Tony Dean

"Do you have somewhere to be?" the professor asked.

Tony Dean had been caught checking his watch. He did, in fact, have somewhere to be. Between classes, Tony also had a job fueling planes at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. It was a job, but Tony was not especially interested in making a career of it. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do instead.

After growing up in Miami, Tony had joined the Coast Guard, which took him first to New Jersey, then to the Great Lakes region and eventually to Alaska. When he was discharged, Tony started going to college in Seattle, trying to figure out what to do next. As it happened, his professor had an opportunity.

Tony's professor was a manager in a testing lab that was working on a project at the airport. He needed someone to take and test soil samples, preferably someone who already had security clearance to work at the airport. Tony decided to take his professor up on the offer and, though he may not have known it at the time, began a career that has led him to be the Quality Control Manager for the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project.

Now in his third decade working in quality control, Tony has been a part of projects throughout the country, from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and a people-mover light rail at the San Francisco Airport to bridges, landfills and mines in Colorado and Texas. On this project, Tony oversees testing, compliance and administrative duties, with a specialty in Post-Tensioning. Even with his 25 years of experience, Tony has never been a part of a project like this one.

"I'll never see something like this again," he says of the viaduct's unique and complex design. This project resonates with the people working on it in a way that Tony has never encountered before. They take pride in being a part of this iconic construction. Workers put project decals on their personal vehicles. Someone even has a tattoo of the bridge. There are so many people working together to overcome challenges and bring the project to completion. Tony has the perspective to know how special that environment is.

To anyone interested in pursuing a career like Tony's, he recommends reaching out and talking to professionals in the industry. "Open your eyes and listen," he advises. There are tremendous opportunities available.

Sometimes you just need to stop checking your watch and see what's out there.