Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 41

for people who need it the most. Their only benefit is the satisfaction of knowing that many more people will have access to clean
water. It was amazing to me that they've never been to South Sudan
before, they don't know the people there, but they felt compelled to
help people who need access to clean water."
Zadina also volunteers with a program that helps connect refugees with professional networks in Omaha. He's currently mentoring an engineer from Syria. The Syrian has a doctorate in electrical
engineering, but he had been doing maintenance work on equipment in the U.S. until he was recently promoted to an industrial
engineer position.
Zadina says that the firm assisted with his mentoring efforts-
inviting the Syrian engineer to professional lunches, reviewing his
resume and bringing him in for a mock interview. "Those kinds
of things are just part of our culture," Zadina says. "If we can help
somebody, we should."
VALUE OF LEADERSHIP

In addition to supporting charitable endeavors, McMeekin explains,
the firm encourages management and employees to take leadership roles in professional organizations and initiatives that have an
impact on public policy.
Pridal, for example, chairs a natural resources committee and
sits on the executive committee of an effort called Heartland 2050,
which aims to provide a strategic road map for the Omaha region.
"Engineers need to be at the table to influence policy," Pridal says.
"We have great expertise. The more we can be at the table, advocat-

ing for the right decisions about the right
projects, the better our communities will
be."
"It is so much more fun to be at
the table at the outset and not be just
brought in as an afterthought," Pridal
adds. "Engineers should be community
partners and not just consultants."
Flaxbeard says that Lamp Rynearson's
broad view of success lines up with his
"It's amazing
own goals, which aren't limited to the
for me to
office. In addition to supporting his volunteering efforts, he says, the company
see how
has supported his involvement with procommitted our
fessional organizations.
"I want to be a leader in this comstaff is to our
pany and a leader in the community,"
communities."
Flaxbeard says. "You can get a paycheck
anywhere. You can practice engineering
NANCY PRIDAL
anywhere. There are probably a lot of
LAMP RYNEARSON
places that perform a similar quality of
work. I think what sets Lamp Rynearson apart is our dedication to the communities we work in. That's
definitely something that's endeared this place to me and something
that has kept me around." n
Calvin Hennick is a business, technology and travel writer based in
Milton, Massachusetts.

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