We all know that earthquakes physically shape the landscape here in California, but they shape careers as well. Earthquakes I felt while growing up in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley got me thinking about engineering as a career while in high school. When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck on October 17, 1989, like many of you I was watching the World Series live on television and thus got to see the earthquake live as well. I was in my senior year of college at the time, studying Civil Engineering with a structural emphasis. This earthquake cemented the direction I would take in my career. I wanted to be a structural engineer, and I wanted to design buildings that would not fall down in earthquakes.
Author: Steve Pryor
Steve Pryor, S.E., has been with Simpson Strong-Tie for 29 years, currently serves as their Advanced Research Manager, and was the 2024 recipient of SEAONC’s Helmut Krawinkler award for “leadership in implementing state-of-the-art research into engineering practice”. Prior to joining Simpson, Steve was a practicing Structural Engineer in California designing residential, commercial, and industrial facilities. During his time at Simpson, Steve has participated on a number of building code committees and authored numerous papers. With a career dedicated to understanding the seismic performance of structures, Steve has led Simpson’s partnerships with many universities in ground-breaking research, including the world’s largest and tallest buildings ever tested on a shake table, with lateral systems ranging from light-frame wood to mass timber to structural steel. Along with many others at Simpson Strong-Tie, Steve has a passion for trying to find practical solutions to difficult structural problems.