Pennoni’s Employee Spotlight series gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the talented individuals who make our company thrive. Each month, we highlight a team member’s journey, their passion for engineering and innovation, and the unique impact they’re making at Pennoni.
This month, we’re featuring Eli Brinker, EIT, is an associate engineer in our geotechnical group in the Philadelphia office. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Maine in 2019. Eli is affiliated with ASCE, DFI. He has experience in geotechnical engineering, analysis and drilling oversight. Eli’s responsibilities include coordination and oversite of geotechnical explorations, deep foundation design, dam seepage analysis, retaining wall design and much more. He has worked on multiple projects consisting of new construction and building rehabilitations.
You’re based in our Philadelphia office—what do you enjoy most about working in a city like Philly, and how does the environment influence your day-to-day work?
Working in Philadelphia presents many benefits as well as challenges. I enjoy getting to work on many interesting projects that this City has to offer, from new construction to rehabilitation there is always something cool to work on. My day to day is always busy visiting job sites under construction, looking at potential new projects, or getting calls to the field when issues arise. Living and working in a city with so much history, you’ll never know what you’ll come across or uncover, it makes every project we work on unique with their own different challenges or problems to solve.
You’ve already built a strong foundation in geotechnical engineering. What’s one lesson you’ve learned early in your career that’s really stuck with you?
Communication is key. Sometimes in our field if you aren’t sure about something or have never been in a certain situation, don’t think you have to go in alone. At first, I thought asking questions showed lack of knowledge or weakness. I’ve learned that reaching out to project managers and mentors not only strengthens your own understanding but also builds trust and ensures better outcomes for the project. Communication could also be just checking in on fellow co-workers or colleagues, hearing about jobs people are working on, showing that interest, and building good working relationships.
You’ve worked across exploration, analysis, reporting, and drilling oversight—what part of the geotechnical process do you find most engaging, and why?
I find the exploration process the most engaging, because there is always the element of the unknown. You come into a project with a game plan, but things could always change. It keeps you on your toes and forces you to give undivided attention to the task at hand. Your analysis is only as good as the information you have.
From analysis to drilling oversight, your role spans a lot of ground—literally and figuratively. What part of your role do you find most satisfying?
I would say drilling oversight. I have always had a fascination with watching the installation of micropiles, caissons, and other deep foundations. Whether it be one of our designs or someone else’s, I spent a good amount of time with drilling and pile driving oversight when I started at Pennoni. Getting to build a connection with the contractors in the field, learning to speak their language and just getting to learn from my mentors has taught me so much that allows me to bring that experience into the office and analysis part of the job. It exposes you to so much more of the civil engineering world and allows you to provide that same knowledge and experience to someone who has never seen foundation construction before.
What advice would you give to a fellow young engineer who’s looking to take on more responsibility and grow within their role?
Keep working hard and if you ever find yourself in an idle position ask, “what can I do to make myself or the people around me better?” Everyone values a true team player, someone willing to take on a task, give it their best effort, and see it through. Nothing takes the place of persistence. hard work, and determination often outweigh natural talent. Many of the most successful people are those who simply refused to give up.