Fast 15: Ryan Pottinger

Growing up in Overland Park, Kan., Ryan Pottinger remembers thinking what an impact his dad had and what a cool job it was. Pottinger decided he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become an engineer.

While interning as an engineer at Oklahoma State University, Pottinger graduated in civil engineering in 2017. He worked for Cowan Group Engineering in Oklahoma City for three years. Wanting to be closer to his girlfriend, he moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2020 to work as a project engineer for Garver.

Now on Garver’s Arkansas Water Team, Pottinger works to secure safe, reliable water for Arkansas and people nationwide. Most recently, he developed a water treatment plant condition assessment for Searcy and helped develop water master plans for Tontitown and Rogers Water Utilities. He’s currently helping update Bentonville’s plan.

“We help them determine what needs to be improved to help maintain growth and also make sure they don’t fall behind with their infrastructure and water distribution systems,” Pottinger said. “So, we help them prioritize projects, decide what to do with funding and when to get these projects done — basically, we come up with a 20-year plan for what they need to prioritize with water distribution systems, so residents have access to clean water and maintain pressures. We’re also making sure we’re meeting regulatory requirements.”

Pottinger is motivated and proud when he thinks of the future and the importance of his work for Northwest Arkansas’ growth.

“The cool thing is this will be something that will have a lasting impact on the region, something my kids might see the benefits of the work that we’ve done for these municipalities,” he said.

On Garver’s government relations committee, Pottinger uses the company’s resources to build strong relationships with elected and appointed officials to determine how Garver can best partner with them to serve area communities.

A thinker who enjoys working with people, Pottinger values the flexibility he finds at Garver but works long hours when required to get the job done.

Pottinger is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, American Water Works Association and Toastmasters.

An active person, he enjoys sports. He plans to run the Zion National Park half-marathon.