Josh Crawford, PE
Aviation Team Leader/Project Manager
Garver
Age: 38
- Alma Mater: University of Arkansas
- Favorite Aircraft: F-16 Fighting Falcon
- Favorite Book: Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
- Favorite TV Show: Cheers
- Favorite Movie: Lonesome Dove
- Favorite Hobbies: Reading, Spending time with my wife/kids, watching movies
Over his career, Josh Crawford has gained direct experience at more than 40 airports, including 15 commercial service and eight military. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas, he began working at Garver, a Little Rock, Ark.-based design and planning firm, where he started working on his pilot’s license.
After earning it in 2008, bringing an indispensable pilot’s perspective to his airport projects, Crawford opened Garver’s first Central Texas office. Within 12 months, he expanded Garver’s aviation portfolio to eight new airports, including two of the largest general aviation airports and the fastest-growing airport in the country — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
For Crawford, it’s all about working with people. “Our industry has its own unique community and whether we are engineering a project, managing airport operations or developing a capital improvement plan, we are all unified under this banner of aviation with a shared goal of positively impacting the lives in our communities,” he said.
While interning for Garver while in college, Crawford’s first assignment included the rehabilitation of a runway at a small Part 139 airport. “I remember being so excited about working on the design of infrastructure that, unfortunately, was not discussed in school other than a small chapter in our transportation classes,” he recalled. “I remember thinking how lucky I was to work in such a unique field. That experience led me to remain in the aviation industry and dedicate my entire career working at airports.”
The types of projects Crawford has the most pride in are ones that require a short time to perform the work. “Projects like the Taxiway K Construction at Corpus Christi International Airport or the Army Radar Approach Control Renovation at Robert Gray Army Airfield, require design to be fast-tracked,” he said. “They are challenging, but the reward upon completion is well worth it.”
