GarNat Engineering, LLC (GNE) is a civil engineering and land surveying consulting firm.
Vernon has worked as a consulting engineer in Arkansas for over 30 years. The five years prior to founding GNE were spent with a thirty-person, Arkansas-based engineering firm. While with this company, he managed its branch office in Little Rock and was promoted to the position of Vice President.
Vernon has a very broad range of design experience. He has designed land development, roadway, bridge, sidewalk, drainage, water, wastewater, athletic, trail, and parks projects. While he has worked for state and private sector clients, most of Vernon’s experience involves working for municipal clients including cities, towns, county judges, utilities, and parks departments
Company Philosophy
I named my firm after my three children – Garrett, Nathan, and Natalie. The name reminds me of why I get up and go to work each day. It also reminds me that my clients, through their patronage of my business, help me support the things that are most important to me. It makes me thankful for all the things that my clients allow us an opportunity to do. It makes me determined to bring honor to our relationship, to treat my clients like family, and to make sure that their success is my priority.
I pride myself on being an excellent listener. Finding out exactly what my clients want to accomplish and what motivates them allows me to provide them with exceptional service. However, I never assume that I know what is best for them. I see my role as organizing their projects and providing them with information, so they can make informed decisions. I work to empower them to act in the best interest of themselves and those they serve.
The economic downturn in the late 2000s motivated me to start my own company because I felt like I could no longer provide clients with the best possible service while working in my previous capacity. Clients today are faced with greater and greater strains on their resources. They have increasing responsibilities and ever shrinking budgets and staff. Like all of us, they must do more with less. With our present market conditions, engineering is more important than ever. Unfortunately, many clients no longer feel like they can afford it. By starting a small firm, with the lowest possible overhead, I felt I could help them reduce their cost for outsourced engineering. By surrounding myself with talented, like-minded people that I trust, I believe I can provide top notch engineering and related services.
In addition to Vernon Williams, GNE has six other full time employees. A brief description of GNE's staff follows:
- Jennifer Williams, P.E. - Jennifer is Vernon’s college sweet heart. She joined GNE in the Fall of 2021 after retiring from ARDOT as the Division Head of Right of Way where she managed over 80 employees. During her 28-year ARDOT career she also held the positions of Consultant Contracts Administrator and Roadway Design Section Head.
- George Wooden, P.S. - George is a registered professional surveyor with over 25 years of experience. He is GNE's survey manager.
- Tariq Morshed, P.E. - Tariq is a project engineer that received his master's degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in transportation from Arkansas State University.
- Shak Mukhitdinov, E.I. - Shak is a project engineer that graduated from Southern Arkansas University.
- Michael Cornish - Michael is a survey party chief/CADD tech with over 15 years of experience.
- Susie Goldman - Susie is GNE'S office manager and Vernon's assistant.
GNE is a technology driven company which utilizes the latest AutoCAD Civil design software. Surveys are completed using either RTK GPS equipment or a robotic total station, depending on the job and our client's needs.
Vernon J. Williams, P.E.