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Matthew Campo

New Position: President, Burcaw & Associates, Tampa. Previous Position: Vice president, Burcaw & Associates, Tampa

By Times Staff Writer
Published July 11, 2005

Matthew Campo knew a year ago that he would become president of two engineering companies that share clients and facilities in Tampa, Burcaw & Associates and Burcaw Geotechnical Group.

Both companies are owned by Lauren Burcaw, who selected Campo in May 2004 to take the helm of both engineering companies in May 2005. So far, Campo said, the transition has been smooth if busy, with 60-hour workweeks as he segues from his previous role as vice president of Burcaw & Associates. Campo also maintains his own engineering clients, which means he has to manage three executive roles simultaneously. "It's a lot of hours," he said.

"My primary responsibility on a daily basis, I monitor and manage financially the billing out of our projects, overseeing accounts, and one of my responsibilities is to market the company to bring in new companies and new clients and take care of existing clients," he said.

"I pretty much oversee operations internally, whether it's pursuing new types of work (or) making those types of business decisions to help us grow."

Burcaw & Associates is an engineering consulting firm that provides land development services for commercial, residential and public construction. Burcaw Geotechnical Inc. provides geotechnical and environmental explorations, and testing for commercial, residential and public projects.

"Geotechnical does subsurface exploration," Campo said. "They drill at a new project site down about 50 feet, pull out soil material, test it and determine how much load that soil can handle."

Campo was born in Scranton, Pa., and his family moved to Naples when he was 6. His mother was a planner for Collier County and a building inspector. His father was a specialty contractor. "Growing up in Naples, I hunted and fished," Campo said. "I knew then I wanted to grow up and be an engineer and go to work for the water management district."

And he did. Campo earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of South Florida in 1993. His first position was with the Southwest Florida Water Management District as a surface water and compliance engineer. After more than four years, Campo joined PBS&J as a civil engineer and project engineer, then took a position with Burcaw & Associates as director of engineering in 2002.

"Engineering is very analytical, lots of math," Campo said. "I'm a very strong person on the math side, very analytical."

Campo said he also enjoys working with clients, many of whom he has worked with for years. "I enjoy every day," he said. "Now, when I'm out there marketing, I'm marketing with my friends, with people I know. It's not monotonous work every day."

In his spare time, Campo said he likes to go spearfishing, mostly for grouper, in the gulf. He prefers the variety of available reefs.

Campo, 36, put himself through college as an automobile mechanic, and he continues to employ that skill at home, where he is restoring a 1968 Ford Bronco.

Campo and his wife, Lauren, have a toddler, Jocelyn, and live in Tampa.

[Last modified July 7, 2005, 19:02:02]