The Dalton Company is a family business with a story reaching back three generations. Founded by Peter D. Dalton in 1940, each generation since has built upon the core values that serve as the foundation of the firm, with brothers Andrew and Randy Dalton now at the helm as CEO and President respectively.
This summer we have another family representing the team!
Benjamin Pearson, son of Senior Project Advisor Jeff Pearson, has joined as Project Assistant/Coordinator. Ben is going into his third year at Queen’s University, working towards his B.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering. In his position at Dalton, he is responsible for compiling and preparing commissioning and close-out documents for the King Animal Hospital and St. Anne’s School projects. Additionally, he will be documenting the progression of the projects through photos and supervision of various installations. We asked Ben to share something interesting that he has learned in his time so far:
“Aside from the on-site and office practices I have learned, the installation of the MRI room of the King Animal Hospital project is particularly interesting. The floor has been jacked upwards and poured in a way to create a vibration isolation room to negate vibrations from the surrounding building. This is to improve the clarity of the MRI results. Practical strategies like these are what initially drew me to engineering.”
As Senior Advisor, Project Management at Dalton, Jeff is responsible for ensuring quality and consistency within our most complex projects, currently overseeing the construction of the King Animal Hospital. He has always encouraged summer students to explore the many facets of construction and readily offers opportunities to gain hands-on work experience while on his site. Now with his son on the team witnessing firsthand the challenges involved with delivering successful projects for our clients, the conversation around the Pearson dinner table has definitely changed. Jeff describes this as a bit of a “Freaky Friday” situation:
“I will admit, I forgot how tough it was to go from late-night university study sessions to 7 a.m. rollcall on the job site, and likewise Ben now knows the effort of logging in 50-hour workweeks. It’s definitely an eye-opener for him to see how engineering theory from school is translated into the real world. I’m really enjoying seeing Ben as a professional and not just my son – not everyone gets the opportunity to experience this evolution of the family relationship.”
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Ben plans to pursue his Professional Engineer Certification and specialize in Structural Engineering. He shared how the Dalton work environment and project focus have proven to be well-aligned with his own interests and hopes to return to the firm after graduation. If his performance in this short time is any indication, Dalton would be lucky to have him. Ben is a talented swimmer and trumpet player with a work ethic that extends beyond the office and classroom.
Information about our 2023 Summer Student program will be available in February 2023