The bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity

After studying civil engineering, Greg Seberras discovered he wasn’t, in his words, “a great designer.” But what he could do well was project management, and for years, he put those skills to use on transit infrastructure jobs throughout Toronto.

While he enjoyed those early projects, Greg says he knew he wanted to expand his reach to where he could see more tangible results. He wanted to know if his work was making a difference. The question was how?

Greg was approached by his supervisor at AECOM — an integrated global infrastructure firm — to take on more responsibilities. As part of this request, he was tasked with leading an important radar project which included a cross-country tour of Canadian military bases, often in remote locations.

The folks I met instead were great groups of men and women, people with a great sense of humor, ready to collaborate and defend their country.

Aging radar towers installed in remote northern locations were nearing the end of their lifespan, and it became Greg’s job to visit and evaluate the condition of each tower, and determine the improvements needed and which team was best suited to the job. The goal was to modernize them, so Canada’s military could complete day-to-day operations on base and successfully carry out critical missions.

“My time on the bases was so eye-opening,” says Greg. “These are people that work, and often live, on base. They were so appreciative of the work AECOM was doing on-site. We were delivering useful and crucial infrastructure each base needs to keep Canada safe from coast-to-coast. Providing those solutions was so rewarding.”

Before setting foot in a military facility, Greg admits he had his own preconceived notions of the types of people he would meet.

“I’m sure it’s the influence of movies, but I was expecting a base full of drill sergeants,” he says. “The folks I met instead were great groups of men and women, people with a great sense of humor, ready to collaborate and defend their country.”

In his current work for Defence Construction Canada and the Department of National Defence, Greg is continuing to provide design consulting services and now has experience helping to construct military and civil infrastructure such as aircraft hangars, armouries, maintenance facilities, office buildings, laboratories, parking areas, runways and even long-distance shooting ranges.

“To be challenged and supported by my superiors at AECOM—to take on new responsibilities—really opened my eyes,” says Greg. “It offered me a chance to work on projects I normally wouldn’t have considered.”

Greg keeps himself busy on the job and after hours. When he’s not enjoying downtime with his family, Greg is also completing his Bachelor of Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering part-time at McMaster University.

“There’s not a lot of free time for me,” Greg admits. “But I love to work hard at my job and continuously developing new skills makes me feel ready to take on new challenges when I meet them.”