ADVICE FROM OUR LEADERS
At Baseline, we are very fortunate to have skilled and accomplished leaders guide our engineers. Not only do they have many years of experience, but they are brilliant at what they do. Two of these leaders, Noah Nemmers, PE and Chris Rundall, PE, AP LEED, have been at Baseline for well-over a decade each. Through this time, they have been instrumental to the company’s success.
Noah Nemmers, civil engineering division manager at our Golden headquarters, was first inspired to become an engineer by his father, who worked in an engineering department for many years. He says that being engineer means that, “I get to use my creativity and problem-solving skills every day. I have the opportunity to come up with solutions to problems that others may not have even realized are possible.” Further, his advice for those that are hoping to become an engineer include: narrowing your interests to the type of engineering that you’re interested in and attending a university that offers a strong program in it. He adds that his top professors worked as engineers and shared very valuable, real-world experiences with him.
Chris Rundall, Steamboat Springs division manager at our Steamboat Springs regional office, was inspired to become an engineer by the guidance that his parents gave him; they encouraged him to pursue engineering based on his strengths. Chris feels that being an engineer means “…coming up with solutions to problems that adhere to design criteria while considering constructability and costs.” Across the board, finding solutions to problems is highly valued in the life of an engineer. His advice for those that are just beginning to pursue their engineering career is “…to pursue several internships while in college to get exposure to different companies or agencies and types of work within their engineering field.”
GIRL DAY TODAY
During Engineers Week, Girl Day always takes place. This day is dedicated for current engineers, volunteers, and educators to be role models to aspiring engineers; it is a special day to show young girls how to get involved in STEM and boost their confidence. In organizations across the nation, mentors inspire these girls by showing them how engineers can make a difference in our world. Through activities and exercises, girls are encouraged to utilize their problem-solving skills and to discover their interest in the STEM industry as a whole. Nearly 70% of these girls report that mentors inspired them to take interest in engineering as a potential career. This emphasizes how a small activity, or a little bit of time mentoring, can go a long way.
ENGINEERS OF THE FUTURE
CSU Scholarship Recipient
Baseline’s founder, John McLain, graduated from Colorado State University (CSU) with a degree in civil engineering. Years ago, he created a scholarship opportunity to give back to students from his alma-mater and also encourage them to pursue a career in engineering.
Our company is proud to support members of CSU’s College of Engineering. This year, the Baseline Engineering Scholarship was once again awarded to Florencio Guzman Diaz who is a senior from Trinidad, CO, and majoring in environmental engineering.
Q&A WITH BASELINE’S ENGINEERS
More from our engineers at Baseline! See what they had to say regarding their favorite projects that they worked on between last year and this year.
What was one of your favorite projects that you worked on in 2021/2022? Why?
- “The Mt. Werner Rd. & Steamboat Blvd. Roundabout was my favorite of 2021/2022. We finished design in early 2021 and it was built during the summer construction season. It was challenging on many fronts – both in design and during construction. There was a lot of collaboration between Baseline, our client, the construction manager, and the contractor.” Chris Rundall, PE, LEED AP
- “I was up in Black Hawk every day for a few months monitoring/inspecting construction which gave me invaluable perspective on how design work in the office translates out in the field.” Cody Pfister, EIT
- “Vista West. This project was my first and where I learned more about Civil 3D.” Jake Jackson
- “My favorite project was the Miners Mesa Roadway project in Black Hawk, because it was my first transportation/roadway project.” Lan Van
- “So far, the project that I have liked the most to work on are the driveways in the mountains, it is challenging to create roads where there are none.” Laura Rios
- “Performing construction inspection for the Waggener Farm Recreation Center was a highlight, because I was able to see the construction process of a large project from beginning to end.” Luke Seeber, PE
- “Summerfield project was my favorite project because of the interaction with the client and being able to take what they wanted and turn it into reality.” Mathew Ryan
- “The Simms Technology project gave me the opportunity to do the stream design that I enjoy the most.” Matt Jones, PE, CFM
- “Howelsen Rodeo Grounds. I inherited this project from Zach when he left the firm and I was able to see first-hand how the protocols, means and methods of design employed by Baseline made the transition pretty easy as I was able to run with the project without much help from Chris Rundall. Plus, it was an interesting project that helps meet a much-needed parking solution for downtown Steamboat Springs.” Mike Beurskens, PE
- “Elkhorn Tank Project, the site poses a lot of unique difficulties and nuances for the design of a gravity fed water tank.” Richie Cupp
- “Black Hawk Detention Pond. My first project with Baseline.” Rob Buchholz
- “One of my favorite projects from this past year was the Vista West Keenesburg project. This was my first design experience with a large residential project from start to finish. I learned a lot of good new tools and strategies that I can take with me on all my future projects.” Sean Callahan, EIT
- “ Werner Rd. & Steamboat Blvd. Roundabout. It is rewarding to see your design actually get built and especially one that affects the community in such an impactful way.” Steve Batchelder, PE
- “I enjoyed the construction inspection and observation work I did for the KOA Island project. It was nice to see a plan come to fruition knowing I was part of the project team.” Travis Stephens
A slideshow, with further responses from the engineers, is linked here.
