GEEE Industry Panel

Colorado School of Mines celebrated the third annual GEEE Industry Panel with a remarkable industry representation in attendance. Companies in attendance were CH2MHILL, ARCADIS, and Tetra Tech. These companies were invited to present mission statements and a brief synopsis of their company culture, which has a large bearing on what is desired for potential hires. Students were able to ask these industry professionals specific questions regarding work environments, job searches, and were even given the opportunity to network near the conclusion of the event.

GEEE catered specifically to careers in Mining, Geology, Civil and Environmental Engineering. A light dinner was provided before each company presented. The first business to present was CH2MHILL, a global and wide-reaching enterprise. The company name comes from the initials of the founders in 1946. CH2MHILL employs 30,000 in 60 countries worldwide. The company is a client based firm, and their services span from accounting, human resources, engineering, and construction. A representative from human resources informed the students in attendance about CH2MHILL’s history and purpose. The company receives many resumes a day electronically, so students at the career fair should expect a similar experience in submission for their credentials, as opposed to a hard copy.

The next presentation came from Tetra Tech, a company with 330 offices worldwide and large projects around the globe, including mining in New Mexico and Australia. The vision of the company is to achieve max economic performance throughout the life cycle of a particular resource, with an emphasis on the final restoration portion. It was pointed out that when working with sensitive job sites, companies must realize that environmental permitting is for life; something contracting companies can forget. Tetra Tech also emphasized the importance of fine-tuned networking skills. With the right attitude and approach, along with the necessary abilities to back it up, the company representative delivered the notion that any job can be attained.

An environmental engineer represented ARCADIS on Thursday night. Like CH2HMILL, ARCADIS is a large international company. The company’s US headquarters is located in Highlands Ranch, here in Colorado. ARCADIS has catered to many commercial since the 1800’s, and has experienced many mergers and plenty of growth throughout the years. ARCADIS breaks down their company into four pillars, including TKI (Technical Knowledge Information) and safety. The company stresses safety, as this leads to a complete reduction of injuries at work. ARCADIS believes that students seeking a job need to be able to solve complex problems with a strong core knowledge, but also a diverse interdisciplinary approach in the application of critical thinking. It is also important for engineers to practice and refine communication and writing skills, which can be overlooked in a math and science focused curriculum.

A common theme from all of the companies’ presentations was a focus on work-life balances and finding the job that was the correct fit for an individual and the company. The night presented a valuable learning experience for the students in search of internships and specific careers in geology and civil engineering. The companies that attended the GEEE Industry Panel presented a wide range of career paths and avenues for potential success.