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July 2025 newsletter - A Summer of Growth
PROJECT UPDATES | EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT | NEW HIRES | OTHER UPDATES
The heat is on - and so is the hustle! This summer, SMH proudly welcomed a group of great interns across our offices who are diving into the real-world of civil engineering and surveying projects. They’re rolling up their sleeves, asking great questions, and gaining hands-on experience on various types of projects. Scroll to the bottom to hear about their summer!
“The most surprising component of being at SMH is how I have been integrated into project design, which is an opportunity I have never had before in an internship.” - Ellie
“I didn't have any experience in drafting before I started, but everyone has been very helpful, and I have been constantly learning.” - Brett
“This is my third summer with SMH, and one thing that keeps me coming back to the company is the people. They are always so willing to help and make it easy for me to ask them questions and learn from their experiences.” - Sean
“The company is focused on creating a learning atmosphere, and you can tell that they are truly invested in the experience they provide for the interns.” - Katherine
“Being a part of SMH this summer has been a fantastic opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects with experienced engineers who want me to succeed!” - Bradley
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![FLINT HILLS COMMUNITY ACCELERATOR - MANHATTAN, KS]()
FLINT HILLS COMMUNITY ACCELERATOR - MANHATTAN, KS
The walls are up at the Flint Hills Flint Hills Community Accelerator! This development will house initiatives to strengthen childcare, education, healthcare, and employment in Manhattan. We are proud to provide the civil engineering services that support this visionary project and its mission to uplift the community. We’re excited to see how this space will inspire collaboration and create a lasting impact for generations to come.
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![EDGERTON GREENSPACE]()
EDGERTON GREENSPACE - EDGERTON, KS
The Greenspace is officially open! Located in the heart of Edgerton, it features a gym, fitness room, and rentable community spaces, quickly becoming a favorite gathering place for residents of all ages.
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![4-Way Commercial Development - Colorado Springs]()
4-WAY COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT - COLORADO SPRINGS
The SMH team is providing surveying and civil engineering for the upcoming 4-Way Commercial Development. This will consist of a storage facility with large internal and external storage units, RV storage spaces, and a portion of a new public road.
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![6TH AND SOULE IMPROVEMENTS]()
6TH & SOULE IMPROVEMENTS - DODGE CITY, KS
We are currently in the discovery phase, working through the concept development. This week we meet with the USD 443 and the City to discuss those concepts. Future improvements to 6th Avenue and Soule will help create a safer and better situation for everyone using the corridor during pick up and drop off times.
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![LANSING AQUATIC CENTER]()
LANSING AQUATIC CENTER - LANSING, KS
The Lansing Aquatic Center is taking shape for the 2025 summer season, featuring a lazy river, lap pool, zero-entry pool, bathhouse with staff offices, and a new parking and drop-off area.
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![KINSLEY SUBDIVISIONS]()
KINSLEY SUBDIVISION - KINSLEY, KS
We are designing Phase I of the project, which includes developing four tri-plex units. Future phases offer opportunities for additional units or lot sales, providing the client and community with flexible, scalable development options.
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![ONE VELA - COLORADO SPRINGS]()
ONE VELA - COLORADO SPRINGS
Coming soon...a new 27-story high rise building in Colorado Springs. This development is projected to bring 400 new homes, 8,329 feet of retail space, thousands of local jobs, millions in tax revenue, and a vibrant and evolving walkable urban core. The SMH team provided surveying and platting and its progressing through the design and approval process.
Todd’s LATEST FAVORITES:
Favorite Podcast: Horse Soldiers
Favorite Music: Real Country, Classic Rock
Favorite Food: Steak, Mexican Food, Potatoes, Club Sandwich, Pizza, Cheeseburgers
Favorite TV Show: Cheers
When did you start at SMH? February 2009
What do you enjoy most about working here? I enjoy the variety of projects that we do and the people employed here.
Why did you decide to become an engineer? I've always enjoyed being involved in the construction of anything - whether its hands-on, like building houses in my youth, or through design and planning. I also expected steady demand for engineers, providing good job prospects nearly anywhere. Lastly, I enjoyed math and science growing up and wanted a career that incorporated both.
What has been your favorite project? My favorite projects have been those involving wastewater treatment plants in Salina, Phillipsburg, Abilene, Clay Center, Hutchinson, Hesston, and Herington.
What advice would you give your younger self just starting in this industry? If entering consulting engineering, be prepared for a lot of bureaucratic red tape, excessive regulations, and frequent government involvement or overreach - things I never considered when starting out.
What is one thing you’ve learned at SMH that has stuck with you? That SMH genuinely cares about their employees – much more so than other places I’ve worked.
When you’re not engineering, what are you doing in your free time? Attending grandkids' events, watching football on tv, and playing or listening to music. I used to quail and pheasant hunt when there were quail and pheasant around here to hunt.
What is an engineering tool, technique, or program that you can’t live without? My calculator.
If you had a work theme song, what would it be? It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
What is the craziest/funniest thing you’ve had happen to you on a job site?Years ago, when I did a lot of surveying, it was pretty funny seeing a coworker get tangled in an electric fence once I knew he wasn’t hurt. Another time, Tim Sloan tore a page out of the Employee Manual and threw it out after discovering we’d jokingly added “supply beer to the survey crew on Fridays” as a duty for the party chief. He took the joke well! (FYI...No, we do not supply beer on Fridays).
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Patrick Siebert, PLS
Land Survey Manager - Manhattan
I am excited about the opportunity to grow professionally and to continue learning new and innovative ways of approaching challenges. Expanding my skill set and gaining fresh perspectives are important to me, and I look forward to applying those insights in meaningful ways. At the same time, I'm eager to share the knowledge and experience I've gained over the years to coach, teach, and mentor those around me.
