ms Q+A

Michael Amorando, EIT, joins ms as the Bridge Inspection Team Leader and Structural Engineer. Michael joins the team with several years’ experience in bridge inspection, structural analysis, and materials testing. Based out of the Raleigh, North Carolina office, Michael provides bridge inspection to NCDOT and beyond.

To get to know Michael Amorando, we asked him a few questions about his professional experience, career, and more, including his experience hiking the Vermont Trail.

Read the ms Q+A to get to know Michael.

What is your professional specialty area(s)?

Bridge Inspection

If someone was interested in bridge inspection, what professional advice would you give them?

Try not to overcomplicate things.

How did you decide on bridge inspection as your profession?

I was sending so many applications out while I was in school, I didn’t even know what I had applied for other than a “Structural Engineer Position.” I went in for an interview, and after hearing more about the role, bridge inspection was a perfect fit. I instantly enjoyed bridge inspection work, and my career grew from there.

What do you feel is the biggest trend/need is in bridge inspection and how are you addressing these trends?

One of the bigger trends in bridge inspection is using more technology during the inspection (tablets, drones, etc.) to speed up the process. It’s crucial to be as efficient as possible while performing bridge inspections and writing reports. While using newer technology to assist with inspections is exciting, having a trusted and well-trained team is the real difference maker.

If you weren’t in bridge inspection/structural engineer, what would you be doing?

Probably building houses.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy going backpacking and camping, going for runs, and anything else that gets me outside. Last June, I set out to thru hike the Vermont Long Trail…only made it halfway though.

When I previously lived in Connecticut, I helped coach one of the local high school wrestling teams for a few seasons.

Tell us more about hiking the Vermont Long Trail!

For those of you who don’t know, the Vermont Long Trail is a hiking trail that goes from the Vermont/Massachusetts border to the Canadian border. I’ve always been interested in the more famous Appalachian Trail that goes from Georgia to Maine, but I couldn’t take five months off from life. The Long Trail was a good second choice because I could finish it in 3-4 weeks, and I was in between jobs before starting at ms.

My favorite part on the trail was setting up my small camping chair and relaxing at night, looking up at the stars. Or taking a lunch break on top of a mountain, or next to a lake that you can only access by hiking up to, and making some coffee.