My name is Steve Thompson, and I AM ZACHRY.

 

 

For the past 19 years, I’ve worked in the Omaha engineering office that was once owned by Utility Engineering before Zachry acquired that company. I began my career with the Nebraska Public Power District in its fossil and nuclear engineering groups after graduating in 1982 from South Dakota State University where I majored in electrical engineering.

At Zachry, I’m proud to have helped build a strong electrical engineering department in Omaha that not only has veterans like me, but young engineers just out of college. I think it’s very important to have long-term employees who understand the values and objectives of the company, and I enjoy my role as mentor to new engineers so eager to learn.

For the past year, I’ve been splitting my time between my home base in Omaha and Houston where I’m senior project manager on the Freeport LNG (FLNG) project, assisting the Zachry/CB&I team there.  The massive scale of the FLNG project is just mind-boggling. It’s a multi-billion dollar plant that, while not the first of its kind, is one of the first with the technologies being used. Traditionally, these liquefied natural gas (LNG) refrigeration compressors are driven entirely by a gas turbine. But to comply with air emissions standards, this one is being powered by electric motor-driven compressors. It’s a real trendsetter in that respect, with a lot of complexities.

When I heard I was nominated for this recognition, it definitely caught me by surprise. I don’t view myself as any more hardworking or deserving of recognition than a lot of other people in the company. I feel honored, but don’t need mass recognition to feel good. Just the work itself is a reward. I like sharing the knowledge I’ve acquired. I had mentors do that very thing when I was starting out, and I know how important that is not only to individuals, but to Zachry as a whole. I always want to live up to the company’s high standards and that is why I AM ZACHRY.

 

This blog is an excerpt from the January/February 2015 edition of the Force Report.