David Bixler, Charlotte Office Principal, S&ME
In an interview with Invest:, David Bixler, Charlotte office principal of S&ME, discussed the firm’s recent milestones, the dynamic growth in the Southeastern United States, strategies to address labor challenges, the impact of economic conditions, technological advancements, sustainability efforts, and the organization’s priorities for the coming years.
What significant milestones and achievements has the firm experienced over the last year?
S&ME has broadened our opportunities and service lines, particularly in the energy sector, with new nuclear opportunities, and an increased presence in aviation quality assurance services at both regional and local airports. Last year was one of our best financial years, which is a great improvement, especially coming out of the pandemic.
How do you perceive the state of the engineering and construction industry, particularly in the Southeastern United States?
There is unlimited potential. The market continues to grow, especially in Charlotte and the entire Southeast. Many people are moving to the area, and there is still a lot of land available for development. I recently attended an Economic Development Council meeting where we discussed pursuing life sciences in this market. At the coast, the widening of the port in Charleston and the new interstate for intermodal facilities are significant developments. The opportunities are strong, but we face challenges in finding good people to fill roles. Many midlevel professionals are either well-entrenched in their current positions or have left the industry, possibly influenced by the pandemic. It has become difficult to find qualified applicants for open positions, which is a challenge we must manage moving forward.
What strategies are in place to navigate the labor constraints and create a stronger talent pipeline?
Internally, we focus on retention through competitive salaries, benefits, work-life balance, and opportunities to work on interesting and challenging projects. For our pipeline, we have recruiters actively searching on platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn, using targeted keywords to find potential candidates.
What is the impact of economic conditions on the industry, particularly inflation and interest rates?
We’re fortunate that the impact on us is minimal. Our diversification across sectors like residential, healthcare, energy, and aviation helps us weather economic fluctuations. Many of our employees are cross-trained, allowing us flexibility. I’ve been in this market for 24 years, and economic concerns often arise during presidential election years, but we typically bounce back quickly.
We’ve adopted a “survive until 25” mindset, acknowledging that interest rate cuts are unlikely this year and inflation is up. Our diversified portfolio means we still secure municipal and private developer work, bolstered by established relationships rather than just winning low bids.
The energy sector remains strong, particularly in solar and transmission lines. While there’s some pushback on data centers from municipalities due to their power demands, this opens opportunities for small modular reactors, which are self-sufficient nuclear facilities. Data centers may start using these to operate off the grid.
How are you leveraging technology in your operations?
We emphasize continuing education and technical principals to evaluate new technologies. While I believe AI can’t yet replace the critical thinking required of engineers, such as considering finances and risk tolerance in geotechnical work, we are exploring its potential benefits. We’ve assigned people to investigate how AI can help us, particularly in marketing and creating tailored documents. However, technical tasks like running a slump test on concrete still need to be done by people in the field.
How would you describe your organization’s commitments to sustainability and how do you integrate this element into your projects and operations?
Sustainability is crucial to us. We have internal groups dedicated to assessing and improving our environmental impacts, such as reducing truck idling and waste disposal. While I may not be the best spokesperson on this topic, I can highlight our work with solar farms, where we support these projects by minimizing environmental impacts during construction.
Looking ahead, what are the organization’s top priorities and goals for the next few years?
Over the next two to three years, our focus will be on retention by offering competitive market pay, benefits packages, and emphasizing our 100% employee-owned structure. This unique aspect is a major selling point, especially in an industry that sees many mergers and acquisitions.
From a business perspective, we will continue to embrace new technologies in nuclear and solar. We are also concentrating on CEI (construction, engineering, and inspection) work, given the ongoing construction, roadwork, and bridge improvements in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Strategic hires will be crucial, bringing in expertise to enhance our existing service lines and develop new ones. This approach ensures we stay at the forefront of the industry and can manage any new opportunities that arise.
