Rob Himes

Status:
Awarded
Awarded:
Outstanding Civil Engineer in the Private Sector
Nominated Categories
Outstanding Civil Engineer in the Private Sector
Other Categories
Awards:

Rob Himes has always been focused on project delivery and client satisfaction; he has not sought individual recognition or accolades. He has, however, pursued project awards to recognize his clients’ efforts for delivering much -needed transportation infrastructure improvements. The project awards provide his clients with the opportunity to showcase their commitment to the public and success in improving California’s transportation network. Below is a listing of Rob’s award-winning projects:
• SR-99/Calvine Boulevard Interchange, ASCE Sacramento Section Transportation Project of the Year, 1996
• Stockton Boulevard Beautification, ASCE Sacramento Section Urban Design & Beautification Project of the Year, 2006
• Del Paso Boulevard Angled Parking, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2007
• SR-99 Widening, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2008
• Watt Avenue/LRT Grade Separation, ASCE Sacramento Section Outstanding Engineering Project of the Year, 2009
• Watt Avenue/LRT Grade Separation, WTS Sacramento Outstanding Engineering Project of the Year, 2009
• SR-99 Widening, ASCE Section 9 Outstanding Highway Project of the Year, 2009
• SR-99/Grant Line Road Interchange, CTF Interchange Project of the Year, 2009
• SR-99/Grant Line Road Interchange, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2009
• R Street Corridor Improvements, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2012
• North Stockton Grade Separations, APWA Sacramento Large Agency Transportation Project of the Year, 2013
• I-5/Cosumnes River Boulevard Interchange and Extension, ASCE Sacramento Section Large Transportation Project of the Year, 2015
• Lathrop Road/UPRR Westerly Grade Separation, ASCE Sacramento Section Small Transportation Project of the Year, 2015
• US-50/Watt Avenue Interchange, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2015
• I-5/Cosumnes River Boulevard Interchange and Extension, APWA Sacramento Large Agency Transportation Project of the Year, 2016
• Lathrop Road/UPRR Westerly Grade Separation, APWA Sacramento Transportation Small Agency Project of the Year, 2016
• US-50/Silva Valley Parkway Interchange, APWA Sacramento Transportation Project of the Year, 2016

Additional Files
Additional Information

Candidate Information

Name:
Rob Himes
ASCE Member?:
Yes
Company:

Mark Thomas; 2121 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606

Supervisor:
Education:

B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, 1986

Experience:

Rob actively manages high-profile and complex projects throughout California. These projects range from new roadway and bridge alignments to Caltrans highways. Below is a listing of several of his major and innovative projects:
• Project Manager for the $80 million Brea Boulevard/Brea Canyon Road Widening for Orange County Public Works. The project will widen 1.75 miles of Brea Canyon Boulevard from Canyondale Drive in Brea to the Orange County/LA County boundary line to a four-lane divided expressway. The project includes the replacement of three bridges and construction of extensive retaining wall systems.
• Project Manager for the $400 million US-101 HOV and Rehabilitation Segments 4 D, E, and F for Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. Project widens 4.5 miles of US-101 to include a HOV lane in each direction, auxiliary lanes, and replace the existing pavement with continuous reinforced concrete. The project has involved extensive coordination with Caltrans and stakeholder groups.
• Project Manager for the $30 million SR-47/Front Street/Harbor Boulevard Interchange Reconfiguration for the Port of Los Angeles. The project reconfigures the ramps to improve safety, access, operations, and goods movement.
• Project Manager for the $180 million I Street Bridge Replacement for the City of Sacramento. The project will construct a new two lane multimodal lift bridge over the Sacramento River. Close coordination has been required with the US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Caltrans for approvals.
• Project Manager for the $23 million US-50/Watt Avenue Interchange Reconstruction for Sacramento County. The project reconfigured the interchange and incorporated an innovative Class I path through the eastside of the interchange and a contraflow bus rapid transit lane.

Comments:

Rob deserves a nomination for his commitment to Mark Thomas and the growth of Southern California operations, and his commitment to innovation in the field of engineering. As President and CEO of Mark Thomas, Rob is both approachable and inspirational. His open-door leadership style results in an infectious following by staff - as he helps them mold into future leaders themselves. His colleagues see him as a partner and friend.

Since becoming President of Mark Thomas, the firm has grown extensively. Staffing levels have grown well over 35%, new work bookings have grown by well over 50%, and revenues have grown by over 30%. Most impressively, the firm’s stock value has risen over 80%.

