Jose Romero, PE and Colton Gill, PE identified a gap in Texas’s engineering community and built something to fill it.
The question didn’t arrive with urgency. It surfaced quietly, repeating itself in hallway conversations and breakout sessions. At Bentley’s first in-person conference since the pandemic, BGE engineer Jose Romero kept hearing the same thing from peers across the country: Why doesn’t Texas have a Bentley users group?
It wasn’t a critique. It was genuine confusion. Florida had one. California had one. Even states with modest transportation programs had established communities where engineers compared modeling workflows, solved OpenRoads Designer (ORD) issues together, and stayed aligned with rapidly evolving digital delivery standards. Texas, one of the largest transportation design markets in the country, had nothing.
Jose returned home with that question still turning over in his mind. And at BGE, questions like that rarely sit unanswered.
Technical Expertise That Positioned BGE to Lead
Jose Romero, PE:
Advancing Modeling Standards and Digital Consistency
During his six years at BGE and with credentials as a Bentley Premier Scholar, Jose has developed a strong technical foundation in roadway design, including alternative route analysis, horizontal and vertical geometry, 3D corridor modeling, and cost estimation. His work on projects such as the Eldorado and Custer widening in McKinney and the SH 191 ramp improvements in Midland demonstrated his ability to use ORD as a tool for design validation and decision-making, not merely drafting.
Jose’s authorship of BGE’s ORD Modeling Manual further strengthened the firm’s digital delivery capabilities. Recognizing the need for consistency across teams and regions, he developed a comprehensive internal standard that improved modeling reliability, reduced rework, and accelerated onboarding for new designers.
Colton Gill, PE:
Integrating Digital Delivery Into Project Leadership
With ten years at BGE and credentials as a Bentley Premier Scholar, Colton brings a broad understanding of how digital tools influence project outcomes. His background in schematic design, combined with his project management experience, has given him insight into how modeling assumptions, software proficiency, and workflow structure affect downstream design and coordination.
Even project managers benefit from understanding where the industry software is going. It helps you scope, estimate, and understand the challenges your team faces.
Colton Gill, PE
Together, they became anchors of BGE’s OpenRoads User Group within the Digital Delivery HUB, the internal ecosystem connecting Bentley users across all four regions. They were the people colleagues called when a model broke, when a workflow needed rethinking, or when a new designer needed more than documentation. Their impact wasn’t just technical; it strengthened BGE’s culture of shared knowledge.
From Observation to Action: Establishing the Local Users Group
Upon returning from the conference, Jose raised the question of a Texas Bentley user group during BGE’s Premier Scholar meetings. Colton had reached similar conclusions through his own professional interactions. When Bentley later distributed a statewide interest form seeking volunteers to help establish a Texas Local Users Group (TLUG) and identify potential officers, both engineers responded immediately.
Their decision was straightforward. For years, they had informally performed the work that TLUG would formalize — connecting engineers, sharing technical knowledge, and helping colleagues stay ahead of evolving digital delivery practices. TLUG provided the structure to expand that work statewide.
With Jose and Colton serving as founding officers, TLUG launched as a new technical resource for Bentley users across Texas, with BGE playing a central role in its formation.
Building a Sustainable Technical Community
From the outset, Jose and Colton were intentional about the structure and purpose of TLUG. Their goal was to create a sustainable, value-driven community rather than a passive directory or short-lived discussion forum. To support this vision, they established multiple communication channels, including a LinkedIn presence, a dedicated email list, Bentley-supported outreach, and alignment with BGE’s internal Bentley Community.
They also broadened the group’s intended audience. TLUG was designed not only for designers and modelers but also for project managers and technical leaders. Colton has emphasized that when project managers understand the digital tools driving design, they make informed decisions regarding scope, schedule, and resource allocation. TLUG’s structure reflects this broader, more strategic view of digital delivery.
Their story is one of initiative, collaboration, and a commitment to elevating the industry. By stepping forward, Jose and Colton have not only strengthened BGE’s internal Bentley Community but also helped shape a statewide network that will benefit engineers, designers, and agencies for years to come.
About BGE, Inc.
For 50 years, BGE, Inc. has served public and private clients as a full-service, multidiscipline engineering consulting firm with integrated capabilities. BGE delivers a broad range of advisory services, technical expertise, and innovative, sustainable solutions to support local, regional, and national communities as they shape the future of infrastructure. Backed by five decades of civil engineering leadership, BGE helps client partners solve their most critical challenges. For more information,https://www.bgeinc.com/
