Canandaigua, New York – Capt. Matthew Purdy has had an interest in engineering and how things work since he was a preschooler. That lifelong interest has led him to his current role as a project engineer on the Canandaigua VA Medical Center project in upstate New York.
Purdy began his military career when he enlisted into the Vermont Army National Guard in 2012 as a combat engineer. He later earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from Norwich University and commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 2015 as an engineering officer. His home unit is Headquarters Co., 572nd Brigade Engineer Battalion in Rutland, Vermont.
His career journey was sparked by a chance visit to the local library and a fascination with steam engines.
“There was a VHS tape at my local library I borrowed weekly from five years old until it wore out, about the live steam hobby—regular folks who make functional miniature steam locomotives. They bring them to club tracks and ride them around. I was obsessed with trains, and I was always trying to learn how it was I could make my own steam engine,” he said. “That never went away, so my natural choice for a college major was mechanical engineering.”
Purdy was recently assigned to the VA Canandaigua project through the Personnel Force Innovation (PFI) Program that is used to augment active-duty units with reservists, where needed.
“I’ve been a project engineer at VACAN for three months and it’s been excellent. The VA in Canandaigua has a unique history that is engrained into its original construction—having been built during the second world war, the structure was made to last 100 years using the materials available in a wartime shortage,” he shared. “Refurbishing the buildings on this site is certainly harder than starting from scratch, but the architecture is an important piece of U.S. history and of the town’s identity.”
Working on such a project with so much history has provided Purdy a unique learning experience.
“Engineers in this office divide and conquer by leveraging expertise on a tight team to become fluent with special topics. I’ve been reviewing door hardware, signage, and concrete anchors. While this isn’t as technical as a steam heat system or floor load calculations, the sheer number of doors and signs alone requires a lot of attention,” he said. “On this particular project, we have a lot of change cases. Learning what each stakeholder wants from the process is critical to progress which is a lesson applicable to any organization.”
“Challenges arise daily, and the faster engineers on all teams react, the faster the contractor can achieve on the jobsite. We must be thorough and timely. There are enough applicable specifications that a single person couldn’t read them all in a year,” he explained. “Balance is the buzzword, but it’s true. You have to study the specifications and leverage what’s learned with feedback from subject matter experts and solve problems quickly.”
Purdy said he feels military assignments at USACE projects adds valuable experience for military engineer officers.
“For active-duty members assigned to a VA project, this is an excellent opportunity to socialize with civilians, learn if you like working in the construction industry after transitioning, and even networking for when you do decide to transition. For reservists, it’s a great way to stretch your engineer officer skills and add value to the organization you’re going back to,” he said. “For any tour of duty assignment, be prepared to bootstrap your personal readiness, especially for remote positions like this. People are there to help, but you need to go to them and ask questions early and often.”
“This project is unique as it’s still an active medical center while construction is ongoing. The customers at the VA are proud of their service. Seeing someone on-site in uniform stirs up a lot of memories for them,” he added. “Folks saying “thank you for your service” can be an awkward experience, but people in Canandaigua go out of their way to do it. That doesn’t happen everywhere. If this kind of opportunity presents itself, I can’t recommend it enough. It’ll give you more perspective on why what we do is important, and to shake the Veterans’ hands and thank them back.”