Wlliam (Bill) Flick, P.E. has been a civil engineer for more than 30 years, the last 17 in North Florida. He joined Connelly & Wicker in June.
HOW DID HE BECOME INTERESTED IN ENGINEERING?
“Growing up in the greater Pittsburgh area, I was always impressed by the bridges spanning the rivers, especially the large railroad bridges with their lattice work trusses and riveted connections. I would spend the summer building little dams in the streams flowing through my grandparent’s farm.” He says he also had an affection for dirt. “My brother and I shared a set of Tonka Trucks and I think we built roads on every barren patch of earth in the neighborhood.”
WHAT DOES HE LIKE MOST ABOUT HIS WORK?
“Actually, I’ve grown beyond getting the most pleasure in watching what I designed get built. Now I especially enjoy working with younger engineers. I find it very satisfying to help recent graduates translate their text book knowledge into practical applications.”
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO HIM ABOUT WHAT HE DOES?
“Presenting a contractor with a thoroughly detailed set of construction drawings that can be bid with confidence and built profitably. When contractors have confidence in construction drawings, they tend to bid very competitively, which gives owners lower prices. Well-detailed drawings help to minimize mistakes and rework in the field and that translates into profitably. A contractor who is making money tends to do good work. When owners get low prices and quality work, they’re satisfied clients. I love it when a client calls and says, ‘I want you to do another job for me.’”
I’D RATHER BE…
“I couldn’t possibly be anything else. I actually get paid decent money to design holes in the ground and fill them with rainwater. As a kid, I did that for free. Civil engineering is the perfect profession for me!”
WHERE DOES HE SEE HIMSELF IN 10 YEARS?
Gearing up to take on the next challenge in transportation. “The rubber-tired automobile, successor to the horse drawn carriage, has been with us now for almost a century. It’s a wonderful American invention that gave us not only unprecedented mobility, but increased freedom and independence. I love cars, but they typically come with high costs and a long commute, not to mention an occasional accident. High energy (gasoline) prices and higher road building (land) costs will eventually spark the genesis of invention that I expect will evolve into a radically new form of personal transportation.”
BIRTHPLACE
Beaver, Pa. (Named after the Delaware Indian chief, King Beaver.)
RESIDES
Ponte Vedra Beach with wife, Ginny, who is manager of the Jacksonville & Ocala Divisions of the U.S. District Court, and son R.B., a junior at Nease High School.
EDUCATION
He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Akron and a master’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris College.
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC AFFILIATIONS
National Society of Professional Engineers, Florida Engineering Society and the Society of American Military Engineers. An original appointee to the St. Johns County Water and Sewer Authority, he resigned this spring after serving more than 10 years. He’s been coaching soccer in the Ponte Vedra Athletic Association for five years
HOBBIES
Hunting, fishing and collecting antiques.
LAST BOOK READ
“That Dark and Bloody River.” It chronicles the Ohio River Valley Indian Wars.