In 1978, Wesley Yoon graduated from Polytechnic University of New York with a master’s degree in civil engineering. His job prospects seemed bleak due to a weak economy, and very few companies were hiring fresh graduates with no work experience. After a long and discouraging job search, and being anxious to gain experience, Wesley even offered to work without pay. In spite of this, he was still unsuccessful in securing a position. Later that fall, while visiting the Polytechnic University campus, Wesley noticed a URS recruitment flyer advertising for a position in the placement office. All it took was one interview, and the next day Wesley began as a Junior Engineer at URS. He was very pleased with his new job. “It was a miracle,” he said.

More than 25 years later, Wesley is a Senior Structural Engineer with URS with a history as progressive as that of our Company. During Wesley’s first year on the job, URS was redesigning the runway at LaGuardia Airport to allow for new and heavier planes such as Boeing’s 757 and 767, McDonnell Douglas’ DC9-80 and Super-80 and Airbus’ A-300. Wesley was involved in the structural analysis of the runways using the latest state-of-the-art technology of finite element method on his first project at URS.

In the late 1980s, Wesley became a Resident Field Engineer working at construction sites across the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. One of his projects involved digging trenches and burying water mains to distribute water. Recalling his experience, Wesley said, “It was the first time I realized the New York City water supply is the best in the nation because it is fed from the unspoiled Catskill Mountains.”

After nearly 10 years in the field, Wesley returned to the office in 1997. He adjusted to a new position as Bridge/Tunnel Design Engineer, eventually, becoming Project Manager on the Battery Park Underpass Project, which Wesley considers his most rewarding experience at URS thus far. Greatly in need of restoration, the 60-year old tunnel that links the east and west ends of lower Manhattan beneath the historical Battery Park had insufficient lighting and was deteriorating rapidly. Besides, providing technical advanced solutions to stop infiltration of water inside the tunnel, this project offered Wesley opportunities to interact and coordinate with other critical projects and clients in the vicinity. Wesley is very proud to have made his design mark in such a historic section of New York City. Upon completion in May 2006, “the renovated tunnel will be much safer and brighter than before," Wesley said.

“My history at URS is a success story,” says Wesley, “and I am grateful to those individuals who have helped me succeed at one of the most successful engineering firms in the world.”

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