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Vietnam Vet Builds 43-year
Engineering Career

Victor Lukasavitz

Right out of high school, Victor Lukasavitz joined Gould Engineering Inc., and began working at a drafting board. That was 43 years ago.

Today is he the senior partner and president-CEO of the Grand Blanc Township firm.

But he hasn't always been with the 93-year-old business, a full-service consulting firm that does civil engineering, land surveying and land planning for businesses, developers, individuals, lending institutions, architects, municipalities and governmental units.

Back when Lukasavitz joined Gould, there was a war going on in Southeast Asia. There was a military draft. And Lukasavitz was eligible for the draft.

He thought about joining the Navy. Or the Coast Guard. While he was thinking, the young drafter got drafted into the Army.

He underwent basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advanced training, in electrical engineering and generation, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

After that, he remained for a while at Fort Belvoir, doing the work the Army had just trained him to do.

Then he was shipped off to Vietnam, where he spent a year as an engineer assigned to Army signal corps. Part of the time he was up in the central highlands of Vietnam, near Pleiku.

After returning home and left the Army, Lukasavitz rejoined Gould and began moving up through the ranks, taking on new responsibilities and learning new roles within the company.

Lukasavitz grew up Clio, a small town north of Flint. He said he like drawing houses and doing mechanical drawings. He also liked being outdoors, so thought that surveying work would suit him. At the time, General Motors plants in the Flint area were hiring folks right out of high school. But Lukasavitz preferred the opportunities offered at Gould.

Along the way, he took classes at Mott Community College in Flint, Macomb Community College in Macomb County and -- after his stint in the Army -- classes in planning, zoning and land development from the University of Wisconsin.

Lukasavitz is an avid bicyclist and water skier and his drawn upon those passions in his work at Gould.

The company has designed more than a dozen manmade lakes specifically created for water skiing. Gould's latest project, currently under way, is a six-lake, 60-condo, water-skiing development called Placid Waters in Allendale Township, outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. Each lake is approximately 10 to 16 acres in size, and 8 to 15 feet deep.

In developing ski lakes, Lukasavitz said, the company always tries to take into consideration the site's natural attributes -- its wetland, contours and existing foliage.

"We've been doing that for a long time," he said.

Gould Engineering takes that same natural approach when tackling municipal projects, Lukasavitz said during a recent interview at the company's office, a converted farmhouse built in 1905.

"We look at what is the best use for a community -- to work, live and play. People don't want to live in a place where there is nothing to do," he said.

He said a recent study found that the average working adult has about 1,000 hours yearly of free time after work and normal life activities. The challenge is to provide ways to spend that time, preferably close to home, in a place that is fun to work, live, and play in.

One good way to spend that time is while bicycling, Lukasavitz's other passion. His company has helped design several bike and hiking trails. Gould currently is working on projects that, within the next five years, could help link Genesee County and the city of Flint attributes via bike trails. These trails will also provide for exercise, good health and alternate forms of transportation.

Gould typically employees about 30 staff persons. But, as the local and national economies have slowed, the company has scaled back to its current 10 employees.

Lukasavitz said he hires veterans whenever he can, and at one point had three veterans on staff. He said he also tries to work with other veteran-owned businesses whenever possible.

He said he appreciates the self-discipline and organizational skills he learned in the military.

Lukasavitz said he did not visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., until 22 years after he left Vietnam. But he has been back three times since that first visit. "And I'll go back again."

A lifetime member of the VFW, he said he is proud to fly the American Flag 24 hours a day at his home and office with full illumination. He also flies the flag on his 5th wheel, while on vacation, 24 hours a day, and has fixed a light to show it off. He said many people come by the 5th wheel and say that is really great, to keep on flying the flag and thanks!

Carl Stoddard
Maj. MIARNG (Ret.)

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