Scott Van Gompel, PE
Aviation Supervisor and Project Manager
Mead & Hunt Inc.
Age: 37
- Alma Mater: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
- Favorite Aircraft: DC-3
- Favorite Book: Title, author “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
- Favorite TV Show: Big Brother
- Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction
- Favorite Hobbies: Golfing, Fishing and Traveling
In his role as aviation supervisor and project manager for planning firm Mead & Hunt Inc., Scott Van Gompel has taken the lead in bringing the company into the Arizona market based on his ability to impress upon customers the value it brings to their airport projects.
Each project is unique and each one has a new set of challenges, said Van Gompel. “It’s really fun to be able to look at something as complicated as a pavement reconstruction project on an active airport and develop a plan for how this whole thing will be accomplished,” he said. “It’s always a compromise between airport operational challenges, efficient construction operations and safety. The most enjoyable part of this job is working with our clients to develop a plan and then watching the plan come to fruition.” Most airport projects take multiple years to become a reality, he added.
Van Gompel started his aviation career and with Mead & Hunt when he was a sophomore in college. “I was lucky enough to get a summer internship at Mead & Hunt. At the time, I had plans to be an architect. I was hired in the aviation engineering group that first summer and my plan was to get construction experience and spend some time shadowing the architects,” he recalled.
That summer Van Gompel worked with several different departments including the aviation group, highways group, architecture group, survey and material testing group. “The aviation project I worked on was a hangar relocation and apron reconstruction project at [Wisconsin’s] Dane County Regional Airport. I really enjoyed the high level of communication between the airport, contractor and engineer that was required to make sure the project went smoothly,” he said. “I worked with a great engineer and mentor that gave me enough responsibility and supported my decision making in the field. At the end of the summer, after consulting Andy Platz, our CEO, I decided that I was going to pursue a career in the aviation engineering business.”
The community is one of the main reasons Van Gompel loves the aviation industry. “The people that work in this business are very proud of their accomplishments and they are always willing to help out the younger generation,” he said. “There is a strong sense of purpose and passion in this profession. It’s fun to be part of an industry that cares not only about doing a great job but also about creating meaningful relationships within it.”
