1. What is CMTA?
CMTA is a consulting engineering firm specializing in the design of mechanical and electrical infrastructure within buildings. Many people are unaware that between 20% and 60% of a building’s construction costs are due to MEP engineering. These systems often remain concealed behind walls and ceilings, going unnoticed until there are issues, which then highlight their impact on building users.
Over the past five years, our industry has increasingly focused on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. CMTA was founded on the principles of high-performance mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems and is recognized as a national leader in sustainability and decarbonization, including the healthcare industry and its sub-markets.
With 44 offices across the United States and nearly 1,000 employees, CMTA combines a familial atmosphere at each office with access to national expertise. Our people are our most valuable asset, and we work diligently to maintain a culture that ensures everyone looks forward to coming to work. Having been with the company for 21 years, I can confidently say we have consistently adhered to this approach.
2. What was your professional journey that led you to working for CMTA?
I started my career back in 1999 with DLR Group, cutting my teeth in the industry for 4 years. But after having our first child, we decided to move back to Fargo, and I joined Obermiller Nelson Engineering (Obernel). Working in Fargo for 17 years was an amazing experience. Fargo is a small market comparatively, however, it has a large healthcare, higher education, K12 and commercial presence which allowed me to design many different building types. At the time I didn’t realize what a gift this was.
After focusing as a design engineer, my thirst to grow Obernel from a single office in Fargo to something much bigger took over. I was blessed with my business partner, Jeremiah Christenson, as we both had big ambitions to grow the company. Over the next 16 years, I was on the move helping grow new offices across North Dakota and Minnesota. I suppose my atypical engineer personality was a great fit for this position.
In 2021, Obernel was acquired by LEGENCE and merged with CMTA under our parent company. After 22 years in the industry, getting the opportunity to be part of something bigger while keeping the small family feel was a shot of adrenaline that anyone needs after working in the same industry for this long. Not everyone can have their career reinvigorated after 20+ years. It’s incredible.
3. Can you share some things your organization has done that you are most proud of?
Where to begin! If I had to summarize everything, it would be down to these few points: 1) Midwest growth. 2) Friendships with clients and coworkers. 3) Making an impact in the world through sustainable design.
Midwest Growth: Sometimes, I stand in the Minneapolis office and feel proud seeing nearly 40 professionals working hard for their futures and families. Nine years ago, CMTA didn’t have a presence in Minneapolis, but now people can walk through our doors and contribute to global change. Although Minneapolis is where I work, we also have Midwest offices across Minnesota and North Dakota. We are part of the fabric of our communities, designing hospitals, schools, places of worship, restaurants, manufacturing plants, sports complexes, and more.
Friendships: With almost 25 years in the industry, I’ve built some wonderful friendships. I’ve collaborated closely with hundreds of people, not just briefly, but often sitting across from them solving problems. Our industry’s success depends on communication to design and build structures, sometimes over five-year projects. These long periods working together naturally lead to the formation of strong connections and friendships.
Designing a Greener Future: CMTA leads in net zero energy and zero carbon design. With over 44 offices nationwide and thousands of building projects annually, our sustainable designs are pushing towards a greener future. This goes beyond benefits to our climate; it improves our communities and provides healthier buildings for the people using them. It’s exciting to be part of something larger than myself and being on the front lines of these innovations.
4. What motivates you as a leader?
Earning someone’s trust. Trust is not given, it is earned. It is extremely hard to break into someone’s inner circle and get the opportunity to work alongside them. I believe CMTA has a unique value proposition, you can talk about it until you are blue in the face, but it takes a project opportunity to show it. And that is what motivates me. Just give us an opportunity and CMTA will show you something different when it comes to consulting engineering and how we take care of our clients.
It is also very fulfilling and motivating to watch team members within CMTA earn the trust of our clients who may not be our designated leaders. There is nothing better than having someone tell me that one of our clients called them directly on a new project opportunity. Leaders should have enough humility to get out of the way so the next group take over.
