Wesley Southall
37, Department manager
Burns & McDonnell
Roanoke, Va.

Serving as mechanical department manager in the firm’s aviation and federal group, Southall leads a 20-person team working for a variety of large clients and project types. These include the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Architect of the Capitol as well as the company’s work in design and construction of a more than $1-billion naval dry dock facility.

“It’s a great opportunity to serve and really and help our clients solve their challenges,” Southall says. “We span from buildings to waterfront supporting facilities for the Navy and just see a full gamut of different types of projects. It keeps it interesting.”

Southall also now has to adapt to shifting priorities of presidential administrations. He notes the Biden-era pivot toward electrification, along with building code changes in refrigerant requirements, “and now with some of these [Trump Administration] executive orders, it appears that they’re being rolled back. We just try to remain flexible.”

He says flexibility requires him to be “a little bit quick on your feet,” as priorities change. “Those come with their own changes and challenges. We’re still working through it,” Southall says. We don’t have a full feel of the full breadth of the changes and how they’ll impact us. There’s also the impacts on costs that are still to be determined.”s.”

Southall’s leadership also extends beyond his company. He has been an active member of the Roanoke ASHRAE chapter, serving two terms as president and now serves on the chapter’s board of governors.

Southall also serves his community. In addition to his three years as chairman of his church’s property committee—during which he helped it prepare for several renovations. An avid cyclist, he trained with a group of co-workers for Ironman 70.3 races, helping to expand and improve office connections.

“I’ve always tried to be, both professionally and otherwise, just kind of servant leadership really trying to build up others … to achieve group success,” he says.