BFW/Marcum would be nothing without our team. It’s impossible to try and quantify the knowledge and experience that comes from our diversity. Through the years, we’ve learned that everyone has a story to tell, and our people form a team with a varied skill set that makes us expert problem-solvers on every level. Our unique viewpoints drive us to push boundaries and find new perspectives.
We’d like to step back and let two of our team members tell their stories. We hope you’ll find them as compelling as we do.
Bobby Deitz, Project Engineer
I first dipped my toes in this industry as an intern for the US Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I was still a junior at Murray State University. After I graduated from Murray, I took the summer off to race cars—I had mailed out a lot of resumes but with no success.
At the end of the summer, I got the racing out of my system, I realized I needed a career, so I looked for a job the old-fashioned way. In the winter of 1988, I knocked on doors in Paducah, Kentucky, and the second door opened right open—or should I say that it was left open. The president of a reputable firm just so happened to be taking a lunchtime nap in the lobby. I figured I’d throw caution into the wind and wake him up—he didn’t seem to mind! Our conversation eventually led to the possibility of a job at the firm, and the rest is history. He must have seen something he liked since they called the next day to offer me a job as a construction inspector.
I worked at that firm for eleven years before I left. The company had recently changed ownership, and it felt like a great time to look for greener pastures. I knew Ron Bacon, who had been brought into BFW six months earlier. I spoke to Ron and Mark Workman, and they brought me into the fold. Becoming a part of this family has proven to be the best career decision of my life, so I thank them for that.
Today, I’m a project engineer for the company. Our team in Murray has grown to three times its original size, and the entire company itself has grown quite a bit since my first day here. While I’m not drafting the drawings as much as I used to, I’m still getting my hands dirty once in a while. I’m most involved in the design and management of our projects.
If I could offer any advice to anyone getting their start in the engineering industry, it would be to embody the type of person that we hire as well as those who excel here. We are always on the lookout for people who are incredibly dedicated to their careers. With that said, we want team members that take an active role with the company, which means having a personal and interesting approach to both clients and projects. If you bring your best, the company will see that in you, and you’ll never want to leave the company once you’re hired.
I can thank BFW for the direction my career has taken me. I’ve made many good and lasting friendships along the way. God has blessed me beyond what I deserve.
Baccus Oliver, PE, CxA, LEED AP, Principal of Marcum Engineering
Even as a child, I was interested in designing things. My obsession wasn’t just in design—it was in building and improving upon what I made. As I grew older, those interests broadened into things like carpentry, farm equipment, and anything else in the house I could get my hands on. I carried that curiosity through college and obtained my Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. After graduating, I found my footing working in industrial design, specifically with production plants and factories for nine years. However, my passion was always in building construction. Those interests soon “called” me to move into commercial design where I’ve stayed ever since.
In commercial design, I’m able to collaborate on things like building schools, hospitals, emergency facilities, and other places that members of my community can use and benefit from. I find the work to be rewarding, and I’m proud when I see the culmination of our team’s efforts as I drive by a building we helped bring together.
When I was hired here, I was brought in to be Principal of Marcum Engineering. Nineteen years later, I’m still proudly filling that responsibility. The primary difference is we’re now a company that is five times larger. It’s tremendously satisfying to be part of something so successful.
If I could describe the reason for my success at Marcum Engineering, it would be because I’m deeply customer-oriented, as is the rest of our leadership. People who excel at this firm are self-motivated and constantly challenging themselves. As a company, we’re never content with “good enough.” Our people embody this philosophy as well.
One last thing I’d like to say is that it’s been a privilege to work with the kinds of clients we have. It’s one thing to help people meet their building goals—but at the end of the day, we’re putting shelter over peoples’ heads. What other career lets you achieve so much?
We Celebrate Our People—They’re What Make Us Succeed
Every person’s experience matters. Every perspective brings something new to the table. In the engineering and construction industries, thinking outside-of-the-box isn’t just an option—it’s often how we solve the kinds of day-to-day problems that arise in our trade.
Every single person who works here is helping to carry our company forward and make something that continues to be greater and greater.
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