Karoline Derse NCARB

ARCHITECT, PROJECT MANAGER, PRINCIPAL, MANAGING PRINCIPAL 2004 -PRESENT

Karoline came to KDW as an intern in 2004. Because of her excellent communication style and problem-solving skills, she quickly advanced into leadership roles. She is now being promoted to managing principal of the Seattle-based operations of Salas O'Brien.

Karoline became interested in architecture when she took a survey course at the University of Texas. "It's a fascinating combination of art and science, psychology and physiology, theory and practice," she says. "The design process requires critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and efficient teamwork. There’s satisfaction in knowing that you helped create something of lasting value, that will help advance society, and to know you did so in a responsible way."

An architecture career has not been without its challenges, however. "As a woman in the AEC industry, I have experienced bias and been required to go above and beyond to prove my capabilities. But I've always had my KDW Salas O'Brien team to support me. And other strong women have mentored me and provided positive examples of success while juggling work, family, and personal obligations.

As a leader at Salas O'Brien, Karoline credits the culture of teamwork that brings success to our projects. "There is always a design problem to be solved, a deadline to be achieved, a client that requires attention, and a contractor demanding construction information. It can be overwhelming, but when the team comes together to overcome these challenges, it's magical," she explains. "I'm grateful for the teams that have been around me throughout my career, driving the work with their intelligence and defusing the stress with good humor."

Karoline's vision for the future includes building on the solid foundations of the past 40 years, promoting our work to new clients while striving for improved ways to deliver services. "Recent advances in technology have made the design and construction process faster and easier," says Karoline. "We’re modeling buildings down to the inch and coordinating systems long before the contractor breaks ground. We work together and communicate effectively even when separated from each other and the job site. We’re designing the buildings of the future for technology that doesn’t exist yet. It’s an exciting time to be part of this industry and our team has the right balance of stability and agility to make the most of the new tools."

"KDW Salas O’Brien has been an important part of my life for most of my adult life," says Karoline. "I’ve grown from a know-nothing intern to a confident leader due to the opportunities afforded to me, the support of the close-knit teams, and the confidence the leaders have had in me. I've learned the technical skills of design and project management and the soft skills of leadership from within this group. Arnold Kraakmo has been my supporter and champion. It’s an honor to follow in his footsteps as managing principal and I’m excited to continue with the skills that he has taught me and the compassion and strength that he exemplifies."

Learn from the people you work with.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Stay focused and complete your tasks. Hot is on the left, cold is on the right, sht rolls downhill, and payday’s on Friday.

Deadlines are our friends.

Never ask a person to do a task you would not do yourself.

Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.

You don’t have to be crazy to work here, we’ll train you.

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It is said that only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. Maybe that's not entirely correct. But two things are absolute in your working life—your first day of work and your last day of work. Your first day is rarely the beginning of your career, nor is the last day the end of your career, as we have found to be true at KDW Salas O’Brien, where your “retirement” is rarely your last day working.

Jim Kuppler never retired and was taken from this life before he finished all he had planned. Jim resigned from Kuppler Diel Architects to pursue other ambitions, but continued to consult with the firm when his talents and expertise were needed.

Tom Webb stepped down as principal in 2005 but continued to work on special projects with KDW, P.S., while arguably working harder and longer hours on his own projects. While Tom is no longer an employee, he certainly has not retired.

Doug Diel stepped down as principal in 2012 and technically retired from Salas O’Brien in 2018. Doug continues to support the work, focusing on special projects, and like Tom, he is not actually retired.

Resolve problems quickly

Don’t burn bridges.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

Behind every cloud is a data center

It looks better than I imagined it— because I thought it would look worse.

Excellence is a habit.

You need to be prepared to be the only one in the room who is right.

Don’t let what others think of you affect what you think.

Randy Jones officially retired in June 2022 but continued to work full time for almost a year thereafter, only slowing down at the beginning of summer 2023. Though much more limited, Randy continues to support the work and key clients as well as mentoring engineering staff.

Two noteworthy individuals retired when they left Salas O’Brien. Joan Hatchell rejoined the workforce in the mid 90s after raising a family to help KDW start the Interiors department. Joan very successfully managed and grew the department until her retirement in 2013. Betty Jane Thomas retired successfully in 2019. She joined our staff in the early 2000s and was mentored by Tom Webb. Betty Jane became one of our star project managers and was instrumental in creating many of the project management templates and procedures still in use today.

Three very important individuals—Tom Doyle, Kim Myran and Kip Kolodziejski— have recently announced their pending retirement. We want to recognize them and their contributions as we celebrate this milestone of 40 years, together with the many other transitions. We wish them well. Turn the page to learn more about their careers, talents and contributions to Salas O'Brien.

Tom Doyle RCDD

SENIOR CONTROL ENGINEER 2009 - 2023

Tom's career as a communications and control systems engineer spans nearly four decades and includes experience in many types of critical facility automation, including data centers, telecom, bio-pharmaceutical facilities, aerospace facilities, marine power and controls, nuclear facilities, port facilities, power plants, semiconductor facilities, and water/waste water treatment.

Early on, Tom remembers having a love for art as well as fascination with electricity. "I was the youngest child, and I remember looking through my older brothers' and sisters' science textbooks to learn more about electricity," he says. "I would walk up to Radio Shack and buy whatever I could afford with my allowance. When I was in seventh grade, I won a science fair with some posters I made about electricity."

Tom's mother was an artist, and he first enrolled in college as an art education major. He didn't complete the degree, but in his early twenties, made a meager living as an artist, doing pen and ink, acrylic, and watercolor paintings of landscapes and cityscapes. "I didn't like the 'meager' part of it very much, so I went back to the electrical trade and got my associates and bachelor's degrees," says Tom.

Two military projects are among Tom's most memorable as an engineer. The first was as the lead engineer for the US Navy X-Craft Sea Fighter project. "I was the first designated chief engineer on Sea Fighter and ran the engineering station on the bridge for sea trials and speed trials," he recounts. The second, he continues, was designing the blast containment controls for the Kirtland Underground Munitions Storage Facility in Albuquerque, NM. "We store about half the US nuclear bomb arsenal there," he adds.

Now that engineering has been revolutionized by computer technology, Tom advises young engineers, "Don’t cut corners on learning the fundamentals. It’s easy to do when you can get so many solutions online, but if you don’t know the fundamentals, you can’t know if the solution makes sense."

One of Tom's hobbies and a second source of income is making custom knives. Visit his website to see his artistry. In retirement, he plans to "sleep in, make beautiful knives, take naps, repeat," along with teaching martial arts seminars and knifemaking.

Of his experience with Salas O'Brien, Tom says, "It's been great! I've been well taken care of. And Randy Jones has been the best boss I've ever had."