25 & Up Club: Kelsey Brown

Our 40^th anniversary ends by highlighting five employees who have been with VAA for over a quarter of a century. Each shares a snippet of their VAA story in a Q&A session.

We begin with Partner / Structural Engineer, Kelsey Brown. Well respected for his technical skills and calm demeanor, he never misses an opportunity to acknowledge the growth and achievements of those around him. We thank you for being you and congrats on 25 years.

How did you first learn about VAA?
I saw an opening for a structural engineer in the “help wanted” section of the Star Tribune. After researching VAA (formerly Van Sickle, Allen and Associates) at the MN Consulting Engineers Council at the Miracle Mile in St. Louis Park, I applied for the position.

What is the best piece of advice you received throughout your career?Dick Van Sickle often said he would try to learn something new every day. Although I can’t say I’ve succeeded in this, I do look for those opportunities.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment / contribution since you started working here?
Providing analysis, advice and engineering guidance on difficult or
complex problems and projects. I enjoy the challenges and conversations you can’t solve by looking it up in a book – the ones that take creativity and some math.

Pick three words you feel best describes VAA. Why do they apply to the company?
Professional. Respectful. Creative. These words relate to our efforts externally with clients but also internally with how we strive to work with each other.

From your perspective, describe the biggest differences between when you started at VAA and the company now.
When I started, we offered civil and structural engineering and general arrangement services. We had a relatively small client base and I knew everyone well since we were a firm of 14.

What is the first music concert you attended?
Without my parents – Deep Purple. It was my first time seeing musicians improvise and “jam” together and my first experience with dense clouds of interesting smoke.