WEI was started by Jeff Wilson in February, 1985 as a structural engineering firm, working with many local architects and government agencies on structural design of buildings, docks/harbors, and bridges. The company soon expanded to include project management, inspection, special inspection, and testing due to the serious need in SE Alaska for professional project management services. John Hollatz took ownership of the company in 2018.
In 2013, Wilson reported "Running a firm involves a lot of team building to bring the best out of every employee. Leading is about helping employees and clients reach their goals in a manner that ensures everyone wins. There is satisfaction in leading a team that gets a project done on time and under budget and with a happy client. Being a leader is always full of surprises, good and bad, but it teaches you to react to the surprises in positive ways." Mr. Hollatz continues the same principles of leadership, today.
Mr. Hollatz and his firm have been involved with Project Management, Inspections, Testing, Planning, and Coordination on over $400,000,000 of Juneau and Southeast Alaska construction projects. Wilson Engineering has over 35 years of engineering and project management experience in Alaska, specializing in civil and architectural projects. Projects have included hospitals; universities; public schools; parking garages; airport terminals; aquatic facilities; airport taxiway and runway projects; reservoirs; pump stations; subdivisions; commercial buildings; pile supported docks; retaining walls; sheet piles; large earthworks; erosion control; sewer, water, and storm sewer systems; roadway reconstruction; bridges; rock quarries; dredging; and rock blasting controls, to name just a few.
Hollatz reports: "Being a small firm with less than a dozen employees, we can bring the entire skill and experience of each staff member into every project. This allows our clients to have the benefit of all our staff. The staff is committed to Juneau and SE Alaska and to each client. We enjoy working with each other and rely on each other’s personal and professional experience on and off the job."
The people of WEI are Alaskans, working to make their home an even better place, rising to its challenges along the way. Working here offers a wild and demanding environment for managing projects, which they love. Learning about and taking into consideration the local weather impacts, soils, freight delays, transportation and building codes adds to the excitement of building in Juneau and SE Alaska, but all add to the excitement of a job well done.