Owner Spotlight: C. Shem Hawes, PE
As Civiltec moved from a productive spring into the energy and momentum of summer, we caught up with one of our owners to get a feel for this quarter’s productivity and path forward. Shem Hawes, PE is a Principal within the firm, Principal Engineer and Fullerton Branch Manager with 22 years of industry experience, including 18 years with Civiltec, Shem brings a steady and insightful presence to both technical leadership and team development. In this spotlight, he shares thoughts on recent milestones, seasonal inspiration, and how his passion for cycling and family life continues to fuel his approach to leadership and work/life balance.
What’s your vision for Civiltec in these summer months, both in terms of project momentum and team culture?
As we continue in the summer months I envision sustaining our current business practices and positioning ourselves well for a strong end-of-year performance. We have strengthened our organization throughout Arizona and California and have opportunities to continue building a solid backlog in the coming months.
What accomplishments or milestones from the second quarter are you especially proud of so far this year?
Coming out of Q2 I am reflecting on the steady performance of the Civiltec organization. We should be happy to have experienced such accomplishments despite facing economic headwinds. We are reaping the rewards of consistent contributions throughout our organization over the course of many years.
In your 18 years with the firm how have you seen Civiltec shift and grow? What in that growth excites you?
Our firm has grown in so many ways over my tenure at Civiltec. We have diversified our services and that has enhanced our ability to better serve our clients. We have incorporated core capabilities in our service offerings. This has included the establishment of our electrical engineering group, structural engineering group, process engineering group, expansion of our survey service line, refining our civil engineering offerings and all other support systems. The leaders within these disciplines have been instrumental to ensuring project successes. It has been exciting to see these elements of our organization materialize. I see greater growth and expansion of these disciplines, as well as future acquisition or initiation of additional competencies into our core service offerings.
Are there any new initiatives or goals launching this summer that you’re particularly excited about?
We are implementing initiatives to strengthen our corporate systems. As a growing company we rely on the relationships within our ownership group to be forward thinking and to ensure that the primary functions of our corporate team are meeting the needs of all employees, clients and business systems.
You are approaching 20 years with the firm. What is it about the culture here at Civiltec that keeps you energized to come to work in a leadership role?
I am so happy to be a part of an organization that exemplifies service. This mentality emanates throughout all offices and lends itself to collaboration and a desire to contribute to our fellow employees and our communities. Seeing this in action as we reach out and donate time, resources, and funding to fulfil community needs is so rewarding. I appreciate that we are so generous and this is shown through the countless hours that we invest in not only serving our client but also serving each other and our communities.
How do you personally recharge or refocus during the summer—and how would you encourage your team to do the same?
As I approach the tail end of raising my children and with most of my children moving to the next phase of their respective lives, I do enjoy the time to reconnect with them and with extended family over the summer. This year we celebrated the wedding of my oldest daughter Miranda. This experience has allowed me to take some time to rejoice in new beginnings while reminiscing on past successes. I would encourage our employees to be present in celebrating your relationships. This can happen in so many ways, I like to call it work-life presence. Meaning you can find joy in being present and attentive in whatever aspect of your life you find yourself.
With offices in both California and Arizona, how do you see Civiltec staying connected across locations this summer?
While I spend time in each of our California offices each week, I intend to stay connected with our entire organization by making trips to visit the Arizona offices. Having the opportunity to see and interact with our entire team within each office setting will be a refreshing experience. I look forward to connecting with all our team members through face to face interactions.
What advice would you give to team members looking to grow their impact at Civiltec in the second half of the year?
Civiltec is a great organization that encourages a variety of opportunities that challenge our team members. I would encourage our teams to welcome challenges as we grow in different ways through the second half of the year.
Looking back at some of the complex water and wastewater projects you’ve led, is there one that stands out as a defining moment in your career—and what made it so impactful?
There have been a collective of projects over my career that have contributed to impacting our teams and my life. In recent memory our Monrovia team implemented the development of the Terminal Island Treatment Plant project (Microfiltration and Advanced Oxidation) for the City of Los Angeles. Many of our team members were able to visit this advanced wastewater treatment to see the results of their work efforts. The end result was crystal clear water that some of our team was brave enough to drink. This project was delivered via the design-build mechanism and was fully developed in 3D. This was the first project of this type that Civiltec implemented in three dimensions. This could only be implemented due to the great ingenuity of our team members who were adaptable in this new design environment. As a result, many new project opportunities have materialized and have been developed in three dimensions.
As Civiltec continues to grow, how do you approach balancing hands-on project work with mentoring the next generation of engineers?
As our team has grown and become more sophisticated, I have had the opportunity to work one on one with the young engineers and designers of Civiltec. In these moments I have tried to focus on understanding and opportunity. Much of what we do requires a choice in project development with limitations and controls. Understanding the opportunity in project development ensures project success. We also have enjoyed many monthly site visits to unique project sites. Our young engineers have stepped up to present their project knowledge and expertise. In doing so they have learned a great deal and have also imparted engineering and design knowledge to all team members.
If you could plan a dream getaway with your family, where would you go? What would be the must-do activity?
Our family is lucky to enjoy each other’s company and would have a splendid time in whatever location we find ourselves. I think at this point our family would enjoy visiting Cali, Colombia once again to reconnect with my wife’s grandmother. Her grandmother is approaching 100 years old and was such an influential figure in my wife’s life we would have a wonderful time seeing her and knowing she is well.
How has your passion for athleticism, especially cycling, shaped your mindset as a leader and helped you maintain a healthy work/life balance?
Cycling has become a hobby for me somewhat later in life. While I have enjoyed mountain biking throughout my life, it has only been recently that I have begun to road cycle. Staying active has been integral to my well-being and I find myself cycling every day in some form. At times I will cycle into Fullerton or Upland. You might call this multi-tasking (i.e. commuting to work while getting some exercise). I like to focus on a work/life presence. There may be times when work needs my attention more than life and the other way around may be true, yet when I am present in the needed aspect I feel greatly satisfied.
