Celebrating Our Team on Professional Engineers Day

On August 8, 1907, the first professional engineering license was issued to Charles Bellamy in Wyoming. Over a century later, the civil engineering industry vastly grew as our nation’s infrastructure expanded coast to coast. To celebrate our professional engineers’ commitment to protecting public health, safety, and welfare, the National Society of Professional Engineers dedicated a day to PEs. 

At HR Green, we want to recognize our own team members who are licensed professional engineers. Hear stories from their careers and what being professional engineers means to them.

Meet Professional Engineers at HR Green

Ayobamidele Bello, PE – Regional Manager | Texas Water + Wastewater

How did your interest in civil engineering begin?

I grew up in Nigeria, West Africa. My dad was a civil engineer and surveyor when I was little. So from that early age, I’ve always wanted to be an engineer. In high school, you start getting prepped for what career you want when you graduate. At that point, I was leaning towards chemical engineering. I graduated in chemical engineering, but when I transferred to the U.S. to finish my undergraduate education, I decided to pick up environmental engineering as a second major. Just after graduation, my first job was in New Orleans to help rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. From then I gravitated towards the engineering civil side. I enjoy knowing that at least what I do on a daily basis helps the community. It’s basically a fundamental expectation, at least in our world, to have clean water.

What advice do you have for other engineering professionals?

I was fortunate enough that my college professors were all previously employed in the private sector and stressed the importance of trying to get a PE license. It was also a requirement for graduation in my program to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, a primary step in achieving a PE license. So at least from that standpoint, I know not all engineering students have that luxury. 

My advice is to take the FE exam as soon as possible once finishing your education. Most of the knowledge base of the test has to do with what you learn in school. So the quicker you can take it and pass the exam, the faster you can go towards at least trying to take the professional engineering exam. 

Andi Schumann, PE – Project Engineer | Transportation 

What fulfillment do you get from your career as a professional engineer?

It means a lot for me. I just love being in a career where I can have a positive impact on people in the community. And working on projects local to my area is so neat – it’s so fulfilling as a career to be able to design something and see it through and know that you’re having a positive impact on people. I have worked on projects that quite a few people that I know personally have to drive through every day and just getting a few words of positive feedback from them is everything.

Is there a project that stands out to you since becoming a licensed professional engineer?

I would say one of my standout projects in my career was actually a roundabout project here in the St. Louis area. It was a design of two roundabouts and widening a third roundabout in one corridor. There was also a pedestrian component for pedestrians and cyclists. We had a tunnel that was going underneath the roundabout for a trail system that connected two sides of a trail system that were previously just disjointed.

I was in the middle of this roundabout design project when I actually got my professional engineering license. I had some really great mentorship throughout, and I would just say that was one of the projects that I don’t think I’ll ever forget because I learned so much on that job. I was able to really show myself what I could do. It was really neat to be able to work on something local. Then once constructed, to be able to actually drive on something that you designed.

Victoria Dieu, PE – Project Engineer | Transportation

Have you always been interested in transportation?

I was really interested in structures going in. I wanted to do bridges, but then I took a graduate class that was focused on storm sewer design. Once I picked up the storm sewer stuff, it was really fun to do. Working with CAD is like playing a game. When you run your designs and everything comes out perfect, it’s the most satisfying, bringing your designs from your head to life.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

I just like learning new things, and there never seems to be an end to the new things I can work on. I feel like if I was doing the same thing every day, I get pretty bored of it.  But in the engineering field, there’s so much to learn that there’s never a stopping point to the things you can learn. 

Francisco Colón, PE – Project Manager | Fiber & Broadband Services

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

I like to spend my working time building things that really help society, not just making something just to gain money. I like to feel like I’m putting my grain of salt in the development of society. I believe, in the telecommunications industry, we are building the nervous system of this society where we can make people communicate further and further while collaborating faster and faster. I can provide value to society and feel great about it.

What does it mean to be a professional engineer? 

As a professional, an engineer, you will be the person that makes sure that the solutions that are being used for specific problems are optimum and economical, but most importantly, safe for the people out there. So as professional engineers, we are responsible for the solutions that your company or yourself are putting out there, which are sound, concrete, economical and most importantly safe for everyone.

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Sandy Pumphrey, PE, CFM, ENV SP – Project Manager | Water Resources

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

I think being in the water resources area, with a really acute interest in floodplain management, I look at the standpoint of protecting people and the assets they have. For most people, the home is their biggest purchase. Unfortunately, we keep losing property and life to flooding in the United States. I like to think of myself as just adding a little bit of value to that whole issue and helping to make sure that doesn’t continue to happen moving forward.

What does it mean to be a professional engineer? 

It gives credibility to what we do. The public is entrusting us to protect them and to make sure that every part of our designs are not just going to make their issue better, but not going to make their issue worse. So we have to make sure that everything we’re doing is above board and that there’s an ethical component to it.

What advice do you have for other engineering professionals?

I think as professional engineers or even engineers who aren’t PEs, we just need to keep learning. There’s never a point where we’re ‘good to go.’ We have to constantly be looking at the world around us, asking ourselves, ‘How is it changing?’ Which is actually what keeps the industry interesting. It is not a burden. It’s an opportunity to keep the mind fresh and active.

Licensure Resources at HR Green

We are here to support you every step of the way in achieving your professional registrations and licensure. We understand the importance of these credentials and the positive impact they can have on your career. When you are ready, our team is here to guide and assist you throughout the entire process. We applaud your achievements and are committed to helping you succeed in your career.

• Time Off With Pay – We provide you the time off to study, focus, and take each professional registration exam.
• Expense Reimbursement – We reimburse for travel expenses, application/exam fees, study materials, and classes for initial professional licenses.
• Bonus – Once you attain your professional licensure or certification, you are eligible for a bonus in recognition of your hard work.

Professional Engineer Careers at HR Green

HR Green’s mission is to build communities and improve lives. From internships to senior-level positions, HR Green offers career opportunities throughout our geographies. We look for professionals who are highly aligned to our goals and values while allowing individuals and groups the autonomy to achieve their full potential. 

We encourage, equip, challenge, and cultivate our employees to be leaders in our company and their communities. With HR Green you will have opportunities to grow and thrive in an environment that allows you to enjoy your work while building lasting relationships and a legacy of mutual success.

Whether you are already a licensed professional engineer or a recent graduate planning on working toward certification, you will find support through careers and professional development programs HR Green.

Engineering Career Opportunities