Through Dedication and Hard Work, Rohr Takes Nontraditional Path and Achieves Milestone
July 27, 2026 – Lakewood, CO — Encore Electric Critical Project Manager Kevin Rohr recently earned his Electrical and Computer (Power) Professional Engineering license! This achievement took countless nights of studying, dedication, and hard work to accomplish, and it will have an impact on Encore Electric for years to come. Unlike most licensed engineers, who earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering through a traditional four-year college program, Rohr took a nontraditional path to obtain his license.
Rohr’s career began immediately after high school when he enlisted in the Army, where he served for six years. At age 24, he changed paths and became an electrical apprentice. After completing his apprenticeship, Rohr went on to become a journeyman, foreman, superintendent, project manager, and then a preconstruction and design lead.
“When I started with Encore in June of 2024, Jeff Engelstad [director of engineering services] asked me if I was aware that there was an experience path that the state of Colorado offers to get a PE license. I had never looked into it and was unaware that was something that you could get without having a college degree,” Rohr said. “I looked into the specifics and decided it was something that I wanted to take on. It was a challenge that I felt like was worth the effort.”
Photo of Rohr with his grandmother Rachel Askins just after he left the Army and became an electrical apprentice.
Photo of Rohr (left) and Joseph Hogge (right) in Bosnia, April 1996.
On August 11, 2024, Rohr began studying for his Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam, where three hours a night for three to four nights a week, Rohr studied and prepared after work. Three weeks into the exam preparation, he realized his math skills were not where they needed to be to pass.
“One night after one of the class sessions in the exam prep, I remember it vividly, the instructor was presenting information on control circuits and literally the guy says, ‘You plug the numbers into this formula and do a little bit of calculus, and you wind up here.’ I was sitting there looking at it, absolutely baffled by what he was talking about, with no idea whatsoever how to get the answer he was trying to get. So, I emailed Jeff that night and I told him I was wasting my time and the company’s money,” Rohr said.
“Jeff came in early the next morning and stopped by and asked me if I’d ever heard of something called Khan Academy, an online on-demand resource where they present everything from basic math all the way through calculus and even into physics,” Rohr said. “So, I put my exam prep on hold, and I took about a nine-month detour and learned enough calculus to be able to pass that exam.”
In October of 2025, Rohr passed the FE exam, applied to the state, and in February 2026 was recognized with his engineering intern license. From there, those with a four-year degree are required to have four years of qualifying work experience, and those pursuing the experience pathway are required to have a minimum of 12 years. In Rohr’s case, he already had 15 years of qualifying design experience, so he went straight to studying for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Exam. For this exam, test takers have eight hours to complete 80 questions, and Rohr passed in just under five hours.
“There were days that I felt like I had no business whatsoever pursuing or trying to accomplish it, and there were days that I felt like many of the people at Encore believed in me more than I believed in myself,” Rohr said.
“Of all the steps required to become a licensed professional engineer, passing the PE exam is one of the most difficult,” Engelstad said. “Although the pathway to becoming a professional engineer is biased towards the traditional path of a four-year college followed by a four-year internship with an engineering firm, Kevin is part of a small group at Encore that are proving an alternate path for a design/build electrician to become a licensed professional engineer.”
“Watching Kevin Rohr teach himself electrical engineering was genuinely impressive. For nearly two years, night after night, he stayed late, putting in quiet, determined effort and demonstrating a level of dedication rarely seen. His fortitude was truly inspiring and serves as a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through perseverance,” said Preconstruction Manager Dustin Ditri.
Earning a professional engineering license requires passing the FE exam, gaining professional engineering experience, passing the PE exam, and applying for a license through the state board. According to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, the pass rate for the PE exam typically ranges from 55-70%.
Photo of Rohr and his wife, Lynn.
With the addition of Kevin Rohr, Encore Electric now has a third in-house professional engineer, expanding the company’s capacity to produce, review, sign, and stamp electrical design drawings for permitting and plan review.
“My family was very supportive of it, and it took a lot of time away from being at home and being with my family. My wife, Lynn, has been fantastic through the whole process, she understood what was at the end of the road and what I was working towards, and encouraged me just as much as everyone else,” Rohr said.
“I believe that the electrical industry is improved when there is a mix of career engineers working alongside ‘electrician-first’ engineers. Kevin’s dedication and hard work over the last two years is therefore not only a huge step forward for himself but also part of leading the way for others with the dedication and passion to follow. It is part of Kevin’s growing legacy in the electrical trade, and we are fortunate to have him as part of our Encore community,” Engelstad said.
“I hope that it can be an encouragement to others because you can get where you want to go, you can achieve and accomplish hard things, but you’ve got to be willing to put in the work and the effort to accomplish it,” Rohr said. “I feel like I’ve grown considerably in my abilities and skills as an electrician, and I’m really excited about the opportunities and the potential that it opens up.”
Photo of Rohr, Director of Denver Construction Tim Cohn, Engelstad, and Executive Vice President Marlin Linder at 2025 Climbing for Kids Event.