Staff Spotlight: Jake Gutekunst, PE, AICP

AUSTIN, TX – TGC is excited to welcome Jake Gutekunst, PE, AICP to the team! Jake joins us from the Austin office in championing thoughtful planning, robust technical analysis, inclusive engagement strategies, proactive public administration, and comprehensive engineering principles. Get to know Jake by reading the Q/A below and learn more about TGC services, our team, and our mission to connect capital to communities.

Q: What’s unique about your approach to your work, and how has it contributed to your success?

A: An important part of my project philosophy is to make sure that I look at the project from multiple perspectives and begin with the end in mind. In addition, I like to make sure projects are not isolated from the larger strategies, goals, and objectives or have failure points in the details. I often ask myself when developing approaches or completing tasks whether to put on my planning or engineering hat and to remember who my audience is and who the end users of a project are. I like to say that I “plan with implementation in mind,” which has really attributed to many successes in my life. By taking this holistic approach, I effectively communicate solutions to challenges that clients and community members are currently facing, contextualize it to their understanding, and ensure solutions will actually solve the problem and fill a need.

Q: When are you at your best, and which aspects of your workplace help you be at your best? What motivated you to join TGC?

A: I’m usually at my best when I have had some sleep, some coffee, and some spare time to really absorb what I’m doing and make sure it’s at a high level. I’m also at my best when I feel connected to my wife and four kids and making sure their needs are met in addition to my own. I was really motivated to join TGC because of the benefits, policies, and ultimately culture around work and the supportive environment I felt I needed for this stage of my life. Knowing that it’s okay to step away to help when a child is sick (or myself) and being able to balance out workload so that I’m not burning midnight oil to get things done was a huge motivator to me. This has only been confirmed and exemplified as integral to the culture since joining TGC, and I felt like I made the best decision to be at my best in a great place to work!

“I was really motivated to join TGC because of the benefits, policies, and ultimately culture around work and the supportive environment I felt I needed for this stage of my life.”

“I like to say that I ‘plan with implementation in mind,’ which has really attributed to many successes in my life. By taking this holistic approach, I effectively communicate solutions to challenges that clients and community members are currently facing, contextualize it to their understanding, and ensure solutions will actually solve the problem and fill a need.”

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and how has it influenced your professional journey?

A: Some of the best advice I ever received was to “pause and partner” when making critical decisions. I often feel like my mind runs at 100 miles per hour all the time and I pride myself on responsiveness and high output, but there are times when slowing down and getting a second opinion can make a huge difference. This advice has really helped my professional journey and goes in hand with another piece of advice that I received, which was that “your success is tied to the success of others.” Ultimately, you can only achieve so much with the hours and finite resource of time that you’ve been given, and the only way to grow, mature and try new things is through mentorship and helping others take on, learn, grow, and excel in those things and become successful at them. Ultimately, this all boils down to a professional ethos of making sure I am team-oriented and forward thinking when making decisions, and this has yielded significant benefits in my career.

Q: What are you most looking forward to achieving at TGC?

A: I’m probably most looking forward to helping establish TGC as a strong firm in the Austin geography. We have an office in Austin, a Three-Year Strategic Plan, and diverse portfolio across Texas, and I am motivated to help grow our client base in the central Texas area. I hope to continue to serve clients in my network, supported in my previous roles, and help others solve challenges and connect capital to communities!

For additional information or questions, contact TGC to learn more about our services, our team, and our mission to connect capital to communities across Texas and beyond.