Mr. John C. Gibson

John Gibson JeHn engineering

Specifically, John Gibson is the vice president of business development for JeHN Engineering, and he offers the Barnhills services of the firm.So, one day, an architect shows up and they walk through the house trying to get a sense of how much of it will come down.

It's a dreary, rainy day and John invites everyone to lunch because he is someone experienced with catastrophe and, although he doesn't tell the Barnhills this, he knows what it's like to be given a brief reprieve from the chaos.A nice lunch is a chance to "put them back into what was their life."

The Barnhills and Gibsons are casual friends and so it comes as a surprise to the Barnhills when John tells them that in 1976 he was part of a hotshot firefighting crew.They were sent to Parachute, to the Battlement Creek Fire.

Had I known my state history, I might have guessed what was coming.

John was one of four men on the mountain when a firestorm hit.It came roaring up the hillside at 50 mph, 200 feet wide, 400 feet in the air.The men poured what water they had over themselves and lay in the dirt fire line.One man tried to run through the fire and another to outrun it.

All three of his comrades died.John was severely burned and spent months in a hospital undergoing skin grafts.

"I never would want to go through anything like that again," he says, "but these are experiences you take a look at and you learn some things.Everyone goes through experiences - and they're hard - that help them to grow and to change."

It's a harrowing story, matter-of-factly told in a lovely restaurant over French onion soup, and I'm struck again by the juxtaposition of the overwhelming and the mundane.Here is John sitting in front of us, having a beer, the picture of health, a living testament to resilience.

Jim raises his glass toward John: "You make the best of it.""Here's to rebuilding," Maggie says.John smiles, lifts his glass to theirs: "Yeah!

John C. Gibson
...
John C. Gibson, COO

John is the Chief Operating Officer of Jehn Engineering. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the staff of fifty engineers, architects, designers, planners and the administrative staff supporting these functions. Additionally, he has profit and loss responsibility for this organization. During his career, John has worked in senior management and marketing positions for engineering, energy and manufacturing companies within the U.S. and internationally. His company and project experience ranges from those of several million up to five hundred million dollars. Mr. Gibson has a law degree and has worked in the functional areas of business development, management, mergers and acquisitions, corporate formation and capitalization with the following companies: Kinder Morgan Power Co., GEA Gmbh (Thermodynamic Towers), Barlow Projects, Inc., MACTEC Engineers, and Parker Hannifin.

John Gibson COO JeHN Engineering