PE, NEBBRCx CP, CxA, GGA
“Leave it better than you found it,” is the ethic that guides Micheal both personally and professionally. An avid camper, he’s spent a lot of time in the Great Smoky Mountains with his tent pitched near clean, clear, cold running streams. “I want to protect that,” declares Micheal. “In many ways, we are dirtying our nest. I see plastic bags and trash blowing around on the roadside and I know they are going to end up in the creek. I’d like us to take our responsibility to the environment seriously.”
Excitement over the 1960s Space Race to put a man on the moon drove Micheal to initially pursue an education in aerospace engineering. But his true fit was mechanical engineering, where he learned how to control energy, use it, and change it from one form to another. With 30+ years of experience in mechanical engineering, commissioning and project management, Micheal has also performed construction administration and taught courses in heat transfer, fluid flow, and thermodynamics. Since 2012, he’s worked as a commissioning agent at Merrick & Company in Georgia.
In addition to his technical expertise and understanding of practical applications, Micheal brings a team mentality to his role as an assessor. He strives to be approachable, be willing to answer questions, and make site visits as smooth as possible. On occasion, he finds teams where sustainability is truly a new concept. “It doesn’t take as much to get them on the right path as they think it will. I really like working with the project teams, and I always look for places where I can offer more ideas and value,” he says.