Jamey Bertram leads the Americas North Region, where he provides strategic leadership for the firm's Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast and Upper Midwest regions.

Jamey joined Burns & McDonnell in 2001 as a civil engineer. He led the international business and operations group before becoming its general manager. Throughout his career, he has taken on progressively more complex engineering and leadership assignments for many of the largest utilities in North America. He serves as the firm’s officer-in-charge for Pacific Gas & Electric. He resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, Lauren, and two children, Amelia and Cal. 

In the community:

I strongly believe in giving back to the community and charitable organizations, whether that’s through Burns & McDonnell or charities close to my heart, including:

• Operation Breakthrough, chair
• United Way
• Charity of Choice, annual campaign and event to raise money with the T&D team

What inspired you to pursue your career?

I can actually point to one single instance when I was a senior in high school. We were allowed to choose a few class electives, and that year I chose biology over physics — which I was on the fence about. It took one class to know that it wasn’t for me, but fortunately, my teacher let me switch to the physics class. Taking that class from an aerospace engineer made me realize that I wanted to become an engineer myself.

What's the coolest part of your job?

As general manager, I get to meet and engage with our people, clients and partners. I enjoy every aspect of interacting with people, and I will continue to find ways to talk with people — especially our employee-owners here at Burns & McDonnell — because it is the coolest and best part of what I do. 

How do you and your team make the world a better place?

We do so much to make the world a better place every day. The industries we serve are essential to everyday life, providing the water, power and gas we rely on, as well as the transportation, aviation and manufacturing systems to keep communities moving. These sectors have a significant role in shaping the world around us. Our goal is to help communities thrive by delivering solutions that are both reliable and remarkable.