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Kyle Kraxberger grew up in a construction family, where both of his grandfathers, his father, brother, uncle and many friends all worked in the trades. He did, too, for a while, until he realized it wasn鈥檛 a good fit.

He was studying civil and structural engineering at Portland State University when he met Wade Younie, principal at DCE Engineers, during a presentation about bow string trusses. They stayed in touch and Kraxberger joined DCI while finishing his master鈥檚 degree.

鈥淚 like the speed of this profession, the collaborative nature and the creativeness. My favorite aspect is definitely the variety of projects I work on,鈥� he said, adding they range from demolishing nuclear power plants and placing mechanical systems on rooftops to building fire stations and retrofitting unreinforced masonry buildings.

Among his favorite projects are the most recent Lloyd Center remodel, which included the installation of a spiral staircase, and demolition work at Portland International Airport. Kraxberger said the most enjoyable and challenging aspect of his job is the demolition work.

鈥淵ou basically take code and throw it out the door. Code is there to make sure the building is standing up and when you鈥檙e demo-ing you鈥檙e doing the opposite in a very safe manner,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t involves trying to take a building down safely and thinking of a sequence on how to accomplish that and getting everybody on the same page. I like that sort of work.鈥�

Nominator and colleague Rose Bechtold said that she respects Kraxberger for his approachability as a colleague. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 come from an engineering background. When I have project questions, he is so willing to explain technical details to me so I can do my job in marketing his talent. I can see why clients and subcontractors like working with him. He genuinely wants to help others understand how structural engineers contribute to a better performing built environment.鈥�

Kraxberger, who serves on the board of the Design Building Institute of America鈥檚 Portland chapter, is transitioning into Younie鈥檚 leadership role as the Portland office鈥檚 structural expert for renovation, tenant improvements and demolition projects.