GeoHeroes - Saiid Behboodi

GeoHeroes - Saiid Behboodi About This Episode In this episode Guy Marcozzi interviews Saiid Behboodi, PE, GE, F.GBA, Principal / Geotechnical Engineer at PBS Engineering and Environmental an Apex Company. Saiid's path was shaped by his cultural background and personal journey. His parents instilled a strong philosophy emphasizing education and being an "A student in society," which influenced his move to the US for civil engineering studies at UMass. Despite facing a language barrier, his solid high school background helped him excel. He chose civil engineering due to its high regard abroad, where civil engineers are seen as "heroes." A move to the West Coast led him into geotechnical engineering through serendipity -- a creative teaching approach helpped him secured his first job. A critical influence on his career and business acumen was his involvement with GBA, where he learned crucial knowledge in loss prevention and risk management, leading to a corporate role. Saiid's personal philosophy, rooted in his upbringing and professional journey, stresses continuous learning, mentorship, social skills, and giving back, emphasizing that relationship is key in business. Series Summary In this podcast series Guy Marcozzi will interview past, present, and future leaders in the geoprofessional industry to explore their personal and career journeys. The goal is to understand what motivates these individuals and what insights they have for the future of the profession. The podcast will examine the skills and qualities that have contributed to their success, as well as their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. About Our Guest Saiid Behboodi, PE, GE, F.GBA is a principal and geotechnical engineer at PBS Engineering and Envrionmental, an Apex company. Saiid was a vice president at Squire Associates before they were acquired by Kleinfelder. At Kleinfelder he served as a national loss prevention officer, NW transportation director and a member of the princiapl professional group. He is a GBA fellow and former President's award winner. With over 40 years of geotechnical engineeirng consulting experiene, Saiid continues to serve as QA/QC reviewer as part of the geotechnical group at PBS. Our Host Guy Marcozzi, PE, D.GE, LEED AP BD+C, is a GBA past-president and an experienced CEO, President and Board Member with a demonstrated history of working in the engineering, science and data technology industries and in leadership for various boards of ESOP, non-profit, professional and business organizations. Discussion Topics: Introduction 00:00 Introduction and Welcome Early Life and Education 00:23 Saiid's Early Life and Education 02:40 Challenges and Experiences in the US 05:05 Move to the US 06:24 Choosing Civil Engineering 08:29 Journey to the West Coast Career Path 09:55 Career in Geotechnical Engineering 17:17 Entrepreneurial Ventures 20:16 Involvement with GBA 21:53 An Unexpected Reward The Geoprofessional Landscape & Life Advice 23:40 The Geoprofession Today 25:22 Risk Management and Loss Prevention 26:49 Embracing Technological Changes 30:12 Advice for Young Professionals 33:30 Planning for Retirement Speed Round 35:22 Geo Hero Speed Round [BOOK] Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson [BOOK] Pushing up People by Art Williams [BOOK] Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu [BOOK] Untethered Soul by Michael Singer 36:21 Optimism index for the geoprofession 36:57 Proudest professional achievement 38:13 Career regrets 39:32 Advice for someone entering the geoprofession Final Thoughts 45:24 Final Thoughts and Gratitude Calls-to-action: Visit the GBA Website at https://www.geoprofessional.org for other training resources and reference materials and/or to become a member. Visit https://www.gbapodcast.com for future Podcast Episodes Contact us at [email protected] with any podcast-related questions or comments Subscribe Subscribe to the GBA Podcast https://www.gbapodcast.com/subscribe This episode was produced by the following GBA Members: Ryan White, PE, GE – Principal Geotechnical Engineer/PBS Engineering and Environmental LLC