Project designers and planners are critical to our commitment to providing clean, safe and reliable energy to customers. The Design & Project Management team partners with our customers to build quality, timely projects that help enable long-term growth in our region.
Specifically, our designers build and rearrange gas and electric distribution systems to meet the needs of our customers and other community partners. Primarily, their work involves evaluating our distribution system to assess how best to serve new customers, including planning and designing for new infrastructure, sizing equipment to meet new load demands, and planning work orders for construction.
Distribution Designer III Jordan Holbrook shares more in the Q&A below or view the video to hear more from the team about their work.
Can you tell us more about your career background? How did you become a Designer here at SDG&E?
My first 8+ years in the industry were spent with the Contract Design firm Asplundh Construction LLC – approximately 4.5 years in the Orange County flagship office, designing for SoCal Edison projects, and then for 4 years with Asplundh’s San Diego team designing for SDG&E. During those 4 years at Asplundh San Diego, I led design teams and programs, working with SDG&E’s Electric Distribution Planning, Fire Risk Mitigation, Design and Project Management, and Engineering departments. I also spearheaded Asplundh’s first Gas Design team in my final year, before joining SDG&E’s Design and Project Management team as an internal Designer on the Franchise team.
What are some of the key skills that a designer needs to be successful?
Most importantly, the ability to utilize your resources well! There is so much to learn every day in this industry (which helps keep our job ‘fresh’), so remembering your resources for quick reference will allow a Designer the most efficiency when progressing through their career. Beyond the basic technological skills that today’s digital world requires, I’d say the intangibles a Designer should possess to be successful are: 1) a ‘can-do,’ positive attitude, 2) a driven work ethic.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
When we’re in the office, our Designers collaborate directly on projects and brainstorm design approaches as a team and with mentors, as well as provide/receive in-person trainings and Design discussion.
On our remote-work days we could be working on various tasks, such as: production designing of projects; virtual meetings with engineers/project manager/stakeholders/etc. to discuss project scope, challenges and progress; continuous-improvement trainings from the department; job-walks or field visits; and many more.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The autonomy to manage our projects from start to finish, and the combination of remote work, office collaboration, and time in the field visiting our design locations. I also thoroughly enjoy the technical aspect of what we do as Designers, followed by the reward of seeing our efforts physically constructed in the San Diego communities around us.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I LOVE traveling, time spent outdoors near any body of water (especially the beach!), playing music (guitar/drums), sunset cruises in my classic car(s), playing with my dogs, and seeing all sorts of live music!
Thanks, Jordan, for all you do!