Watsons bring RPW Structural Engineering to Pomeroy's Main Street

POMEROY– Curiously, the pandemic has paid Pomeroy a dividend.

Pomeroy natives Ray and Wendi Watson realized that working remotely during Covid-19 shutdowns meant they could come home to their roots.

RPW Structural Engineering has opened at 778 Main Street by the Watsons. Ray received a BA in Civil Engineering and a MA in Structural Engineering from Washington State University, and worked 24 years as a partner in the engineering firm TM Rippey Consulting Engineers in Portland, Ore.

Ray began engineering wood-frame small buildings and steel box-girder cranes, and has gained experience engineering concrete tilt-up buildings and pre-stressed concrete multi-family buildings as well as his current specialty, post-tensioned concrete podium structures.

"I grew with them," Ray said, regarding his years at his previous firm, TM Rippey. He has engineered several million square feet, including one project with a three-acre footprint, and has experience upgrading unreinforced masonry buildings.

During the Covid-19 shutdown, the Watsons discovered engineering could be effectively done remotely and moved back to Pomeroy, starting RPW Structural Engineering from their garage. Ray and Wendi are partners in the business, with Ray providing the engineering and Wendi running the daily operations. After three years in the garage, RPW Structural Engineering has opened on Main Street. "Having a building on Main Street was always a hope. When this building came open we were ready," Wendi said.

Current projects the Watsons are working on include three multi-family buildings in downtown Vancouver, Wash.; four waterfront, multi-family buildings in Washougal, Wash.; and accessibility improvements at the Pataha Flour Mill here in Pomeroy, as well as fixing up their Main Street building with Ray's masonry building upgrading experience. Their business hours are by appointment only.