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There’s a big piece of Lafayette taking shape in San Antonio these days through civil engineering graduate Josh Leen ’99, project manager for Austin-based design-build contractor FaulknerUSA.
The daily challenge of construction of the 33-story San Antonio Grand Hyatt appeals to Leen, who grew up in Maine. Located along the San Antonio River Walk, the Hyatt is adjacent to the city’s convention center and the Alomodome. While that location is ideal for the business travelers and tourists who make up its clientele, it also poses a challenge for pedestrian and auto traffic. However, Leen is confident that his training and experience have readied him for the challenges.
“Lafayette prepared me for the real world,” he says.
In early 2008, the $227.5 million project will be completed – 24 floors with nearly 1,000 rooms and the top nine floors housing the Riverwalk Residences condominiums.
Leen serves as an alumni admissions representative for Central Texas, attending college fairs and interviewing prospective students. He values the days he spent in classrooms with civil engineering professors James Schaffer and David Veshosky.
“They believed in me when everyone else thought I should take time off from school and drop engineering as a major,” he says.