Rob Gifford is our new construction manager. Get to know him here.
Caloris: How did you get involved in engineering?
Rob: I started working in a dairy company in New Zealand and got involved in project work on internal projects. After a while, an engineering company asked me to help build a few powder plants in Australia and it all sort of snowballed from there.
Rob Gifford
Caloris: What do you enjoy most about working with customers?
Rob: I like finding out what the business drivers are for a client. We typically deal in delivering “equipment and process” but it is the “business” they operate that is the ultimate aim for them, not just stainless steel. Finding out what their drivers are gives an opportunity to tweak a plant or schedule to maximize what it is they are really after.
Caloris: You are based in Texas. What do you like most about living/working there?
Rob: I have been in Texas for 14 days now and I am finding the people are what makes the place. I have not had a chance to explore the natural wonders of the area (other than wind, dust and snow) so it is the people that have made the first impression.
Caloris: What are your hobbies? Anything else fun you’d like to share?
Rob: I am an avid fisherman (salt water mainly) and at one time a handy golfer. I have just built a house back home less than 500 yards from the ocean on one side and the harbor on the other, while overlooking the 4th green of the local golf course. So I have built to satisfy my hobbies. The afternoon of the day I flew out from NZ I was fishing off the rocks to get a final bit of salt air before departure (caught 3 fish that I passed to the neighbors). Not a bad lifestyle.
Caloris: What’s your favorite cheese?
Rob: To be a cheese snob I would go with Bleu de Termignon, but as that is almost impossible to get Gorgonzola would be my next choice, with a decent Australian red to match. I have chosen an Aussie red as my brother owns a vineyard in Australia (“Blue Poles” in Margaret River WA), so I shall support the family.
Caloris: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Rob: French Vanilla
Caloris: Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?
Rob: This will be my first project in the US, making the US the 29th country I have worked in. I started in project work with a company around the size of Caloris so I am looking forward to learning how this company ticks, while hopefully contributing some value into the project and team.