In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon sits down to discuss the big firm vs. small firm debate in engineering — breaking down what each type of company actually offers early-career professionals, how culture and company values shape your experience more than size alone, and why smaller firms often push you to do real work faster. Dillon also shares VS Engineering's ambitious goal of becoming a top 20 electrical engineering firm nationally, breaks down revenue numbers from the industry's biggest players, and talks about how they're building a flat, efficient org structure designed to serve electrical contractors at scale.

In this episode, Dillon traces his path to electrical engineering back to an unusual origin: growing up off the grid on 38 acres in rural Oregon. He walks through the real-world mechanics of running a homestead on wind, solar, hydro, and propane — and why the math on green energy rarely pencils out without government subsidies. From windmill blades that shatter at 100 mph to abandoned turbine graveyards outside Palm Springs, he makes the case that most people advocating for renewable energy have never actually had to live with it. The conversation also touches on the surging demand for electrical engineers and electricians in the data center industry, the spotted owl controversy that gutted Pacific Northwest logging towns, and why CO2 limits don't make sense to someone who learned the carbon cycle in third grade.

In this episode, the host digs into a LinkedIn argument that got under his skin — people applying Midwest logic to Western water problems. He breaks down why water rights in the West are a completely different beast: from California's century-old water accords and LA's dependence on Lake Mead, to Oregon refusing to pull from the Columbia River while Idaho and Washington farm the same banks. He also tackles the data center water debate, explains why almonds are a valid water concern but hay isn't, and shares firsthand experience with the contradictory demands of California's air board and irrigation districts. If you've never had to think about water rights, this episode will change that.