“It’s the people I work with every day who are talented, thoughtful, and dedicated to creating innovative, sustainable, and livable buildings, that make me look forward to coming to work.”
Locations: Portland
Keith Buisman
“The people at Otak are good to work with and the type of work varies from project to project.”
Kayla Gutierrez
“I enjoy working for a company that appreciates and utilizes my coordinating skills set to contribute to our final deliverables and client services.”
Andrew Lent
“Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing kids’ eyes light up as they take their first step into a brand-new school.”
Kevin Timmins
As a native Oregonian, Kevin credits the many days he spent outdoors as a youth to his interest in water resources engineering. Otak has always provided him with the opportunity to chart his own course and surround himself with amazing, talented, and interesting people. Kevin brings an ability to see the big picture on projects and know how to navigate through the project development process. He especially enjoyed working on the Bend Whitewater Park project. He is a member of the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Sustainability Committee, and is committee chair for four Boy Scouts of America units.
Chris Maykut
“Traveling the world opened my eyes to the role architecture plays in shaping our environment both spatially and emotionally.”
Brian Hardebeck
Growing up as a member of a local farm family, Brian enjoyed building or making things. In high school he participated in a drafting and construction program that eventually provided a scholarship to Oregon State University in Construction Engineering Management. The rest of his 33-year career is result of that opportunity. As an owner’s representative with Otak CPM he provides his 30+ years of planning, development, and construction experience to allow his clients to focus on what they do best. He assists clients like the Nestucca Valley School District in making their dream projects come true and to add value to the larger built community.
Brian’s superpower is being able to visualize system components in their eventual constructed forms while still on paper. He can also visualize interactions with spaces above, below, and beside an object during planning. When Brian’s not at work, he enjoys spending time with my family and friends at the beach and driving race cars. He also volunteers with the Sunset High School Football Dads Club and the Oregon Emergency Medical Technicians Association.
Brian Kennett
“At Otak, people come first, and it shows in the relationships I have developed with my coworkers.”
Mike Day
“Our mission is to provide high-integrity leadership, always acting from the client’s perspective. We listen and then lead from humility with kindness and empathy, always speaking truth to create a culture of honor and respect.”
Sarah Oaks
Studying architecture, Sarah was drawn towards understanding how users’ needs could be solved by their environments, exploring space programming dilemmas (especially in historic buildings), and conceiving buildable projects. Starting her career with a K-12 school district working on capital projects and sustainability initiatives, she quickly learned how to act on behalf of her client and how to be part of the client. Working as an owner’s rep has been a fantastic fit, allowing Sarah to combine those early aspirations—bringing human-centered spaces to life and solving problems that can’t be fixed by the building alone—and expand her client and project base. Sarah loves the collaborative team culture: from delivering exceptional service to our clients to supporting each other’s professional development. We have an incredible wealth of diverse subject matter experts to learn from and grow with. “I am inspired by the entrepreneurial, ‘can do’ drive that unifies every individual I’ve met at Otak. We are a community that actively pursues ‘better’ whenever possible for our practice, relationships, and company.”