Engineers Week 2020 is almost here, and to celebrate, we’d like to help you get to know a few of our amazing engineers a little better!
Brennen Fischer, P.E. CFM
Project Engineer
Years with R/M: Almost 7
Why did you decide to become an engineer? My family is made up of architects and engineers. When I was younger, I really tried to convince myself that I wanted to do something a little different, but at the end of the day I always enjoyed science and math and wanted to work in an analytical field. In high school I worked as a drafter for my dad at his architecture firm, which convinced me I was actually pretty good at this stuff. The rest is history.
What’s the best part of your job? I like that I get to work on different kinds of projects with different people every day. It’s a lot of juggling, but I really enjoy the problem solving aspect of engineering and working with other people to solve design challenges that come up.
What’s one thing you use to do your job that you couldn’t live without? Having a separate cell phone for work. It’s always with me and when I’m out at meetings or in the field, anyone can get a hold of me.
What song is stuck in your head right now? Circles by Post Malone
Violet Razo, P.E.
Project Manager
Years with R/M: 15 this summer
Why did you decide to become an engineer? When I was young, my family moved to Mexico where it’s common for middle school students to take classes in a certain trade. I chose drafting and I loved it! I knew I wanted to be an engineer ever since. My dad also worked in the engineering field, so he inspired me as well.
What’s one thing you use to do your job that you couldn’t live without? My laptop. It lets me work from anywhere!
What’s the best part of your job? It’s very exciting to see a project evolve from a concept, to a plan, to a design, and then come to physical fruition in front of you. As an engineer, it’s common to be involved in only the design or only the construction management phases of a project, but I’ve been lucky enough to work on a variety of projects from beginning to end. It’s very fulfilling.
Favorite food: Authentic Mexican tacos with cilantro, onion, and corn tortillas.
Maureen Schneider, e.i.t.
Project Engineer
Years with R/M: Almost 3 years
Why did you decide to become an engineer? My family is full of engineers. I always enjoyed math and science, and my parents really encouraged me to pursue a major that would help me get a job right out of college… but I didn’t! I went to grad school instead, and then decided that I wanted to be an engineer. I also think people who are really into math and science gravitate towards either ACEC or medical career paths, but I’m really grossed out by most medical stuff, so that was out of the question!
What’s one thing you use to do your job that you couldn’t live without? My vertical mouse! I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve always had a lot of problems using a normal mouse to the point that my hand would actually go numb after using one for more than an hour or so. That completely stopped the moment I got a vertical mouse, and it honestly changed my life!
What’s the best part of your job? Water modeling is my favorite. I love the nitty-gritty, problem solving skills and patience it requires. If a situation comes up and you get stuck, you just have to really buckle down and figure it out, and then it’s so exciting when you solve whatever problem you’re having. It forces you to get super focused, and I love that.
What are you doing when you’re not at work? My husband and I are in the process of renovating our house right now and it takes up most of our free-time, but it’s very exciting because we’ve been planning these renovations for years.
Terry Tavera, p.e., cfm, cpesc
Senior Project Manager
Years with R/M: 20
Why did you decide to become an engineer? I took drafting classes in high school and I really enjoyed them, so when I went to UW Madison, I decided to pursue engineering.
What’s the best part of your job? I love getting to see projects I work on come to fruition and improve the day-to-day lives of the communities we serve. It’s very exciting to see the physical reality of something you’ve been a part of, especially when that work makes a difference. We get to improve water quality and clean up the environment while helping our clients develop incredible communities.
What’s one thing you use to do your job that you couldn’t live without? My computer – it’s all digital now!
What are you doing when you’re not at work? I love traveling with my family. Most recently, my wife and I went to Italy, but we’ve been fortunate enough to travel all over the world.
