Aaron Benedict is one of hundreds of skilled GAI professionals who help clients create better communities, transportation infrastructure, energy generation and delivery, and more from our office locations throughout the United States. Today we’ll find out a little about what makes Aaron tick—the background, motivation, and methods that he brings to the table every day for GAI and GAI’s clients.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your area of specialization and what drew you to it?
Aaron Benedict: I enjoyed math and science when I was in high school, and later the problem-solving applications of math and science when I began exploring engineering in college. Many of the early college courses I took exposed me to aspects of engineering, and I gravitated toward the mechanical engineering realm. After earning my mechanical engineering degree, my focus early on in my career was mechanical/process engineering, but I was able to get exposure to a lot of other areas by asking questions and generally being nosy. I feel this broad exposure to many aspects of engineering has helped me greatly in my current role as GAI’s Power & Industry Business Sector leader. For the last several years, my focus has been on project and business development, project oversight, commercial management, and personnel management.
Q: What sorts of projects do you typically contribute to and what role do you play?
Aaron: Most of the work that my team takes part in involves providing mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering services for industrial equipment or within an industrial environment. What’s cool about this is that our expertise can be applied to a wide variety of facilities, from college campuses to power stations to steel mills, hospitals, chemical plants, and more. This variation in project types is one of the best parts of the job for me and what makes our team special. My role of Business Sector Leader means I have responsibility for guiding my group’s performance and sees me involved in a supervisory and advisory capacity throughout the projects we work on—from business development to project closeout.
Q: What do you like most about your job, and why do you feel that GAI is a good place to put your skills to work?
Aaron: As I said earlier, always doing something different makes my job fun—and a substantial part of my job satisfaction comes from working as part of a cohesive team within a positive corporate culture.
A substantial part of my job satisfaction comes from working as part of a cohesive team within a positive corporate culture.
GAI offers employees a lot of flexibility to maintain a good work/life balance in addition to good benefits and competitive pay. For me, probably the most appealing thing about working at GAI is being part of a growing company. Our recent merger with Comvest Partners raises a lot of excitement about the prospect for growing GAI’s business, and I want to be part of—and contribute to—that growth. Our clients and our professional reputation benefit greatly from a ‘client-first’ culture at GAI; this approach is presented to all new hires, and the benefit of this mindset is evident in the amount of recurring work we earn. This is such an important part of the job to me personally, as I want to truly partner with our clients rather than simply delivering one-off projects and moving on once they’re complete.
Q: What does your typical day look like?
Aaron: A typical day starts off with planning, reviewing the day’s activities, and trying to close out as many of my action items before the day really starts to ramp up. Then it’s on to a healthy dose of meetings and calls with my team and clients before ending my day at the office, which is probably followed by taking one of my kids to sports practice. With GAI’s incorporation of remote/hybrid work location arrangements, I’ve found that my planning has evolved a bit as I try to coordinate my schedule for working on certain collaborative initiatives to target those times when our team is together in the office.
Q: How do you measure your success?
Aaron: Success for our group is a summation of many different factors. The traditional measurements of success are important: delivering high-quality projects on time and within budget, a satisfied client, working together to meet business goals, and growing as a company. But just as important in the long run are the factors that bolster GAI’s corporate culture, including employees feeling appreciated, empowered, free to share ideas and feedback, and on their desired career path. So, professional success for me lies in contributing to and supporting my team in furthering these goals as well as continually improving and growing my personal skill set.
Contact Aaron Benedict, 412.399.5008, for more information about GAI’s Energy services—message GAI online and start the conversation about how our multidiscipline professionals can meet your unique project needs.
Aaron Benedict leads a diverse team of GAI professionals who perform a comprehensive range of engineering services for the power generation, district energy, industrial, manufacturing, energy infrastructure, healthcare, and higher education markets. He engages team members to find practical solutions that solve problems, save time, and reduce cost, emphasizing sound, business‐focused decision-making while working to achieve optimal project outcomes.
