Amber Nyquist

Project Manger | EES Consulting |  Spokane, WA

The Employee Spotlight for December is Amber Nyquist, from our EES Consulting office. Amber joined GDS with the EES acquisition earlier this year. She has been a part of EES Consulting since 2007 serving our public utility clients in cost of service, energy efficiency studies, benefit-cost analysis, and other economic and financial studies.  Projects that stand out in her memory are those that required a little extra adventure.  For the Columbia Basin Irrigation Districts, hard hats were donned to tour the Grand Coulee Dam facilities.  There, it was explained how the Bureau of Reclamation uses the pumping equipment to serve the irrigation districts.  This was particularly special as economists rarely get to wear hard hats and boots.  Since 2009, Ms Nyquist has evaluated flood reduction projects for the Chehalis River basin every 2 years.   The study includes preparing an economic analysis of various local and large-scale options to reduce flooding in the Chehalis River Basin.  Through this process she has learned the value of equitable stakeholder involvement and how to work across a large multidisciplinary team of consultants and State Agencies.  Amber enjoys and values the repeat business and relationships with our clients who return time and again for cost of service analysis or conservation potential assessments.

What is the best vacation you’ve been on?

On a trip to Roatan, Honduras I learned to scuba dive.  Not only was the coral reef stunning, but I was able to face my fear of sea monsters a.k.a. even the tiniest fish.  I’d rather pet a spider than be too close to a grouper.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“Quiet water changes mountains.” -Croatian Proverb

Do you participate in any extra-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering)? 

I volunteer for our local nonprofit supporting families raising multiples (twins, triplets +).  I have also been known to run a half marathon or 20.

Tell us about your family and friends.

I have 6-year-old fraternal twins (River and Charlotte) who are both cheeky and delightful.  We spend our time imagining the treehouses we could build, tending our flock of ridiculously fluffy chickens, and riding our bikes on trails that are “too bumpy.”  My hobbies include counting to 3, preparing meals nobody eats, camping, and messy art projects.