Our Team
We love our people! J|D gathers elite professionals from varied disciplines and cultures to enrich our insights in the global aviation industry. Experience the wealth of knowledge and innovation that only diverse perspectives can offer.
Carter Strothman
Vice President
Capital Programs & Infrastructure
With more than 25 years of experience in facility planning, design, construction and commissioning, Mr. Strothman has worked on and managed a variety of different projects across the country. He has extensive experience with site, and facility planning, programming and development, client and user operations, public and private technical and implementation planning, and stakeholder coordination. His civil/structural engineering and design-build training and experience provide him with a unique understanding of project and program implementation that includes virtually every aspect of a project; from master planning, concept development and programming – through planning, design, construction, and commissioning. He has excellent communication skills and a working knowledge of numerous code and design standards to address issues related to the aviation industry.
Mr. Strothman has worked on numerous projects in the role of Program Manager and Owner/Tenant Representative, where he is responsible for assuring facilities achieve the owners’ and users’ design and operational needs. Over the last ten years, Mr. Strothman has been engaged in and leading his Facilities Services staff in the role of Program Manager for capital improvement programs at Los Angeles International Airport, Atlanta international Airport, the New Orleans International Airport, and the Chicago Midway and O’Hare International Airports; with Los Angeles being the first of its kind Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain program. On the Los Angeles PMAS-ConRAC program, Mr. Strothman is serving on the program management team as the Principal and as on-call Subject Matter Expert. He also provides support to the on-site project manager. In Chicago, Mr. Strothman is currently the Program / Project Manager for the RACTR role where he is managing his on-site support staff, leading the service center site redevelopment project, and managing the integration of the CDA-Program Management Team and the Rental Car Companies.
Q & A with Carter
What Do You Love About This Industry?
I love being able to leave a mark on society… that is engineering in a nutshell. Our job is to manage an improved society, to leave it better than when you arrived. With airports you touch on many modes of transportation, and you have the greatest impact on the travelling public. It’s a very good feeling to leave a project better than we found it.
What’s your favorite memory from working at the company?
Two memories stand out. 1.) When Darryl asked me to accompany his piano playing at our company retreat and sign a song with no prep. 2.) When we put together the LAWA PMAS proposal back in 2016 and at 11pm at night we had half a dozen of us fine tuning ever aspects of the proposal. We’d printed and taped on the wall all 60 pages so we could see how it flowed and looked. Brad’s oldest son was an intern helping us at the time. It truly was an, all hands-on deck, teamwork and team building environment. And we won!
Why did you join J|D?
I was working for one of the large Architecture/Engineering/Construction companies as a civil engineer and I found it frustrating that you got the project after it was already planned. Especially since I was exposed to the planning side in 1999/00 while working on a project at ORD. Four years later, Darryl approached me and offered me the opportunity to be a part of a planning team at the ground floor level. That was very enticing, the opportunity to build something and have a proactive lasting impact on airport and capital projects. You’re getting the project early, and can analyze, plan, and make real change when you are part of a planning company. Previously I was in an environment where I was reacting to as opposed to driving those plans. This role has given me the opportunity to have positive and lasting impact on airport capital projects.
How did you meet your significant other?
It was a blind date setup, my wife needed a last-minute date to an event, tux required, and our mutual acquaintance suggested me. The rest is history.
What professional project are you most proud of?
A mix between the San Jose rental car facility project and my work at ORD on rental car facilities. San Jose gave me the opportunity to use my design, build skills and my technical and communication skills to drive a first of its kind facility, (stacked fueling) in the country.
What is your work motto?
Honesty. Be helpful, leave things better than you find them. Do unto others as you would have done onto you. Try to improve the things you touch as you go through life.
