Reader Profile—Bartt Booz

Wright-Pierce, Maitland

I’m currently a senior project manager with Wright-Pierce and have been with the company for a total of approximately 18 years, first in New England and now in Florida. I took about a threeyear hiatus from the company when I moved to Florida in 2013, but the company opened an office here in Winter Park in 2015 and I came back in 2016.

All of my 18 years with Wright-Pierce have been within the wastewater engineering group, executing study, design, and construction administration projects, including collection systems, lift stations, wastewater treatment and reuse, and biosolids handling. I wear a number of hats with the company, and my role depends on the project and the client.

As a senior project manager, I’m responsible for leading our project teams, coordinating with the client and subconsultants, and meeting the schedule and financial performance of the project. I also act as a lead project engineer on some projects where I’m responsible for the technical aspects and coordinating with the building services engineers.

Recently, I’ve also taken on a wastewater process engineering manager role where I’m responsible for quality control reviews, technical brainstorming on projects, and developing and improving our engineering standards. I love what I do and there’s never a dull moment.

I hold a bachelor of science degree in bioresource engineering from Rutgers University in New Jersey (my home state). Much of what I know has been from on-the-job training, working with some very talented people along the way, and self-study.

I’ve tried to maximize every learning opportunity to provide value both to our clients and Wright-Pierce. Currently, I’m participating in the Water Environment Federation (WEF) integrated leadership webcast series to hone my leadership skills.

First, it’s the opportunity to build relationships, both with clients and the staff at Wright-Pierce. To realize that I’ve been working with some of them for almost 20 years really blows me away sometimes. Some of the clients that I started working with back in 2001 have conducted major upgrades to their plants two or three times over the years, and I’ve had the chance to be a trusted advisor throughout the process. The relationships that are built are personally rewarding. It’s great when you’re invited to participate in fun activities, like playing racquetball with their staff or just enjoying a meal together.

Second, it’s the variety of the work. No two days are the same and no two projects are the same. Some days, you’re in the field conducting pump drawdown tests or the start-up and testing of new equipment. Some days, you’re entirely in the office developing or reviewing project deliverables or coordinating with clients and internal staff. I can always look forward to a new challenge.

Lastly, it’s the opportunity to use creativity in engineering to solve problems. When you’ve been to a couple of hundred treatment plants and you’ve talked to the talented operator staff members who run them, you put tools in your toolbox that you can use in other situations to bring value to the discussion.

I belong to WEF and the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA). I’m currently the chair of the FWEA Wastewater Process Committee.

The most important aspect of my involvement with FWEA has been building relationships. It’s a great opportunity to network in the industry with utilities, other consultants, and manufacturer’s representatives. Consulting is a relationship business—the more people you can get to know, the better. Being on the FWEA Wastewater Process Committee has helped me build relationships among industry professionals, as well as hone my leadership skills.

To me, the water and wastewater utilities industry seems to be one of the few places left in society where we’re able to work together toward a common goal: provide sustainable solutions that protect public health and preserve the environment. To have a career that has worthy goals like these is very rewarding.

I’m married to my wonderful wife, Rhonda, and we have four boys: Gabriel, 19; Ethan, 17; Micah, 14; and Jesse, 12. Keeping up with them is my current hobby, although I like to stay active and go to the gym to stay in shape. Exercise is my stress relief and helps preserve my sanity. We’re also very active in our church and I currently teach the college and career life group at First Baptist Mount Dora. S