RJC Engineers Declares Empathy a Design Parameter, Backed by 78 Years of Proof

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After living it for nearly eight decades, this North American engineering firm names its purpose and promise

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RJC Engineers (RJC), one of Canada’s largest employee-owned engineering firms, has spent almost eight decades believing that great engineering starts with listening. Today, for the first time in its history, the firm is putting that belief into words: a purpose to shape a legacy of progress and possibilities, and a promise of engineering that listens, leads, and lasts.

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That way of working goes back to the firm’s earliest days. In 1949, when a shortage of steel and timber threatened to stall post-war construction in Vancouver’s West End, RJC founder and engineer John Read didn’t start with a materials problem. He started by listening to what his clients needed. The answer he found, flat-plate concrete construction, went on to shape skylines across the country. It was, in hindsight, an early expression of something RJC is now naming outright: empathy as a design parameter. It is as fundamental to good engineering as materials and math.

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“Our purpose and promise aren’t new ideas dressed up in new language. They’re a clearer articulation of who we’ve always been,” said Joette Decore, Executive Principal at RJC. “For 78 years, our people have built lasting relationships by listening first and delivering on what we heard. Today, we’re saying that out loud.”

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The declaration follows a year-long listening process that engaged 731 employees through 15 collaborative workshops and gathered more than 1,000 ideas from across RJC’s offices in Canada and the United States.

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“Great engineering is table stakes. What makes it meaningful is the relationships we build behind it,” said Mike Moffatt, Executive Principal at RJC. “Our clients don’t remember us for the calculations. They remember us for showing up and listening, understanding what mattered to them, leading through challenges, and shaping relationships and buildings that last. That’s what we’re putting our name to.”

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The moment is as much about what comes next as what came before. RJC is naming its purpose and promise now to guide the firm’s next chapter, building on deep technical excellence and client trust to keep innovating as the demands on Canada’s built environment continue to evolve.

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“The skyline has changed. The work has evolved. But the belief that great engineering begins with listening, and creates connections that endure, never has,” said Roger Steers, Executive Principal at RJC. “Today marks a milestone: a purpose and promise that put into words what our teams live every day, and a foundation to lead for the next 80 years.”

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Beginning today, RJC’s purpose, promise and refreshed brand will be reflected across the firm’s website and materials. Discover more at rjc.ca.