In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Marc Sandhu, P.E., President of ARS Engineers, Inc. about the recent passing of his father, the founder of ARS Engineers Inc. (ARS), and how he is continuing his father's legacy of the living the American dream. He also talks about some of the things going on in the world of civil engineering and provides some great advice on taking on leadership roles in companies, whether you are ready to, or not. Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Marc: Please tell our listeners a bit more about yourself, and how you ended up in your current position at ARS Engineers. Would you say you had more insight into civil engineering because your father was a civil engineer? Talk to us more about the history of your firm, which was originally started by your late father, Ayub R Sandhu, P.E., RPLS, and how he built the firm? What about your father helped him to overcome challenges and build the American dream? What are some of the things you are doing to continue your father's legacy? Can you talk to us about small/minority business ownership and the role it plays in state and federal civil engineering work? How does the process work when companies reach out to you to be part of their project? What is the MBE/DBE/SBE certification and how does it differ from Texas HUB certification? What are some of the benefits of an 8a certification for federal work? How do you deal with problems on a project? How do you manage work-life balance? Can you share one piece of final advice with our listeners who might consider starting their own company as your father did? Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Building The American Dream:  I've been around the civil engineering industry for a long time as my father was the founder and owner of ARS Engineers. I did my internship at ARS Engineers and after I graduated in 2008, I started working there on a full-time basis and eventually worked myself up to Vice President of ARS Engineers. My father was diagnosed with pneumonia in 2019 and could not work for many months. In July 2021, I was given the keys to the company and became President of the company. My father regretfully passed away on December 31st, 2021. Many high school students know that civil engineering involves math and science, but don't know about the breadth of different areas within civil engineering and exactly what a civil engineer does. Because of my extremely unique opportunity to be around civil engineering companies, attend company parties, and my internship at a civil engineering firm, I had a better idea of the different branches within the civil engineering tree and which discipline I wanted to go for. My dad received a math and physics degree in Pakistan, and then got into the construction industry and started doing some design work. There was a hospital in Lahore in Pakistan that he helped design, and met a U.S.-based engineer through that project. That engineer helped sponsor him and brought him to the U.S., where he became a civil engineering student at Southern Methodist University. He then graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science and Civil Engineering, and started at a firm now called RLG (at the time it was called Raymond L Goodson Engineers). Within 15 years, he became a partner at the firm and then started a couple of companies with two business partners and it worked out very well. It's not every small business that succeeds, but he really lived out the American dream by taking a risk. His story is unique, to say the least, and he left a great example of how to chase the American dream. My father was able to overcome challenges because he would never give up, was always smiling,