Following in the footsteps of his father and several uncles, Darius Bonton knew he wanted to become an engineer at a young age. However, as Bonton tells Business Report in its latest Executive Spotlight feature, he never imagined the profession would lead him down the entrepreneurship path.
After graduating from Southern University, Bonton worked as a structural engineer for Northop Grumman at its Avondale shipyard, where he developed an appreciation for process development and optimization. The lessons learned in that process-driven environment are the cornerstone upon which he operates his own consulting business, Bonton Associates, which provides civil engineering, planning and environmental services to a variety of clients around Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
Bonton attributes his success in business to the high value he placed on peer interaction early in his career.
“Once I decided to start Bonton Associates, I was able to leverage those relationships and positive experiences in partnership with many of the same firms I’d worked with in the past,” he says.
To date, Bonton is most proud of the projects he has managed and delivered under the East Baton Rouge Parish Sanitary Sewer Overflow Program in partnership with CH2M Hill. He is also looking forward to expanding into new markets, partnering with Burns and McDonnell and Manchac Consulting Group on the revision of the Water System Masterplan for the City of Shreveport.
At the moment, Bonton’s says his favorite projects are those in the hydraulic design sector. However, he also finds it gratifying to engineer solutions to problems that everyone can identify with, like traffic.
“While our local, state and congressional delegations consider ways to fund and implement mega-projects like new bridges or regional loops, we can focus on short term solutions like signal timing adjustments on some of our major surface streets and arterials, or capacity improvements at some [intersections],” he says.
A good workday for Bonton often starts with a workout or a hazelnut latte from Garden District Coffee. For lunch, he might head to his go-to spot in Baton Rouge, Chelsea’s Café, where he says the people are genuine and “they just get it.”
Read the full Executive Spotlight Q&A with Bonton. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
How has Baton Rouge changed throughout your career?
“As we say in the construction community, “we’re moving dirt now.” Hotels, residential and commercial developments are being built, critical infrastructure is being upgraded—things are happening, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
