HDR has promoted Sam Tso, P.E., to serve as West Region transportation director. As director, Tso will be responsible for a region that spans the western United States from Montana, Utah and New Mexico to the Pacific coast, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.
Backed by more than 40 years of experience, Tso will provide strategic leadership for the continued diversification of our aviation, highways and bridges, transit, freight rail and maritime practice areas and the expansion of the firm’s multidisciplinary technical capabilities throughout the region. His responsibilities will include project delivery oversight, recruiting and staff development opportunities and business development support. Tso will partner with local area teams to apply national expertise and deliver innovative and reliable solutions that best serve communities’ changing mobility needs.
“Agencies are balancing the challenges of delivering reliable and cost-effective transportation solutions today with the opportunities to deploy new approaches and technologies,” Tso said. “By staying engaged and collaborating with our clients, we can help identify a new path forward that helps agencies mitigate funding challenges, prioritize their programs and leverage new technologies that improve infrastructure delivery and operation as well as quality of life for the people they serve. I look forward to helping develop and connect our resources to match the needs of our clients and communities.”
Tso’s public and private transportation experience spans a wide variety of types and disciplines. He has personally led the development and delivery of more than $4 billion in complex highway and transit improvements, from environmental reviews and conceptual engineering to final design and program management.
Since joining HDR in 2018, Tso has served in several leadership positions. He is the principal-in-charge for the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor project and successfully led the pursuit of the NDOT I-11 Tier 1 EIS as project manager.
“Sam’s focus throughout his career has been on project delivery, many of which were large and complex, and with a variety of clients,” said Transportation Group President Tom McLaughlin. “He is the perfect fit to lead our West Region transportation program to grow clients, geographic markets and technical disciplines, all with a focus on strong project delivery. He is one of the most respected professionals in the industry.”