Brent Hamling has always been fascinated with complex electrical engineering projects.
“As a kid I enjoyed tinkering with electronics and simple circuits,” Brent said. “By Junior High I decided to pursue an electrical engineering degree and stuck with it. In college I enjoyed control systems and initially went down that path.”
After college, Brent worked at a firm building control systems and programming controllers for manufacturing plants. But, soon realized he wanted another challenge. He joined Cromwell in 2001 and never looked back.
“One of the very first projects I worked on at Cromwell was the north lobby at Arkansas Children’s,” Brent said. “It’s an interesting space. I got to do a lot of design I had never done before.”
Working on this project spurred Brent’s love for medical projects.
“Medical projects are my favorite to work on,” Brent said. “They’re the most challenging but also the most rewarding. It’s like putting a puzzle together, figuring out how to comply with various codes and provide what the architect wants in a way that is safe and appealing to the public.”
Brent’s favorite project to have ever worked on is the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
“It was challenging to determine how to apply the codes and make it all work in a high-rise building,” Brent said. “And, it had some really cool architectural features and interesting lighting. Helping create a place for people fighting cancer was rewarding. They do amazing work there.”
Brent enjoys contributing to long-lasting projects.
“One day when I retire I hope to go across the city, state, country, and world and see buildings, both new and renovations, that I’ve had a part in,” Brent said. “Knowing they’re sustainable, that people enjoy going to work there, and that the work we did makes their jobs easier is gratifying. And from the medical aspect, knowing that we’re helping patients with their struggles is a great feeling.”
One of those projects will most certainly be the one he’s most proud of, the South Wing at Arkansas Children’s. It’s an institution where he’s dedicated over 8,500 hours on 257 different projects.
“It is the largest medical project I’ve ever worked on,” Brent said. “It sounds cliché to say it’s important because it’s for the kids, but that’s exactly what it is. Helping provide a great environment for them is a personal accomplishment.”
