2015 40 Under 40: Nathan Wesselius, PE, LEED AP BD+C, 39

Vice President, WSP Group, Seattle BS Mechanical Engineering, Montana State University

By Jack Smith, Content Manager, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 14, 2015

Nathan Wesselius, PE, LEED AP BD+C, 39 Vice President, WSP Group, Seattle BS Mechanical Engineering, Montana State University

With his recent promotion to vice president and mechanical department head in WSP’s Seattle office, Wesselius is emerging as a key member of WSP’s young leadership. Since joining WSP in 2012, he has taken on extraordinary responsibilities. He has-at various times during his time with the firm-been project manager for nearly half of the Seattle office’s open projects. Wesselius specializes in rollouts for national retail chains, often involving from 5 to 20 concurrent projects for one client with locations scattered across the country. He is now responsible for overseeing 14 mechanical engineers and related management tasks, along with training, quality assurance, and business development as the Seattle office’s mechanical department head. Wesselius has more than 13 years of experience as a mechanical and refrigeration engineer, project manager, and office leader. Before joining WSP, he opened and established a branch office in Los Angeles for an engineering consultancy based in Princeton, N.J., and was responsible for the company’s West Coast operations. Wesselius’ skillset includes innovative mechanical systems design with a strong emphasis on mixed-use retail and food-service projects incorporating sustainable solutions. He has a keen interest in project and account management and business development. Wesselius is involved with the ACE Mentor Program in the local Seattle area, which helps mentor high school students and inspires them to pursue careers in design and construction. He has given presentations to program mentees about mechanical and plumbing systems, engineering as a profession, and advice on how to get into the industry including the differences between trade schools and college engineering programs.