While we cannot work together at the time being due to COVID-19, we would still love for you to get to know some of our members at Davis Coworking. We hope that this member spotlight will introduce you to some of our amazing coworkers and local businesses here in Davis, as well as stimulate coworking interaction as best as we can.
For our first spotlight, it was an absolute pleasure to talk with our resident structural engineer, Luke Ensberg, about his company Ensberg Engineering. Read more below to learn about Ensberg Engineering and some great tips and tricks Luke has for those working at home!
Member Spotlight: Luke Ensberg
Luke Ensberg is a licensed structural engineer and Davis resident. He started Ensberg Engineering in September 2017 to provide structural engineering services to homeowners and business owners in California. He has 9 years of experience designing wood-framed housing, high-end custom homes, and multifamily residential over concrete podium. He has also designed steel museum and mall buildings, tenant improvements, and a masonry auditorium.
He has been told by architects, contractors, and homeowners that he is personable, helpful, and easy to work with.
What do structural engineers do?
First, you have to understand that architects decide how a building will look. Engineers figure out how to make the building stand. We determine how large to make the beams, columns, and foundations.
What do you love most about your job? What do you find most rewarding?
Buildings are puzzles with pieces that have to fit together and be able to transfer force from one part of the structure to another. It is sometimes difficult to figure out how to fit these pieces together in a way that is architecturally satisfying, but that's the job. I love the challenge of solving this puzzle.
What inspires you most?
The society has entrusted me with professional licensure, and this inspires me to insist on excellence in my work product and in the product of consultants I work with. There have been plenty of times when my project budget ran out, and I just kept plowing ahead to finalize the work because it's not finished until it's right.
What’s one thing - either industry-related or not - you learned after COVID-19 hit the US?
Any long term solutions to the pandemic will have to be consistent with the fiercely individualistic American character. This attitude ties in with entrepreneurialism because people prefer to take personal responsibility for their lives and decide the amount of risk they will undertake. With the pandemic, as in business, outcomes will be affected by the back and forth push between this individualistic spirit and government regulation.
How has Ensberg Engineering been dealing with the pandemic? Would you like to share any struggles or positive stories that have occurred amidst all this?
I have responded to the pandemic by working from home, which has been a major blow because I love working at Davis Coworking. I miss the friendly folks there. I wear a respirator mask when I visit job sites. On struggles, we may be at the front end of a massive economic drop-off. My work is part of the construction industry, so the drop-off will hurt my workload on one hand, but the perennial demand for California housing means I will probably always be able to find work, even if the projects are small ones. Some people will always have money and want to build in a recession because construction labor costs drop.
What are you most looking forward to once our shelter-in-place order is lifted?
I can't wait to walk into a grocery store without a Darth Vader-like respirator mask on. I feel like such a weirdo, but whatever. I am an introvert, so don't worry about me being stuck inside. I am looking forward to my 7-year-old son getting to rough house with his friends.
What do you enjoy about working at Davis Coworking?
First, everyone there is nice. Second, when I am at work at Davis Coworking, I can focus on my work. When I go home, my mind is free to be with my family because I got so much done at the "co-work" as I call it.
Have you encountered any struggles with your business that you would like to share? Is there anything Davis Coworking or the Davis community can do to help?
My struggle is finding people to hire with incredibly high standards who don't already have full-time jobs at big engineering companies. I never realized what competition there is for talented labor. Davis Coworking could identify a liaison in the UC Davis career center.
If you have been working at home, how has that process been for you? Do you have any recommendations and tips for those struggling to remain productive at home?
Because my work is done on a computer, I have been able to work at home. The difficulty is that, with a 1-year-old and a 7-year-old, my family wants my attention. It is hard for them to see that I am home but not to be able to interact with me. This is why I like working at Davis Coworking: when I am at work at the coworking space my mind can be in my work, and when I am at home, I can mentally be with my family. My recommendation: if you are a professional working from home, hire a nanny. If you can buy help, buy help. Otherwise, you will struggle to do well with your work and your parenting. Also, have the grownups in your house take turns taking care of the kids. One parent plays defense while the other parent works, and then flip roles. If it is your turn to work, and your kids ask you for something, refer them to the "on duty" parent, and do not stop your work. If it is your turn to be "on duty" don't let the kids ask the working parent for anything.
Are there any issues that you would like to draw attention to? This is a very general question but it would be a wonderful outlet to garner support for a possible interest of yours.
Two issues come to mind: First, climate change is a disaster rolling slowly toward us. I am afraid for my kids' future. I encourage folks to vote for a candidate who takes climate change seriously and will cause America to rejoin the world's effort to combat climate change. Second, I think political division is plaguing this country. I know that Davis is solidly liberal, but I encourage my fellow Davis dwellers to consider the potential validity of conservative positions and see people at the other end of the spectrum as fellow countrymen. I hope that the country will not let the fringes from both sides control the political conversation. We have more in common than not in common.
