Tony Nguyen
TYLin Connection Builders

Bridging Passions: Tony Nguyen's Journey and the Engineers He Connects Along the Way

Bridging Passions: Tony Nguyen's Journey and the Engineers He Connects Along the Way

Three key pillars — Approachable People,  Proven Capabilities, and Global Experience — are the foundation of the TYLin brand and the reason for our success.

Inspired by chance encounters with passionate professionals during university networking events, Tony Nguyen’s trajectory toward bridge engineering was set. As Tony navigates through the ever-evolving landscape of bridge engineering, his motivation stems from the diverse individuals he encounters, from colleagues to mentees, each contributing to his growth and passion for the field. He seeks to empower the next generation of engineers through mentorship and advocacy, leaving an indelible mark on projects, teams, and the industry. Join us as we unravel the journey, insights, and aspirations of Tony Nguyen, Senior Bridge Engineer.

What or who inspired your pursuit of a career in bridge engineering?

When I began networking at professional society events hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Public Works Association (APWA) during my junior year at the University of Washington, I was fortunate enough to meet a few role model bridge engineers that influenced me to become a bridge engineer. They never mentioned phrases such as “Become a bridge engineer; it is a great profession” (now I know it is). Still, their passion for their craft, willingness to share their knowledge with others, and approachability inspired me to move in that fateful direction. I have never looked back.

What keeps you motivated at this point in your career? 

I am inspired by the people I meet, work with, learn from, and mentor in this bridge engineering profession and the wide-ranging skills and personalities there are. Both internally at TYLin through working on world-class bridge projects and externally in professional societies (such as in ASCE, APWA, ACEC, and WTS), and getting to meet outstanding professionals by being part of their leadership teams and participating in their events. Seeing and helping shape the next generation of bridge engineers has been a motivating cornerstone.

What industry trend will impact your field the most significantly in the next decade?  

The workforce shortage has the most significant impact, not only in the bridge engineering field but also in the overall industry. In particular, as the industry’s experts and leaders are starting to retire, there is a shortfall of people coming into our sector compared to the infrastructure opportunities available.

We will need to, as an industry, continue to educate others about the fulfillment this profession brings, the wide variety of career opportunities there are, and the wonderful people in this community to encourage others to join. And, more importantly, the continued long-term mentoring and career development of staff.

What impact do you hope to make in the next five years of your career?    

My strong hope in five years is that I will see the junior staff that I mentored become remarkable project engineers, that the significant bridge projects that I worked on are completed and enjoyed by many, and that I had a substantial contribution to the people and business growth of our amazing TYLin Northwest team.

If provided $1M investment to solve a major challenge within transportation, what problem would you tackle? 

I would love to use that money to develop bridge engineering outreach content for high school and college students to help attract the next generation of bridge engineers to our profession. The public marvels at grand bridges, yet we seldom highlight the career path in specialized structural engineering that makes them possible.

What has been the defining moment of your experience at TYLin? 

There have been many defining moments at TYLin, the majority of which are related to mentorship. That defining moment when a mentee can do a project role independently after years of mentoring. Or that defining moment when a new mentee tells you their career interests and goals, and you connect them with a colleague who forever changed their career trajectory. Or that defining moment when a mentee became a mentor. All have been defining and memorable moments for me at TYLin.

What have been the skills/strengths that have helped you succeed most in your career thus far? 

Relationship building, intentionality, and positivity are what come to my mind. 

Building strong relationships among our staff, clients, teaming partners, and the public boosts trust and connection; ultimately, we are a people business. Having intentionality has helped me approach people and projects with a sense of purpose and helps propel things forward. My positivity has sustained me through those challenging times, both on my projects and in my career, and I learned from those mistakes and created a bright path forward.

What are your professional goals? Where do you see yourself at TYLin in 5 years? 

In five years, I see myself as a distinct and strong blend in the roles and responsibilities of Project Manager, Business Development Manager, and Team Lead. Always actively balancing each role to effectively deliver success to our projects, success to our business objectives, and most importantly, the successful career development of our outstanding staff.

Recently, TYLin unveiled a new brand position – Connecting people, places and ideas. How does this apply to the work you do? 

Bridges create physical connections between two different places. But it is more than the physical: My work as a bridge engineer connects economies through safer and faster transportation networks, connects communities that were once separated, and combines a community’s multi-year inputs into a context-sensitive design. One TYLin bridge project embodying such connections is our SR 520 Montlake Project located in Seattle, WA, where I serve on the design management and structural engineering teams.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to others about their careers?

Intentionality.

Be intentional with your professional relationships. Seek out those you want to have a better relationship with (Co-worker? Industry colleague? Leadership staff?), what kind of relationship you want (Technical mentor? Career mentor? Peer? Mentee?), and what you hope to gain out of the relationship (Technical advice? Career coaching? Cheerleader? Sounding board?).

Be intentional with your job and project roles and responsibilities. Seek roles and responsibilities that align with your career values and goals. And when given options and time to deliberate, it is okay to say “no” to those that do not align with them. While it is excellent to say “yes” to opportunities, your “yeses” are worth as much as your “noes.”

Be intentional with your career goals. Take thoughtful time to create short- and long-term career goals. And always have an overarching “north star” of what drives all these goals. It is okay not to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, but what is essential is actively seeking and goal setting for what that could be.