Griffin Ryder Comes Home To Brewster

BREWSTER – A few weeks ago, Brewster welcomed its new town engineer. For Griffin Ryder, the role feels less like starting a new job and more like coming home.

 Ryder grew up in Brewster with an innate passion for engineering. In his words, “engineering was kind of in my blood.” His father owned the Orleans engineering firm Ryder and Wilcox for 30 years. The firm specialized in surveying, home planning, engineering and design. 

 When Ryder decided to attend Virginia Tech for his undergraduate degree, his major was an easy decision: civil engineering. 

 After graduating, Ryder moved back to the Cape for about a year and a half and worked for his father’s firm until he admitted the winters were getting a little “bleak.” 

 “I took the easy transition and went up to the Boston area,” he said. 

 For the first three years in the metropolitan area, Ryder worked for ESS Group, a small coastal engineering firm. He then moved onto a position at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, widely known as VHB, a larger firm located in Watertown. 

 After a 15-year career at VHB, Ryder said he resigned for a short period to move back to Cape Cod so his three-year-old daughter could grow up the same way he had. With an ever-growing portfolio on the Cape, VHB offered Ryder the opportunity to open an office in Hyannis, which he then ran for the next three years. 

 Ryder said his projects were heavily involved with different transportation work on the Cape including the Cape Cod Rail Trail extensions through Dennis and Yarmouth. This was also the time he got involved with the Millstone Road project, which turned out to be a project Ryder would work on in different roles with different companies and entities. 

 “It’s been pretty cool,” Ryder said of working on the project. “Back to being a kid, my parents telling me not to ride my bike on Millstone because it was dangerous.” 

 After VHB was awarded the contract by the town, Ryder said he was immediately intrigued with tying himself back to engineering projects on the Cape. Although the satellite office in Hyannis had helped VHB gain more projects on the Cape, Ryder said they were still tethered to the Watertown office. His wife worked at the headquarters in a communications role, so they were struggling with managing their kids’ schedules and commuting off Cape. 

 Ryder applied to the town engineer role in Harwich and was hired in 2018. He said the mechanics of working for a municipality really interested him, especially since his office was in town hall. 

 “I was really kind of able to see how towns worked,” he said. “I realized that my background was so varied and very valuable in terms of being able to help out with all different kinds of projects.” 

 In his three years as Harwich’s town engineer, Ryder worked with the Cape Cod Commission to help push forward the sidewalk project at Sasquatucket Harbor (which is currently underway), helped to implement the town sewer project, worked on the Cold Brook Preserve project on Bank Street, and continued to move along other projects while helping manage procurement. 

 Over the course of these town-led projects, Ryder was able to work with the director of the department of public works (DPW), the water superintendent and other roles that helped create a holistic view of the municipal machine. Ryder said that he enjoyed the ability to see a project through from beginning to end, including how residents used it once it was completed. 

 “Having such an affinity for the Cape and understanding how sensitive [it is], especially the Lower Cape,” he said, “I just felt like I understood people’s needs and their desires. All their desire to keep the Cape as close to what it is.” 

 He said the Millstone Road project was a prime example of this. He began working on the project officially in 2021, after he took the position as Brewster’s DPW director, and said it wasn’t in the best place, perception-wise.

 “There were ‘Save Millstone Road’ signs all over the place,” he said. 

 After speaking with neighbors, Ryder realized that many residents felt that the project would have a large impact on their properties. In a concerted effort, the project team went back to the drawing board and presented visualizations that represented a design that ultimately received more support from the public. 

 As the director, Ryder had a managerial hand in the project and developed relationships with the neighbors while it progressed. He worked closely with Town Manager Peter Lombardi and Assistant Town Manager Donna Kalinick during the permitting process. 

 Right when the town was going out to bid for the contractor that would start the Millstone Road project, Ryder got a job offer to go back to the private sector. 

 During COVID-19, Ryder said the area was in desperate need of more engineers. EDR, a local engineering firm, offered him the opportunity to focus solely on projects, whereas the DPW director role balanced project management with operations and administration. 

 Ryder said he did not want to drop the ball on the Millstone Road project, especially because he had made connections with the surrounding community. While he accepted the role with EDR, Ryder remained on board as Brewster’s interim town engineer so he could continue to work on the project. 

 “I stayed on board for about 13 months,” he said. “I would go to construction meetings and just stay involved with everything, then also help out with some other stuff here and there with DPW as well.” 

  After filling the DPW director position, the town still had a vacancy when it came to engineering. After having trouble filling the job, the town revised the position to make it a town engineer and project manager position, which fit directly into what Ryder wanted to do.

 “I saw that and said, ‘wait a minute, this is the opportunity to just do projects in my hometown and a place I care so deeply about,” he said. “And so it just kind of brought me back.” 

 Ryder is now back on the Millstone Road project, wrangling the last of the needed adjustments, including utility pole removal. For him, it’s a full circle moment. 

 Aside from Millstone Road, Ryder is excited to work on the Sea Camps projects, as he has an early childhood attachment to both parcels. He used to attend basketball camp on the bay parcel and explore the pond parcel with his friend, who lived next door. 

 Ryder said he is happy to be a part of a municipality that means so much to him because he can help deliver what residents are expecting. For instance, he said he will help facilitate whatever the community decides for the Sea Camps parcels, but he is just excited that he isn’t just looking over the hedge anymore.

 “I think just having some history with the town and understanding the needs of folks” is key, he said. “I just think I can help deliver projects in a way that’s sensitive to the needs of the folks while also allowing us to evolve as a community.”

 In reflecting on his career, Ryder said he is proud of all that he has accomplished in every role. 

 Ryder lives in Orleans with his family and can often be found either attending a sporting event or coaching a game. He also enjoys family trips to the outer beach. He added that he hopes he will soon be watching his kids bike down Millstone Road.