Steve Meininger chose the engineering field for four reasons: he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps; he thought it was something he might like to do; he liked to see things accomplished; and he liked a variety of challenges.
Mr. Meininger already liked math and science. He also liked to see things built, changed or improved. With the desire to pursue an engineering career, he applied to Virginia Tech. While a freshman, he still remembers opening the letter announcing that he was a recipient of a full undergraduate Via Fellow- ship.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1991, Mr. Meininger went on to complete his master’s degree at Clemson University in Environmental Systems Engineering. After acquiring his latest degree, Mr. Meininger was hired by CH2M HILL as a process engineer at its Atlanta office in 1993. For a company that touts itself as a full-service engineering, consulting and construction firm, Mr. Meininger was a perfect fit. During his tenure at CH2M HILL, he had a heavy hand in improving several wastewater treatment facilities. One of those projects included developing state-of-the-art control logic required to respond to a storm or spill event. Mr. Meininger’s efforts helped streamline several wastewater treatment plant operations. He also had a hand in designing several wastewater treatment plants, saving one manufacturing client $1.5 million in construction costs.
Mr. Meininger was the lead process engineer responsible for coordination and implementation of the process startup and performance testing for the Hoechst Celanese Corporation’s Spartanburg wastewater treatment plant, which he also helped design. He quickly rose to the leader role for a 30-person startup team.
He developed a process startup work plan, conducted several workshops to prepare the team, coordinated onsite activities, and made process decisions required for the successful startup of the wastewater treatment plant. The startup exceeded the team’s best-case scenario and resulted in a fully operational facility within several days.
For a client in Wilmington, N.C., Mr. Meininger provided technical support and onsite assistance with startup of a two- sludge aerobic biological treatment system. His responsibilities included review of the reactor design, equipment selection, onsite construction of pilot facilities, and oversight of startup.
Mr. Meininger was the lead process engineer for a pilot program to remove 1,4-dioxane from an industrial client’s wastewater. The project involved conceptual development and design of configurations to remove 1,4-dioxane and other pollutants. As part of the project, he evaluated various technologies resulting in eight configurations for removal, four of which were successful. In addition to removal, he developed a method for detecting low levels of 1,4-dioxane.
In 1997, Mr. Meininger transferred to CH2M HILL’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) division (CH2M HILL OMI) and was promoted to project manager in Richmond, Va. He was tasked with managing the company’s Flagship Industrial O&M project at the DuPont-Spruance site. This multi-million-dollar contract included operating and maintaining industrial waste- water, groundwater, and alum sludge dewatering treatment systems. In this position, he managed the operation of a 10-mgd biological treatment facility. During his tenure, Mr. Meininger and his teams won CH2M HILL OMI’s prestigious Presidential Teamwork Award for Customer Focus for an unprecedented two consecutive years. Only one Presidential Teamwork Award is given annually for the entire company in this category. He won the award after saving DuPont $300,000 while managing its facilities.
CH2M HILL OMI once again promoted Mr. Meininger in 2000. He became the company’s regional business manager in Columbia, Md. While in this capacity, he was responsible for multiple projects throughout North America. He assisted project managers with staffing, technical performance, quality, and budgeting. He worked on water, wastewater, groundwater treat- ment, steam and compressed air production, and cooling water management utilities in various industries including food processing, steel manufacturing, forest products, automotive, and transportation.
In 2002, after nine years at CH2M HILL OMI, he was again promoted – this time to vice president and regional business group manager. He is now responsible for delivery of all industrial and federal projects nationwide and its municipal projects in the Northeastern United States. He also is responsible for the company’s Technical Services Group that provides operations and maintenance solutions to worldwide customers. He is responsible for approximately 500 employees providing operations and maintenance services to more than 70 facilities with an annual revenue over $60 million.
Mr. Meininger is certified in Georgia as a professional engineer, and he is certified at Virginia’s highest level as a wastewater operator. Additionally, he is member of the Water Environment Federation and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
He resides in Columbia, Md. with his wife, Lynn, and three children – Drew, 8, Luke, 6, and Faith, 4. In his spare time, he enjoys competing in triathlons and marathons.