're going to live forever. As you age you realize how amazing our bodies are. Now with advancing DNA research it is even more fascinating. Our current knowledge of how the various micro-biological processes actually interact is only the tip of the iceberg.
NNBW: How do you spend your time away from the office? Why are these activities important to you?
Forbes: I mountain and road bike almost year round. Sail, kayak, hike, camp, snowshoe and ski depending on the season. We live in such a fabulous area.
NNBW: Do you have a favorite vacation memory?
Forbes: Just this summer we vacationed in Zion National Park. The hikes were spectacular with the desert and the river in high canyon walls, but the one thing I will never forget was seeing a rare and endangered species up close and in nature. A California condor landed about 20 feet from the trail we were hiking along and stared at us for quite a while, even when we continued walking the trail next to him. It was the first time I had ever seen a California condor and could be the last.
NNBW: Who were your childhood heroes?
Forbes: I always looked up to my dad; he was the most significant person in my life. He was a hard worker and always made decisions based on what is the right thing to do. He did this on a daily basis without much recognition. The saddest day of my life was attending my dad's funeral. It was also the day I really found out how much of an impact he had on other peoples' lives as well. People told me about the things he had done for them that I had previously not known.
NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Forbes: My dad had a great work ethic and once told me if someone pays you $1 to do a job, put in a $1.10 worth of effort and you will always be proud of yourself.
The basics:
Name: Allen Forbes
Professional position: Owner, Forbes & Dunagan Structural Engineers
How long have you been in this job? 10 years
How long in the profession? 30 years
Education: University of Nevada, Reno, bachelors of science in geological engineering; George Washington University, graduate study;Oregon State University, master of science in structural engineering
Best book you've read? I've read a lot of great books. Just recently the most influential is "SuperFoods Healthstyle." A doctor's visit identified a few health issues and after reading this book, I changed the way I thought about living a healthy life style.
What's on your iPod? I have a very eclectic music collection. You can find the Beatles and Neil Diamond to Coldplay and Duffy, with a little bit of Nirvana, Enya and Bach on my iPod.
The best movie ever? A movie that I can watch over and over again is "Back to the Future." It's entertaining, funny and cleverly written.
