Kyle Poklar
Structural practice area leader
GRAEF
Age: 32
Hometown: Fox Point
Education: Bachelor’s in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and master’s in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Previous position: Structural engineer at GRAEF
What does your role as structural practice area leader entail?
“My primary responsibility is overseeing the technical and financial performance and managing the day-to-day operations of the Milwaukee Structural Group. I also work closely with corporate leadership on topics such as culture, objectives, budgeting and staff management. I continue to work on projects as a structural engineer and project manager on many of the projects that the group is working on.”
Favorite part of working in engineering?
“My favorite part is the problem solving. Whether it is a technical challenge on a project, a tough schedule constraint or learning something I’ve never done before, I enjoy the process of figuring out how to tackle new problems.”
What’s kept you at GRAEF since the beginning of your career?
“GRAEF’s culture and the projects that we work on are unmatched. The engineers and leaders that I’ve worked with at GRAEF have been willing to go out of their way to help me learn and grow since I started my career as an intern at the firm.”
What have been some of your favorite or most challenging projects you’ve worked on?
“The Commons residence hall at Marquette University: This was my first large project in which I was the main design engineer and, at 13 stories, is still the tallest building I’ve worked on. Komatsu’s South Harbor Campus: I helped lead the structural design of the office building, which includes a research and development wing and a customer experience center. Due to the exposure to the harbor, wind speeds were significantly higher than a typical project in Milwaukee and required a proprietary connection type to resist those loads and achieve the desired aesthetics most efficiently.”
