Christopher Johnson, Senior Project Manager, Wood

Global engineering and consulting firm Wood recently expanded its presence in Pittsburgh with a new office in Moon Township. In an interview with Invest:, Christopher Johnson discussed the motivation behind the expansion, Wood’s multidisciplinary capabilities, and how the company is supporting the region’s economic and industrial growth. “There’s a real opportunity for Wood to grow through supporting the energy and materials industries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Northeast,” said Johnson.

What was the motivation behind Wood’s expansion to the Pittsburgh market?

Wood has been executing projects in the Pittsburgh area since 2020. I’ve been managing those projects — initially remotely from our Calgary, Alberta office and then here on assignment in Pittsburgh. We opened our new office in Moon Township, just by the airport, in December 2024. This was part of a strategic move to grow our business in the Pittsburgh and wider Pennsylvania area as well as the greater Northeast region of the United States.

As part of this, I relocated to Pittsburgh permanently and I’ve really grown to love the city. I recently bought a house here, and I have to say, I’m a Pittsburgh Penguins fan now. 

I think Pittsburgh is a fantastic place with a lot of opportunity in the region, with recent announcements including significant investments — from data centers and power station upgrades to new pipelines and major investments in steel manufacturing, along with the established petrochemical facilities. There’s a real opportunity for Wood to support these industries and grow in the region.

How does Wood view its role in supporting Pittsburgh’s evolving economic landscape?

We can support engineering and procurement across multiple disciplines — process, mechanical, civil, structural, electrical, instrumentation and control, and Electric Heat Tracing (EHT). We also have a network of technical experts across the globe, so we can leverage subject matter experts to support our design work as required.

Our Pittsburgh team is very experienced in being on-site for projects. As well as field verification, laser scanning, and 3D modeling for existing facilities, we also perform noise studies and vibration analyses. Our network of technical experts support various design needs, including foundation and structural steel design, equipment and piping design, power system studies, and electrical design, as well as resulting design modifications and control system and instrumentation changes. 

We provide support with equipment and material procurement through all project stages from specification, request for quotation, and technical and commercial evaluation to post PO award expediting and supplier quality surveillance (SQS) through to delivery.

How is Wood approaching recruitment and retention of talent in Pittsburgh?

We’re always looking for local resources. One of our key focus areas when opening this office was to recruit locally, and we are currently recruiting designers and engineers in Pittsburgh.

The projects I’ve managed in this region since 2020 have accumulated over 400,000 hours of engineering and procurement support — through our Pittsburgh and supporting offices — and we’ve achieved this without any incidents, accidents, or lost-time issues. That’s something I’m really proud of.

Our company has a very strong safety culture, whether we’re in the office, on-site, or at a client facility. We care for and look out for each other always — safety is key.

Opportunities for personal development and growth are also important to our culture at Wood. I’ve worked around the world with Wood, and I have been supported in my personal and professional development every step of the way. These opportunities and resources are what brought me here to Pittsburgh. We all have development plans so that we can grow with the business.

What key trends are you seeing in your sector?

The Pittsburgh area is seeing major announcements about data centers. If those investments go ahead, there will be an increased demand for power, so there’s work to do converting older power stations to natural gas facilities. It’s all connected.

We have a specialist team at Wood that focuses on data centers, and we’re working with them to work on how we can support this growth. The recent merger between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel also presents opportunities for investment in the steel industry here.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing your industry, and how is Wood leveraging its expertise?

My team supports small to medium sized brownfield sustaining capital projects. That might mean going on-site to assess modifications needed for de-bottlenecking or production growth, then completing the design work to support those projects. We’re also experienced in field verification and developing design scopes from early project phases through to detailed engineering and final issued-for-construction deliverables. 

Some of the challenges we face are with existing facilities that may not have fully up to date documentation. That’s where our laser scanning and field verification capabilities come in. We can go onto a facility, perform site surveys, and produce accurate as-built drawings. This allows us to deliver efficient and precise designs moving forward.

How is the Pittsburgh office contributing to community initiatives or philanthropic efforts in the city?

Wood sponsors the Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals charity golf event each year, which supports local non-profits. We also contribute to and volunteer with local food banks, helping with collections and distribution to support the Pittsburgh community.

In addition, our team participates in career fairs at local colleges where we speak with soon to be graduates and look for opportunities to hire local talent. Building local relationships and investing in local talent is important to us.

Looking ahead, what are your main goals and priorities for Wood’s Pittsburgh office over the next two to three years?

Our goal is to grow Wood’s Pittsburgh office and expand our client base in the Northeast region, particularly in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania but also in neighboring states. Business development is a big part of my role — connecting with new potential clients and building solid relationships.

Another goal we have is to recruit local, Pittsburgh-based resources as we grow. We want to continue building a strong local presence that reflects the community we serve.