MARCH 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 31
PRESS BUSINESS
C-SUITE
By WARREN STRUGATCH
After graduating from the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy at
Kings Point with a Bachelor’s
degree in engineering, John
Cameron worked as a field engineer
for Westinghouse Electric at
the Indian Point Nuclear Plant,
then for the Nassau County
Department of Health. Nights
he took graduate classes in
environmental science at LIU Post.
In 1985, he founded Cameron
Engineering & Associates, LLP,
growing it into one of Long
Island’s foremost consulting
engineering and planning firms,
handling many of the region’s
major construction, expansion and
renovation projects. For 10 years
John has chaired the influential
Long Island Regional Planning
Council. Active in leadership roles
at numerous educational, charitable
and environmental organizations,
Cameron serves on the boards
of the engineering schools of
both Hofstra and Stony Brook
universities and the Holocaust
Memorial and Tolerance Center of
Nassau County. A one-time college
track and field star, he is also a
lifelong runner, surfer and fitness
enthusiast. Raised in Long Beach,
he and his wife Loretta live in
Rockville Centre. Here are excerpts
from our conversation.
Warren Strugatch: Who were the
major influences in your life?
John Cameron: My parents were
tremendous influences. My father,
John, came to America from
Scotland through Ellis Island.
My mother, Florence, came from
a Catholic family in Scotland. In
those days it was difficult to practice
Catholicism there, so she talked my
grandfather into coming to America.
My dad was the most Christian
person I have ever known and my
moral compass: Right was right,
wrong was wrong, you don’t blur
the lines. For years on Long Island
he worked two jobs, as a school bus
driver and as a carpenter. We moved
out to Nevada where he worked as
a carpenter in the copper mines,
as a janitor, as a bartender and at a
bowling alley. My mom got homesick
so we moved back. She was a huge
sports fan. My father and my
mother raised four kids and
taught us the value of hard work.
WS: How did you decide to
start your own business?
JC: Growing up I didn’t know
anyone who had their
own business, so I didn’t
necessarily think of starting
my own. I started working
for other people.
Engineering is a
very conservative
profession, by its
nature. I wanted to
innovate and I knew
I had to do this on
my own. I started
my own firm in
1985 with $5,000
in the bank and
no clients — the
most difficult thing
I ever did. A year later
everything burned
down. I had to start
again. Nietzsche said
whatever doesn’t kill us
makes us stronger.
WS: Did it make you
stronger?
JC: Definitely. I started different
businesses and did different things:
general construction, recycling,
design. We started getting contracts
around the country. People who
worked for us stay on. My first parttime
assistant still works here.
WS: What’s the most important
project you’ve worked on?
JC: I’d say it’s the Long Beach
Waterfront Park in ’97. I grew
up down the block. It was named
Project of the Year for Long Island
by the Professional Engineers
Society of New York.
There’s a plaque
there dedicated to
my parents.
WS: Engineers
are famous for
being cerebral.
What are you
passionate about?
JC: I’m passionate about Long
Island, what our challenges are and
what we have to do to resolve them.
Resistance to change is one of our
biggest impediments, along with
cost of living, cost of government,
legacy cost, and cost of (public
employee) pensions.
WS: You’ve spent a decade as
chairman of the Long Island
Regional Planning Board. How has
that affected you?
JC: I deal with a great deal of
cynicism. Many people experience
not having a voice in how things
are done. They react by becoming
resistant to change. That resistance
impedes progress. We need
affordable housing here. We also
need more rental housing. These
have become four-letter words.
Where are working class people
supposed to live? Where are poor
people supposed to live? They have
to live somewhere. They should
be able to live in safety and have
decent schools too.
Warren Strugatch is co-founder
of Inflection Point Associates
(InflectionPointAssoc.com)
consulting firm in Stony
Brook. Reach him at Warren@
InflectionPointAssoc.com.
John Cameron:
Engineering the road to success
John Cameron of Cameron
Engineering is as
comfortable in a business
suit as he is a wetsuit
(Photo by Bob Giglione)
“Resistance to
change is one
of our biggest
impediments.”
Cameron Engineering &
Associates, LLP
Managing director: John
Cameron
Location: Woodbury, NY
Description: Consulting
engineering and planning firm
Founded: 1985
Employees: 100
Work force: engineers,
landscape architects, planners,
facility operators and
environmental scientists