Econ and enterprise
Econ and enterprise George Karmo: Engineering a storied career George Karmo was in the United States just two weeks when he landed the first job he applied for. “It was November 1972 and my dad drove me to my interview at Giffels Associates. They hired me and said, ‘do you want to start right now?’ but my dad was in the car waiting for me,” Karmo recalled with a laugh. “They trusted me that I was really an engineer and that I had a degree.” Not bad for a man who actually hoped to go into medicine. “Becoming an engineer was accidental to be honest,” said Karmo. “When I graduated from the Baghdad College High School in 1964, the regime at that time was against Christians and even though I ranked very high on the exams, I was eliminated from medicine. So I went to engineering school instead. It was very frustrating but we couldn’t say anything.” Nearly 50 years later, Karmo has enjoyed a flourishing career and has no regrets. He spent three years as chairman of the board of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, and is about to celebrate a decade as the president and CEO of Tucker, Young, Jackson, Tull, Inc., an engineering consulting firm based in Detroit. The company prepares designs in four areas: water, waste water, infrastructure and environmental management. A well-known specialty is using sounding equipment to find underground water leaks before they cause major problems like road collapses. “We are known not only in Detroit but in Southeast Michigan for our water audits,” Karmo said. “We find leaks and save communities a lot of money and hassle down the line. Water is very expensive, so it’s a win-win.” The company has 60 employees, mainly engineers. “We pride ourselves on having senior engineers who are registered in Michigan and other states. We have 40 in different disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, instrumental and control engineers.” Major clients include MDOT, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Ford Field, Comerica Park and Campus Martius. So too is the Detroit Water Department, which supplies many suburbs. “Detroit water is of very high quality and is relatively cheaper than a lot of other states and communities,” Karmo said. “It is a misconception that the rates are high; they are not relatively speaking. The department is making their operation more efficient and cutting down on staff, so rates will still go up but not double-digit like we’ve seen — more like 4-5 percent annually.” Karmo said he loves his job, especially watching his employees flourish. George Karmo: “I like people and bringing out the good stuff that they have.” “To bring people in and see them advance, that’s the reward I get,” he said. “I am proud of the work we do.” And he’s thrilled to see more Chaldeans attending college and becoming professionals. “This is exciting for me to see this change. We are going good with higher education and making an impact on the Detroit area, I believe.” Karmo and his wife Victoria have three children – a CAD operator, lawyer and doctor – who have done their parents proud. When his daughter received her medical degree, “she said, ‘I did it just for you, Dad.’” Family, including his parents Yousif and Victoria, comes first for Karmo. He said he’s forever grateful that they brought him and his sisters to “the land of the free.” Karmo has never been back to Iraq even through his work has brought him temptingly close. “I spent four and a half years in Cairo and also had an assignment in Amman, Jordan,” he said. “I could have driven to Baghdad but I did not have the urge to do that under Saddam. 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NOVEMBER 2013 CHALDEAN NEWS 35
