Brandon Psencik, Lead Project Engineer, grew up in Sugar Land, a family-oriented suburb of Houston, Texas. He attended Lawrence E. Elkins High School in Missouri City. Growing up in a close-knit family, Brandon fondly remembers Christmas vacations visiting family and snowboarding in Colorado. He also spent time with the Boy Scouts backpacking in New Mexico, canoeing in the boundary waters between Canada and the US, and scuba diving in Florida. Brandon looked up to his older brother and followed in his footsteps to attend the engineering academy at Elkins High School. “I always felt like I have been an engineer and enjoyed problem solving, making weird little toys or gadgets at home to keep myself entertained.” During his senior year, Brandon toured Texas Tech University and became interested in environmental engineering. It was a perfect fit.
In Lubbock, Brandon earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental Engineering and gained independence living eight hours away from his hometown. “Texas Tech was really far away from Houston. This helped me learn to be on my own and live without mom and dad as a safety net.”
Brandon learned about DCS through a job fair at Texas Tech, and quickly made a connection with the company. “In class I had noticed the DCS logo at the bottom of our job sheets. It’s on the materials that we use for assignments, so I was intrigued with the company, especially after interviewing with Darren Strozewski, Principal. “ It was a great opportunity for Brandon in two ways. “DCS was willing to give me an opportunity at a company that I unknowingly was already becoming familiar with, and since DCS is in Austin, I would also be closer to home.”
One of the reasons Brandon enjoys working at DCS is its ability to compete with larger firms. “We are extremely capable for our size, and we have technical know-how. I get more face time with the Principal, Darren Strozewski, than I might at a larger firm. I value working directly with him and being a part of conversations, seeing how we approach clients on the business side of things. At a larger company, my involvement would be limited. Here, I am constantly learning through a range of projects and responsibilities that challenge me.”
The most notable experience for Brandon so far in his career has been a series of pumping stations, with some experience in WWTP expansions, water quality monitoring, system analysis, and miscellaneous process engineering mixed in. “The most important thing I’ve learned has been how to design something that someone will actually use. The details really matter to the client, so you have to learn what is important to them and focus on that.“
Brandon is motivated by his desire to help people, so in a perfect world he would design and develop water systems all over the world. “I would go to third world countries where they could use my help developing water systems, so the people who live there would have time to do other things. That would make such an impact.”