Engineering lives at the intersection of precision and people. The challenge isn’t choosing between technical accuracy and accessibility. Instead, it’s holding both at once. For Ben Stinnett, our Chief Marketing Officer, that balance is the heart of effective storytelling.
“Engineers value precision; marketers value accessibility,” he says. “The sweet spot is holding both and using what’s needed for the audience. Stories let us do that, especially through the lens of clients and team members.”
It’s a simple idea with big implications: when we share the journey, not just the results, people start to see the why behind the work. “Many projects outlast us and improve lives,” Ben explains. “Sharing the journey gives the why — whether it’s a bridge or a school fire-safety system — it’s what people rely on.”
That sense of purpose carries through every level of communication, from client meetings to social media posts. Storytelling isn’t just a marketing tactic; it is a reflection of how we think. “We make our clients’ mission our mission — the ‘goal of the goal,’” Ben says. “For technical audiences, we cover structure and design; for communities, we emphasize connection. Both are needed in different contexts.”
Inside our firm, storytelling plays another role: culture. “Instead of reading values, we share stories about living them — more fun, memorable, authentic,” Ben says. Those stories build a sense of belonging and pride that numbers alone can’t express.
Visual media amplifies that impact. “If pictures are a thousand words, then video is ten thousand,” Ben says. “We’re growing in our video capabilities to better share our story.” Photos of field work, time-lapse construction videos, and behind-the-scenes interviews give life to our expertise and humanize complex projects for the public.
And when it comes to helping engineers tell their own stories, Ben’s advice is refreshingly straightforward: “State the obvious. Engineers do amazing things; start with the obvious thing you’re passionate about and see what happens.”
Storytelling in engineering isn’t about exaggeration or fluff. It’s about translation. By connecting technical precision with human meaning, we show that the structures we design are more than steel and concrete. They’re stories of collaboration, purpose, and progress. They are stories worth telling.
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