2024 Next Gen All-Star: John Bigda

Top 20 Under 40 Plumbing Professional

By Nicole Krawcke

PM Engineer 2024 Next Gen All-Star: John Bigda — *Image courtesy of John Bigda*

How long have you been in the PHCP-PVF industry?

JB: I have been in the industry for nine years.

What drew you into the industry?

JB: I have always loved a challenge and I knew from talking to people in the industry that construction in general was full of challenges. Whether it is engineering, budget or people who are the challenge, there is always something new to figure out.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working in the industry?

JB: Seeing your completed projects out in the real world. One of my first projects was a juice store and when I walk in there, I still get a sense of pride knowing I designed it.

What motivates you every day?

JB: I would say it is a combination of curiosity and my family. I deeply enjoy learning and this industry makes sure that you are constantly given things to keep up with. Whether it is continued education or keeping up on the latest product offerings, there is always something to learn. My family is my support system. They are constantly encouraging me to try new things. They remind me to relax and enjoy my time to the fullest. Whether it is teaching my daughter to fish or camping by the lake, they make sure I am always looking forward to time outside of work.

What is one thing you wish more people knew/understood about the PHCP-PVF industry?

JB: The industry is pretty interesting once you get into it. I can’t tell you how many people think what I do is boring. There are a lot of aspects to what I do that no one thinks about when they see the final product. One of my favorites are commercial kitchens, the amount of calculations and thought that goes into the design outside of the cooking equipment is incredible.

What has been your proudest moment in your career so far?

JB: I recently received my second PE license in fire protection. This was a multiple-year effort to not only gain more knowledge of fire protection but also gain experience in a relatively new (to me) industry. The studying was more challenging than my first PE as I had my daughter competing for my study time. This forced me to really manage my time well and to appreciate quality time with my family.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

JB: Since I was in high school I have thought about what I would do if engineering didn’t work out. I think I could probably make it as a stand-up comedian and even have several bits written down in case I ever needed to use it.

Why he was chosen as a Next Gen All-Star Top 20 Under 40 winner:

“As a young professional in the industry, John Bigda, PE/FPE, CPDT, has demonstrated a passion for plumbing design that we have not seen in a long time. John is the first person to jump in and train our younger staff on plumbing design tasks. It is easy to see how much John enjoys imparting his plumbing knowledge to others because he takes the time to carefully and thoroughly explain the ‘why’ behind the reason. John is a strong mentor to our team, both young and old. He is always advocating for our younger employees to gain exposure to the industry, whether it be sitting in on lunch and learns, going on site visits or applying for scholarships from our local ASHRAE chapter, John is always thinking about others every step of the way. John nominated our three summer interns for this year’s Northern Nevada Chapter ASHRAE scholarship. With John’s coaching and guidance, each of our interns was successful in earning the scholarship money that will help them continue to pursue their mechanical engineering degrees. Since John is so proficient in Revit, the older designers in our office often come to John for Revit modeling help or questions about how to get Revit to be able to model the plumbing systems they have envisioned in their heads.

“In addition to his excellent mentor qualities, John is a very budget-conscious designer. Our firm does a great deal of public works projects where budget is a major consideration in any successful plumbing design. John is always keeping budget on his mind, and constantly making sure that the design choices he is making on a project are within the guardrails of each project’s unique budget requirements.

“John is a favorite of many of our owner’s representatives. When John is designing the plumbing systems on a project, he always has the owner’s best interests in mind and looks to design a robust system that is elegant and easy to maintain. With proper cleanout locations and clearance for access and maintenance, John always has the facilities team at the front of his mind when laying out a difficult or challenging plumbing system design.

“Architectural clients love working with John because he is often ahead of schedule on projects. John knows what the other project consultants need to keep their work progressing along, and he will work with other project disciplines (structural, electrical, civil) to make sure they have the coordination information they need from him to meet their individual deadlines within the overall project schedule. When John shows up to meetings, he is professional and prepared to speak on his scope in a way that will answer owner questions or keep the team moving forward.

“In addition to appreciating his skills within the office, the local area contractors often express relief when they hear or see that John has been the plumbing engineer on a project that they are the successful bidder on. John gets many compliments from the field guys on how well put together his plans are. They are described as clear, concise, easy to read, and complete. When bids on projects that John has designed come in, the spread between bids from different contractors is often within a few percent of each other, meaning that each different contractor saw the plans in the same way, and there was little room for interpretation on anything that may be missing from the plans.

“In addition to all of the professional qualities that really make John shine as a mechanical engineer and plumbing designer, John is an amazing family man. He is happily married to his beautiful wife Melanie, with whom he shares two young daughters, one who is two years old, and one who is six months old. In the midst of the sleepless nights that come with having two children under two, John always shows up to work on time and in a good mood. John works very hard when he is in the office, never says no to helping others and always manages to make it home in time to spend the evenings with his family. John truly is an amazing person, and very deserving of the Top 20 Under 40 Award.” — Alison Hall

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Nicole Krawcke is the former Chief Editor of Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer magazines. She covered the HVAC and plumbing industries for BNP Media. She has more than 15 years of writing and editing experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University.