John Smolarski joins the Columbus office as a structural engineer. Read below to learn more about John!

1. Favorite thing to do off the clock?

I love to do absolutely anything with my daughters!

2. Favorite sports and teams?

All Cleveland sports + teams!

3. Meet my family.

I met my wife, Shannon, in 2013 at Mirror Lake Creamery + Grill on The Ohio State University’s campus. We got married in 2018 + now have two daughters. Lyla was born in August of 2022 + Lena was born in June of 2024.

4. What are your hobbies?

I like to play chess, read, run + spend as much time outside as possible.

5. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Having to create a login/password for every single website.

6. What’s your favorite day of the week?

Sunday. It’s usually the only day of the week we can slow down + relax as a family.

7. What’s your signature dish to cook for family and friends?

Guacamole or anything I can cook with my smoker.

8. Quote to live by.

If you don’t learn something new every day, you are falling behind.

9. What industry book have you read that has been most helpful to your career?

It’s not an industry book, but Man’s Search Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl has had a large impact on my overall life perspective + how i make decisions.

10. What market/material is your specialty and why?

The industrial market is my current specialty. It’s nice working on projects that are more heavily driven by the structural design to provide an efficient product.