Jeromy Richardson, PE
Principal/CEO
Jeromy Richardson, PE, is the Principal and CEO of EDM Engineers. With more than two decades of experience in engineering, construction, building codes, project management, and leadership, Jeromy has built his career around a simple philosophy: work hard, treat people right, take responsibility, and never stop moving forward.
His journey to becoming an engineer and business owner was anything but conventional.
Jeromy grew up in circumstances that could have easily defined the course of his life. His childhood was marked by instability, financial hardship, frequent moves, and challenges that forced him to grow up quickly. There were times when having enough food or a stable place to live could not be taken for granted. Rather than allowing those circumstances to determine his future, Jeromy made a decision early in life that he wanted something different.
He wanted a better life.
Education became one of the ways he would create it.
Jeromy became the first person in his family to graduate from college, earning his associate degree in engineering in 2000. What began with an internship in a municipal engineering office in 1996 developed into a career that would take him through civil and structural engineering, building inspection, code enforcement, construction oversight, project management, and ultimately executive leadership.
Those early experiences taught Jeromy lessons that no classroom could provide. He learned the value of showing up, doing the work, accepting responsibility, and earning people’s trust. His time as a Building Commissioner and Assistant Building Inspector also gave him a perspective that continues to influence his work today: engineering cannot exist in isolation from the people who build, occupy, and depend on the buildings we design.
Jeromy became a Professional Engineer in 2013 and has since earned professional engineering licenses in multiple states. His career has included structural design, building-code analysis, construction administration, third-party review, project management, and solving difficult problems when projects do not go exactly according to plan.
In 2014, Jeromy joined EDM Engineers. That decision would change the course of his professional life.
EDM’s founder, Ron Griffin, became far more than a colleague or mentor. Ron became a father figure, teacher, and trusted friend. He believed in Jeromy, challenged him to become a better engineer and leader, and taught him lessons that extended well beyond engineering.
Ron taught Jeromy that a successful company is built on more than technical ability. It is built on integrity. It is built on relationships. It is built by keeping your word, taking care of your people, and standing behind the work you put your name on.
When Jeromy eventually became Principal and CEO of EDM, he understood that he was accepting responsibility for much more than a business. He was accepting responsibility for a legacy. That responsibility remains at the center of how he leads EDM today.
Jeromy believes that the strength of an engineering firm is ultimately found in its people. He strives to create an environment where engineers are encouraged to think independently, ask questions, challenge assumptions, communicate openly, and take pride in what they do. He believes clients deserve more than drawings and calculations. They deserve a partner who listens, communicates, shows up when there is a problem, and genuinely cares about the outcome.
His own life has reinforced that belief.
Jeromy knows what it feels like to start with very little and wonder what the future will look like. He also knows what can happen when someone believes in you, gives you an opportunity, and challenges you to become more than you thought you could be.
That is one of the reasons mentorship and developing people have become so important to him.
Jeromy wants the people who work with him to have opportunities he may not have had growing up. He wants young engineers to understand that where they start does not have to determine where they finish. Talent matters, education matters, and hard work matters—but so do character, perseverance, relationships, and the willingness to keep going when things become difficult.
Professionally, Jeromy is drawn to challenging projects that require more than simply applying engineering formulas. He enjoys finding practical solutions to complicated structural and building-code problems and helping clients navigate the unexpected challenges that inevitably arise during design and construction.
Personally, he remains grounded by the things that matter outside of work: family, friendships, faith, boating, fishing, the outdoors, and creating memories with the people he cares about.
Looking back, Jeromy’s career is not simply a story about becoming an engineer or eventually becoming CEO of an engineering firm. It is a story about refusing to let circumstances write the ending.
The child who grew up wondering whether there would be enough tomorrow became the man responsible for helping build a company and creating opportunities for others. The young man who wanted a better life became a Professional Engineer.
The engineer who benefited from the belief of a mentor became the leader responsible for carrying that mentor’s legacy forward.
And today, Jeromy remains committed to the same principle that has guided him from the beginning:
Where you start does not determine where you can go. What matters is what you do with the opportunities you are given—and what you do for the people who come after you.
