Orlando, Fla. – On February 16, 2022, Jon Meadows, PE, retired as a Principal of DRMP after 36 years of service at the firm.
Meadows joined DRMP in 1986 as a Project Engineer at the beginning of the firm’s Expressway Department to work on DRMP’s first limited-access project with the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority’s (currently Central Florida Expressway Authority) State Road 417 (Eastern Beltway), a major highway that guides motorists around the city of Orlando, Fla. He was not only vital to managing what is now Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) projects, but he was key in forging and maintaining an ongoing decades-long working partnership with the agency.
In 1994, Meadows was named a Vice President and three years later he was selected to serve on DRMP’s Board of Directors and became a Managing Principal. In 1999, he was named as the Transportation Division Manager and would serve in this role for eight years as a key figure in DRMP’s expansion and diversification in the firm’s transportation engineering services. In his most recent role with the firm, Meadows served as Principal-in-Charge of DRMP’s Marketing and Business Development and supported the firm’s expansion into Georgia.
During his time at DRMP, Meadows has also served as a mentor to many staff, including Vice President of Alternative Delivery TJ Lallathin, Jr., PE, DBIA who began his career at DRMP as an intern.
“Early in my career I was able to work closely with him and I’ve always strived to be where he was. I took notice of how Jon worked as a Project Manager and I’ve looked up to him in that role and what he’s been able to do in developing a long-standing relationship with CFX,” Lallathin said. “Now, I’m the Project Manager for CFX projects because of the mentorship and opportunities that he’s provided to me. Without him, I wouldn’t be here and doing the work I’m doing.”
DRMP prides itself on being family-oriented and Meadows was a part of what made the company into a family firm, said John Burkett, PE, Vice President of Transportation and life-long colleague and friend to Meadows.
Burkett, who joined DRMP shortly after Meadows, remembers a time early in his career when he was debating leaving the engineering industry.
“It was during the recession and I had left DRMP and went to another firm and I was burnt out. I decided I was going to work in construction. I called Jon and he met me for lunch. He encouraged me to hang in there,” Burkett said. “Jon told me if a job opens up at DRMP I’ll give you a call and he did. That’s how I got to be in DRMP’s Transportation Division. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without the influence of Jon Meadows.”
Meadows’ positive impact, both professionally and personally, has contributed to DRMP’s legacy and his own, said DRMP President/CEO Larry Smith Jr., PE.
“Jon has made DRMP a better place by helping lay a great foundation for the firm’s Transportation Division and beyond in everything he has been able to achieve,” Smith said. “But just as important, he has empowered and challenged those he has worked with to be better, including me, and made work enjoyable along the way; thank you, Jon.”
About DRMP
DRMP is a multi-discipline firm serving clients in the public, private and industrial sectors in the development of infrastructure and has been in business since 1977. DRMP currently employs 500 professionals in 19 office locations spread strategically across our service area. Today, DRMP is ranked among Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” in the United States. For more information, please visit www.drmp.com.
