Scott Fontan
CIVIL SITE GROUP | LOUISVILLE, KY
Scott Fontan
Civil Site AutoCAD Manager, Production Team Lead and Senior Designer
I play with cool toys.
I have a fun job at Qk4 because for over 30 years I’ve been asked to (or I’ve asked to) play with cool toys. For instance, AutoCAD. If I’m using CAD to design things that have never been designed before, it’s like playing a video game. I could work 12 hours a day or more and I wouldn’t mind … because it’s fun.
CAD software is cool, but flying little airplanes is cooler. A few years ago, we bought our first drone to help create video flyovers of our clients’ project sites. I fly the drone to record video and then use Adobe Premier editing software for pre- and post-production. We then pull it all into CAD to integrate it into our designs.
When my I’m not staring into the sky at one of my planes, I’m focused on getting things built on the ground. For the University of Louisville, I worked on the East Campus Roundabout and Gateway Project, where I got to do a little of everything. I designed the Freedom Park Pergola, signage and wayfinding to help people get around, majestic fountains, arches, decorative retaining walls, and small details down to the paver pattern in the center of the road.
For another campus project, I helped design a connector road over two railroad bridges. We designed fancy sidewalks and a large retaining wall. To beautify the nearby streetscape, we converted overhead utilities to underground by burying them.
So one day I’m designing roads and bridges and the next I’m designing fancy fountains and a pergola. Or flying a drone. Because of all the different things I can do for my clients and my colleagues, each day starts with my drive to work, wondering “What am I going to do today?” One thing I know for sure … i’ll get to play with cool toys.