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Blake Rumsey
Construction Inspector - Kansas City
I look forward most to learning about new types of construction, especially the process of building bridges, and the structural aspects of highways and roads. I come from the municipal sector of inspections and so I am very excited to now be doing this work through in the private sector and all the potential that it brings.
Interested in joining our fun and dedicated crew? Check out the job opportunities in the careers page!
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The SMH team from all offices came together in KC for a day of giving back and bonding.
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![Caleb Williams]()
The KC team attended ASCE Young Members Group event at Kauffman Stadium.
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![KRWA]()
Courtney Swanson graduated from Leadership Manhattan.
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![lunch and learn]()
Construction Inspector Ed Willis graduated from Johnson County Community College.
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![KS Senator Starnes]()
The MHK office celebrated Mark Meiers 30th work anniversary.
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![BRKTHROUGH]()
The Colorado Springs team hosted a client appreciaton event.
Name: Ellie Hildreth
School: Kansas State University
SMH Location: Manhattan
Since the start of my internship, I have worked on various projects, including access road layouts and subdivision concept diagrams, as well as sanitary sewer, water line, pond, and dam design. My passion is in water infrastructure design and environmental engineering, so I connect most with water and wastewater projects. The most surprising component of being at SMH is how I have been integrated into project design, which is an opportunity I have never had before in an internship.
What sets this experience apart to create the highlight of my summer at SMH is the culture. Every morning, I walk into a warm and welcoming environment where I can work effectively. Each day, I cycle through working on different projects, mostly with varying information I've needed to learn with help. Being an intern, there are many questions, and with each one I bring up, I am greeted with patience and supportive instructions. At work I am focused and motivated, not only because I enjoy the job, but because the environment around me lifts me up.
Name: Brett Laurie
School: Riley County High School
SMH Location: Manhattan
I am really enjoying learning civil 3d, I've been working on an addition to an RV park and a site plan for a Culvers. I didn’t have any experience in drafting before I started, but everyone has been very helpful and I have been constantly learning. I have been doing so many different things, both on the computer and in the field. I got to fly the drone in Missouri one day, and it was really cool. I learned all about how it works and why we are flying it. I am really enjoying doing different types of projects.
My favorite project so far has been the Culvers because it was pretty big and a little challenging. I wanted to make it perfect, because I really like Culvers and I want to eat there. I also really liked working with the drone. I really like learning about airplanes and how they work, so I loved seeing the drone. It was the biggest one I had ever seen! I also really liked going to the Kansas City office and getting to meet with the other interns and SMH employees. Initially, I wasn't looking forward to the meetings, but they were very interesting, I got to learn about how the company operates and what everyone's role is. Is. I am having a great time and I look forward to the rest of my internship.
Name: Sean Slattery
School: Kansas State University
SMH Location: Dodge City
This is my third summer with SMH. The one thing that keeps me coming back to the company is the people. They are always so willing to help. This makes it easy for me to ask them questions and learn from their experiences. Another thing SMH does is allow me to follow my other passions, like farming. They understand that summer can be busy with planting and harvest. They allow me time to get things done on the farm, making these busy times less stressful all around. I am always very appreciative that they are so understanding and allow me to follow both of my passions simultaneously.
Coming into this summer, grading was something I really wanted to be able to expand my abilities in. The Muirfield project allowed me to do exactly that. The goal of the project was to fix the drainage through a couple lots in a neighborhood in Manhattan. We placed a drain basin to collect storm water and created a berm with the terrain. This allowed me to learn the tools and techniques needed to grade in Civil 3D. I had the opportunity to assist in the initial survey by flying the lots with a drone, so I was able to see the project from the very start.
Name: Katherine Benscoter
School: Iowa State University
SMH Location: Kansas State University
Going into my internship with SMH, I really was not sure what my summer would look like as I have had brief experiences in the civil engineering world, and thus far, have not been shown much into the industry. I met some of the team briefly during the interview, and they seemed nice from what I could tell, but I walked in on my first day and was welcomed into the office with open arms and an office full of people willing to help me succeed and answer any of the many questions I had.
From the start they were working with me to get me certified through KDOT for basic inspection and getting me started on practice projects to better set me up for the rest of the summer. There has never been a dull moment working with the team and any time there was a lull in my work someone was breaking off pieces of their projects to teach me new information. My work weeks have been filled with plot plans, creating sheets for a variety of projects, and my favorite and largest task to date, designing possible sidewalk layouts for two main roads throughout a small town. This project included designing multiple options for sidewalk placement and design and considering the current systems the town had already in place. It required working around drainage ditches, tying into existing structures, both sidewalk/foundation and drainage, replacing an existing box culvert bridge over a ditch, and evaluating what trees needed to be removed and which ones could be saved. This project taught me a lot about layout and design; that there is not just one way to do things, and that not everything is as straightforward as it may seem.
Thus far, my experience with SMH has exceeded expectations and continues to do so. The company culture is focused in creating a learning atmosphere, and you can tell that they are truly invested in the experience they provide for the interns. I look forward to what I learn the rest of the summer and what projects I get into.
Name: Bradley Schluben
School: Missouri S&T
SMH Location: Kansas City
This summer with SMH, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. I have spent most of my time designing sanitary and storm sewers, and I have also had the opportunity to design water lines, drainage plans, surface grading, and permitting for some of the same residential subdivisions. This has allowed me to see most of the aspects of these types of projects and understand what it all takes to complete one.
I have taken a few trips out of the office with engineering and survey teams to see partially constructed projects and past SMH projects. Gaining design knowledge and CAD skills has reinforced and built upon my coursework and leaves me more prepared to enter the field after graduation. Being a part of SMH this summer has been a fantastic opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects with experienced engineers who want me to succeed. It has been great being a part of the team this summer!
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