“Blue skies smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies do I see.”

After 12 years, John Gander is leaving the urban jungle of Washington DC and heading for the blue skies of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since 2000, John has been leading Haynes Whaley Associates’ Reston, Virginia office.  On August 31, he will retire from his post as Vice President and General Manager.

John has done a tremendous job of leading and growing the Reston office. Under his management, the office has expanded the private, government, healthcare and mission critical sectors in the mid-Atlantic region. I know all of our employees and clients alike are thankful for John’s tireless leadership and commitment.  He has played a big part in getting the office to a major milestone this year – our silver anniversary, 25 years in Reston.

John and I met our freshman year at the University of Kentucky where we were in the civil engineering program. After graduation, we interviewed and received offers from Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil) in Houston. John accepted the position and I went on to grad school. We stayed in touch over the years, and about the time that John returned to Texas from a position in Moscow, the Russian Federation, we needed someone to lead Haynes Whaley’s Reston office. I couldn’t think of anyone better than John, my long-time friend. The rest, as they say, is history.

And now it is time for the next chapter.

On May 23, Robert Pronier joined Haynes Whaley Associates as Vice President and Regional Manager. Bob is a 30-year veteran of the construction industry with a civil engineering degree. He’s spent the past two decades working in the mid-Atlantic area and intimately knows the region. He is no stranger to most of the architecture, engineering and development firms in the area. In his role at Haynes Whaley, Bob will be responsible for overall office management, business development and marketing, and strategic growth in the mid-Atlantic region.

We are very confident in Bob’s abilities to not only lead the Reston office, but continue the level of project quality and commitment our clients expect of us. With Bob’s hands-on experience managing projects from inception to occupancy, he knows exactly what is expected of each project team member, and will be able to strongly represent the structural aspect of the project.

Bob is working side-by-side with John as well as Craig Myers and Tom Heffernan, Principals in the Reston office, during this transition to ensure seamless continuation of office operations and responsive service for all projects in progress. We are committed to making this transition smooth for all of our employees, clients, and business partners.

While we will certainly miss John’s reassuring presence in the office, his retirement is well-deserved. I hope you will join me in wishing John a fulfilling retirement, and extending a warm welcome to Bob. We look forward to another great 25 years and beyond! Please contact us if you have any questions or comments.