Vice President of Engineering & Preconstruction
Thomas Real
Since joining OTL in 2009, Tom Real has helped solve the technical challenges behind some of the company’s most complex work, bringing together engineering discipline, practical construction knowledge, and a deep appreciation for the creative ideas that make each project unique.
A civil engineer with more than four decades of experience, Tom has built his career around all types of water features, rockwork, themed environments, and complex built environments. Since beginning his career in 1985, he has contributed to more than 400 projects, developing a depth of knowledge that comes from understanding not only how highly specialized work is designed, but how it is constructed, operated, and maintained.
As OTL’s Vice President of Engineering and Preconstruction, Tom works at the point where creative ideas must become technically sound, constructible, and maintainable solutions. He collaborates with designers, engineers, clients, and project teams to identify challenges early, understand how complex systems must work together, and anticipate how decisions made throughout design and construction will ultimately affect fabrication, installation, operation, and long-term performance. His perspective is an important part of OTL’s integrated approach, helping ensure that engineering supports the experience rather than limiting it.
Tom earned his degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. His career has taken him across an extraordinary range of environments, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Bophuthatswana, South Africa, giving him a breadth of experience and perspective that he continues to bring to each new challenge.
Beyond his professional life, Tom is deeply grounded in his faith and family. Both have remained important constants throughout his career and continue to shape his values, perspective, and the way he approaches relationships with others.
For Tom, the most interesting challenges are often the ones without an obvious answer. He has an ability to look at a complicated idea, understand how all of its pieces need to work together, and help find a way to make it buildable without losing what made the idea compelling in the first place.