Doug Chandler

Geotechnical Engineer

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Bozeman, Montana, United States

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Timeline
About me
Founder
Education
- Bozeman senior high
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- Montana State University-Bozeman
  1977 - 1985
  BSCE & MSCE Civil Engineering
  Activities and Societies: Doug worked his way through college as a carpenter and timber faller during the summer, and as waiter at a local steakhouse during the school year. Doug spent most of his free time during his college years in Bozeman skiing, hunting, and enjoying the many outdoor recreation opportunities. Besides civil engineering classes, Doug took economics, psycology, and geology classes at MSU.
- University of Washington
  1987 - 1991
  PhD Civil Engineering
  Activities and Societies: After becoming engaged to Sonja, Doug decided to pursue a PhD with plans to eventually move home to his Bozeman to teach at MSU. However, he ended up working nearly full time for Shannon & Wilson Geotechnical Consultants in Seattle throughout his PhD program, and by the time he graduated he was starting to enjoy and appreciate consulting for its challenge and variety. After graduation, he was able to find consulting work in Bozeman and has never looked back. I have spent a grand total of about 8 years living somewhere besides my home town of Bozeman, Montana. Four of those years were in Seattle working on my PhD from the University of Washington. Those were busy and productive years for my wife and I. Besides being newlywed and out of our respective home turfs, we both had professional jobs (I worked full time at Shannon & Wilson, Inc. for most of my PhD years) and learned a great deal. We also built a house and started our family. One of… Show more I have spent a grand total of about 8 years living somewhere besides my home town of Bozeman, Montana. Four of those years were in Seattle working on my PhD from the University of Washington. Those were busy and productive years for my wife and I. Besides being newlywed and out of our respective home turfs, we both had professional jobs (I worked full time at Shannon & Wilson, Inc. for most of my PhD years) and learned a great deal. We also built a house and started our family. One of my primary memories of Seattle was perpetual sleep deprivation and learning to drink coffee. We somehow survived, and managed to move on to a more measured life pace, but still look back that frenetic time in Seattle with fondness. We made many lifelong friends and professional acquaintances. We lived on Bainbridge Island and got to know my dear Aunt and Uncle who also lived there. And we made a great start to our family with our oldest son Alex. Show less
Experience
- Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
  Jun 1988 - Sept 1991
  Geotechnical Engineer
  Doug worked out of Shannon & Wilson's Seattle and Anchorage offices while simultaneously pursuing a PhD from the Univerisity of Washington. He didn't get much sleep for those years, but he greatly appreciated the opportunities and the corporate personality of Shannon & Wilson.
- Allied Engineering Services, Inc.
  Jan 1996 - now
  Craig Madson, PE, my colleague for nearly 30 years at Allied Engineering and it predecessor, stepped into the President's position at our February annual shareholder's meeting. Craig is well-suited and well-prepared for the role and is doing an excellent job. My new 30 hour per week role as Founder is likewise a good fit for me. I am very much enjoying the reduced hours and responsibility. For now, I am trying to keep myself available for a mix of administrative and project work focusing on mentoring younger staff on various projects and assisting Allied in its transition toward a 100% ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) ownership. The mentoring of younger staff is something I have always enjoyed, but often not had much time for. We figured out long ago that Allied could hire exceptional people by focusing on interns and recent graduates from our excellent local engineering college at Montana State University. Interns and entry level staff members take effort to train, but they also come with skills and energy that are not easy to find. We have hired a large percentage of our staff as entry-level interns or graduates, and I feel their excellence and energy is the primary reason we are successful as a company.We started Allied Engineering with the intent of 100% employee ownership from the beginning. We started by selling stock to some of our staff and after we had grown large enough to justify the expense, we started the ESOP. The ESOP started buying stock from the founders and other staff with the intent to be 100% ESOP owned by about 2025 (when I turn 65). It will have taken us a little under 20 years to turn over the company ownership the first time, and if our planning is good, it will take 20 years to turn it over again and again. Employee ownership in general and ESOPs in particular are a really cool idea that I am happy we pursued. If you have any thoughts of turning your company into an ESOP, I am happy to share Allied's experience. Show less
  - Founder
    Feb 2022 - now
  - President
    Jan 1996 - Feb 2022
- Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club
  Jan 2012 - Jan 2013
  President
Licenses & Certifications
- PE - Licensed Professional Engineer in 7 states
  Board of Professional Engineers of each state
  Jan 1990
Volunteer Experience
- Has served as Community Service Chair through President
  Issued by Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club on Jan 1994
  Associated with Doug Chandler