James Cook to Build on Client Relations as Freese and Nichols Marks First 10 Years in Georgia
Watching people come together to help his grandfather turn his dream of building a home into reality gave James Cook a blueprint for the tools required to develop a strong structure from the ground up.
This philosophy of building through collective action has guided James through his engineering career and in developing client relationships. As our new Client Service Leader in Georgia, James will build on our efforts to develop long-term relationships and deliver client satisfaction. Much like with the collaboration surrounding construction of his grandfather’s home, James builds relationships that bring people together to develop communities.
James said he intentionally started his engineering career at a small engineering firm in Kentucky to learn every aspect of the business, from setting up meetings and connecting with clients to developing plans and delivering projects. He later relocated to Atlanta, and for more than 20 years, he’s participated in the design and construction of municipal infrastructure and wastewater treatment plants.
“I feel that, as engineers, we’re all technically capable of designing a project, but what else is going to set us apart? It’s our client service and the relationships that we develop.” James said. “I want to deliver a quality project on time and on budget, obviously, but client service is also very important. Engaging with clients and keeping them informed is always something that I strive to do.”
Charles Archer, our Southeast U.S. Division Business Development Leader, said James’ extensive engineering and consulting background and his experience with collaborative delivery, planning and construction management in the Atlanta area, bring “a well-rounded perspective” to our firm. Through listening to clients and building relationships in the market, Charles said that James has a great understanding of the region and clients’ challenges. Charles said he looks forward to seeing James serve our clients and communities as we approach our 10th anniversary in Georgia.
James’ career has included planning, design and construction of municipal infrastructure. He has experience in engineering design, construction management, startup and commissioning and Quality Control and Quality Assurance. His extensive project delivery experience includes a wide range of projects from small to large and complex.
James has participated in several infrastructure projects addressing growth in the Atlanta metro area.
The Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility Plant Expansion in Fulton County, Georgia, is among the largest projects James recently worked on as on-site engineer, engineering liaison and General Contractor Qualifying agent prior to joining Freese and Nichols. As Georgia’s largest progressive design-build project and Fulton County’s largest capital project, the plant expansion met growing population demands by using state-of-the-art technology, a Membrane Bioreactor facility, to increase capacity from 24 to 32 MGD and reduce nitrogen and phosphorus to the Chattahoochee River annually by more than 250,000 pounds. While finishing on time and within budget, this project faced several complexities, including being constructed while the county’s existing treatment plant was still operational, adhering to COVID-19 regulations, and addressing global supply chain disruptions and inflation challenges.
In one of his first large design-build projects, James said, he and his client worked from the same location, so he used the opportunity to develop a rapport, provide daily communications about the project and participate in weekly meetings with municipal officials.
“Taking those moments to engage with them was important because some people may have shied away from that … but I always make the time to engage with clients and seek out those opportunities when [I] can,” he said.
James received his bachelor’s in engineering science and a master’s in civil engineering, both from the University of Louisville. He is a registered Professional Engineer and a licensed General Contractor in Georgia. He also is certified as a Design-Build Professional through the Design-Build Institute of America.