Contribution to the Profession:

Over the course of his career, Rob Himes has been involved with numerous professional societies. His involvement has included office positions, sponsorships, and presentations. He was the president of the ACEC Sierra Chapter from 2006 to 2007. He led the charge for educating members on the propositions on the ballot in 2006. Propositions 1A, 1B, and 1C were critical for the repair and growth of California’s infrastructure.

Through his project work, Rob has developed innovative solutions to complex challenges that have since become a model for similar projects throughout the state. For the US-50/Watt Avenue interchange, he developed a completely grade-separated Class I path that weaves though the interchange, eliminating points of vehicular conflicts and providing safe passage for all modes through a historically automobile-focused facility. Since its construction, the new path is heavily used, and similar paths are being developed for interchanges statewide.

Rob is also an instructor through the ITS Tech Transfer Program at UC Berkeley. Since 2007, Rob has been teaching a three-day Geometric Design Class based on the Caltrans Highway Design Manual and AASHTO Green Book. Rob’s class was audited by Caltrans geometricians and the Caltrans training coordinator and was subsequently approved for training Caltrans engineers in multiple Districts. Over 12 years, hundreds of local agency, Caltrans, and private consultant professionals have attended the class. Through this teaching, he has passed along valuable information, from the basics of Caltrans design standards to walking students through complex geometric challenges and how to develop creative engineering design solutions.

Civic:

One of Rob’s passions is working with young staff to develop and guide them through their careers. Though he is the President of Mark Thomas and has high level corporate responsibilities, he also spends significant effort teaching staff, at all levels, about roadway geometric design, project management, developing proposals, and staff supervision. Teaching others what he has learned is an important aspect of his management style, and he often works shoulder-to-shoulder with entry level design engineers, walking through project challenges and solutions with them.

In recent years, this has expanded beyond mentoring staff within Mark Thomas. In March 2015 Rob gave a presentation to ASCE-OC YMF. This presentation discussed defining and achieving professional growth, including what it takes to be a project manager, and professional development lessons learned through his career. Rob also discussed team management techniques such as making meetings productive, building off the strength of team members, and managing schedules and expectations. He has since given the presentation to other ASCE YMF organizations statewide.

Rob has recently been involved with ASCE-OC YMF. In May 2018, he gave a presentation to the Younger Member Forum about creativity. The presentation discussed the value of creativity in the workplace and that creativity is the key to success for both individuals and teams. It is important to find a harmony for those strong in innovation and those strong in creativity. Rob participated in YMF’s Mentor Program as recently as 2019. Prior to the global pandemic, Rob was meeting with young mentees, encouraging them in their careers.

Rob has given numerous presentations to students at institutes statewide. He has given presentations at career nights at University of California Davis, University of California Irvine, and Sacramento State University. Rob also gave presentations to at-risk high school students at Laguna West High School in Elk Grove. He discussed the engineering field and the benefits of a career in the industry.

Rob has given various presentations to professional organizations and to Caltrans staff statewide. Between 2017 and 2018, he gave presentations to ASCE-OC, APWA Southern California, and APWA Coachella Valley about the history of interchange design and the Mark Thomas’s diverging diamond interchange design (Watt Avenue/US 50 interchange in the City of Manteca), the first DDI in the state of CA. Rob has also presented the diverging diamond interchange and other innovative interchanges to Caltrans Districts 7, 8, and 12. In December of 2019, Rob presented “Innovative Interchange Design” to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in Riverside, CA where he touched on creative interchange design opportunities that Mark Thomas has implemented, including the DDI.

Outside of work, Rob and his wife are dedicated animal welfare supporters. They have worked alongside fellow volunteers to humanely capture over 100 feral cats in the area so that they can be provided with medical care, be spayed or neutered, and then placed for adoption or released while still being cared for and fed.

Suggested Award Summary:

Rob Himes, president of Mark Thomas, is awarded the Outstanding Civil Engineer in the Private Sector. He has 34 years of transportation design and project management experience. He is the firm’s lead in both Northern and Southern California and is responsible for growth in the region. Rob is client focused and manages high-profile projects for the firm throughout Southern California. Under his leadership, the firm has grown by more than 40% in the past five years.

Rob Himes contributes to the profession and the growth of individuals through his ongoing work leading projects, teaching engineers statewide, and mentoring up and coming professionals. He has secured dozens of project awards for his clients, and is dedicated to providing creative solutions to complex challenges. He also has a passion for mentoring young staff. Rob spends significant effort with staff to improve their engineering and management capabilities. He was very recently a mentor for the ASCE OC YMF Mentorship program and has given presentations on defining and achieving professional growth, including what it takes to be a project manager, and professional development lessons learned.

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