Brendan Walashek: Building a More Connected Future

After 25 years in the industry, Brendan Walashek still jokes that his parents don’t quite understand what he does. “I tell them it’s Google Maps on steroids,” he laughs. But what Brendan does is far more powerful than navigating from A to B. As the GIS Branch Manager at McElhanney, he leads a growing team of geospatial professionals who are quietly reshaping how communities plan, respond, and thrive.

GIS—Geographic Information Systems—sounds technical. But Brendan makes it relatable. “It’s a map with a database behind it,” he explains.

“You can click, zoom, and drill into data—whether it’s utilities, flood zones, or transportation networks. You’re not looking at a dumb paper map anymore. These maps are intelligent.”

Brendan’s path to GIS wasn’t straightforward. He started out coding on a Commodore 64, dabbled in everything from English to meteorology in college, and finally landed in physical geography. When he discovered GIS—where tech and terrain meet—it clicked. “I realized I could combine coding with maps and actually make a difference.”

That drive to make a difference propelled Brendan through a career that started in the dot-com boom and took him from Vancouver to Taiwan and back. Along the way, he learned that good ideas don’t always land at the right time. His early project to put maps on mobile phones came years before the tech was ready.

“We had it working, but the hardware didn’t exist yet. Timing is everything.”

Still, that experience led to his pivotal role at McElhanney. Back then, GIS was a side project. “There were two of us,” Brendan recalls. “We had to convince engineers and surveyors to adopt something completely new. It took passion, proof—and patience.” The breakthrough came when Brendan could show real value. “If you can turn a 20-hour task into a 2-hour one, people start listening.”

Brendan didn’t just get people to listen—he built a team. Today, McElhanney has over 30 GIS specialists supporting clients across sectors: natural resources, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and more. Their custom web platform, Vertisee, now powers everything from flood response to infrastructure planning.

“We were called during the 2021 atmospheric rivers,” he remembers. “They needed real-time data to get food to stranded livestock. That’s when it hits you—this work really matters.”

Alongside technical growth, Brendan fosters a culture of mentorship. “I don’t want anyone to be a jack of all trades,” he says. “I’d rather support people to go deep in their area. And most of all, we listen. That’s how we solve real problems.”

Looking ahead, Brendan sees GIS evolving even further—integrating AI, gaming engines, and immersive data visualization. But some truths stay the same. “People may still say ‘we don’t need GIS,’” he admits.

“But you don’t need everyone’s buy-in. You need the right people—and they’ll sell it for you.”

If you’ve ever felt alone in your effort to drive change, Brendan’s story is proof that persistence, vision, and a bit of scrappy innovation can lead to big impact.

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