5. What advice would you give to aspiring healthcare leaders who are looking to make an impact in this industry?
Honesty, you need to learn something new every day. The industry is changing at lightning speed and what you know now will change tomorrow. Keep your ear to grindstone and your head up looking to the future. You need to be vulnerable enough to admit you don’t know everything. You need to look for opportunities to think outside the box and challenge the status quo throughout your entire career. The healthcare industry has a lot of momentum, and it will take all of us to make a difference.
Make connections with as many people as possible. It seems like a large world, but it is pretty small when you start to dig into it. The connections you make along the way will help you see the industry through a different lens. Through your conversations, you will learn new parts of the industry and allow you to grow as a professional.
6. How do you see the healthcare industry changing in the next 5-10 years and what is your organization doing to stay ahead of those changes?
From healthcare systems to medical device companies to research labs, the number one priority of the healthcare industry is to take care of the patients, and this will never change. These organizations spend millions of dollars on new technologies that help healthcare professionals care for those in need and rightly so. The healthcare industry is changing in how it thinks about sustainability. Sometimes this is an internal goal and sometimes it’s being mandated by local governments. This shift has impacts beyond patient care that affect budgets and building design.
To help change the future in high-performance healthcare design, CMTA understands the cost of implementation needs to be within reach. We have a specialized team, Building Science Leadership (BSL), which brings together our national expertise monthly to learn from each other and share. They work with project teams on everything from high-performance HVAC systems to supporting flexible infrastructure to efficient lighting to how we’re powering buildings and more. Coming from a small company back in Fargo ND, it is mind boggling to see the power of CMTA’s critical mass and its influence on project innovation.
7. How does your company prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in terms of your workforce and the services you offer?
Admittedly, the construction industry is not as diverse as other industries. Fortunately, the needle is shifting for the better. CMTA understands that a diverse group of people produces better project outcomes and value that across our teams.
In addition to career fairs, we volunteer for STEM days in K12 schools, knowing that if you expose students to STEM careers early there is a better chance of them entering our field. We also have very strong internship and co-op programs as well as speak to post-secondary institutions.
In our projects, we regularly bring in trade partners that fall into disadvantaged business categories. It’s another way we can increase the voices at the table while helping them build their portfolio and have the opportunity to work on larger projects. CMTA acknowledges that engineering specifically has a long way to go in terms of diversity and we strive to be part of that change.
8. What do you see as the biggest opportunity and challenge facing the healthcare industry in Medical Alley?
From a consulting engineering perspective, many of the healthcare systems’ facilities have aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced. Replacing these systems can require parts of the building to be shut down which causes logistical problems as well as money to replace, both making it a challenge. There is no perfect solution, so the best solution is to plan for the future and get it into the budget before it becomes an emergency.
Healthcare facilities are some of the largest consumers of energy per square foot, therefore our industry is working to help change this for the better. As the aging mechanical and electrical systems are scheduled to be replaced, CMTA continues to work hard to find the most energy efficient solutions at affordable price points that are facilities teams friendly.
9. What are your hobbies or things you enjoy doing when not at work?
If you ask my wife of 26 years, she will say too many hobbies – I can’t deny this! Some of my current hobbies stem back from my youth, including hunting and fishing with my father. I didn’t know it when I was young, but hunting was a way to put food on the table for our family, generally venison or fish as a source of protein, I guess it was cheap food and good memories. Today, I still spend the falls in the woods with my son and recently back to fishing at his request too – can’t say no when your kids ask!
For those who know me best, they understand I have an affinity for cars. My father was a mechanic, so I spent much time with him fixing other people’s cars in our garage on the weekends. Many years later and a little more time on my hands, I started tinkering with cars again. My pride and joy is a 1968 Camaro, which have been working on in my garage for the last three years. I wish I paid a little more attention to my dad when he was working for when it breaks down.
10. What is your favorite thing about the Medical Alley community?
Being constantly surprised by all the different kinds of businesses that support the healthcare industry and everyone’s openness to share. Going back to my early comment about always trying to make new connections. The exciting part of Medical Alley is the opportunity to meet so many new people with some sort of connection to the healthcare world. It is easy to have a conversation and quickly find out where your professional careers paths and passion cross then let the conversation go from there.
