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"All my career, I’ve been working on projects that help people somewhere else in the country," says new Smyth County Engineer Duncan McGregor. "In this position, I can finally work on things that help my friends and neighbors. That makes me a happy man."

Although McGregor has lived in Southwest Virginia’s Smyth County for more than 30 years, his work for the federal government and then Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation has kept him traveling over a 30-county area. Driving between Hutton Branch, Shuler Hollow, Allison Gap, and other locations of Smyth County sewer and water projects seems like a vacation.

"I’m a coordinator, a resource person in this job," he says. "I’m continually finding out about new projects in the backlog, and I change directions often during the day. It’s a challenge, but it’s fun. I find I’m using my personality, my education, and my experience in ways I have never been able to before."

In the months since McGregor began the job on Oct. 15, he’s found hands-on participation in construction of the Hutton Branch water project one of his most enjoyable and consuming activities. Design work, building maintenance problems, flood plain issues on new projects – all of these are part of the job.

McGregor would describe himself as a positive person, but his enthusiasm is so evident, the word seems redundant. "I love this job," he says. "The people are great, the working environment is wonderful, the projects are interesting – I’m having fun. It’s going to be a treat seeing projects through to completion and then living near them."

McGregor has two grown children, Ann and Mike, who live in Radford, Va., and Cary, N.C. His wife, Julie, works at home managing and operating the indoor tennis facility they co-own with several other investors. Although the McGregors have lived in Los Angeles and Richmond, they have learned to thoroughly enjoy the small town experience — moving at a comfortable pace and knowing everyone in the community.