Welcome To the Summit Spotlight: Key Hire edition!

Summit is thrilled to welcome Russ as our newest Operations Manager! With a career path that’s as dynamic as the projects he’s worked on, Russ brings a wealth of experience and an undeniable passion for civil engineering. From his early days as a college student on a music scholarship to leading municipal projects and growing his own business, Russ’s journey has been shaped by curiosity, adaptability, and a drive to make a lasting impact.

In this interview, Russ shares his unique career story, the challenges and rewards of his work, and what drew him to Summit. Get to know the man behind the plans and learn how his expertise and vision will help shape our projects across the Southeastern US!

Tell us a bit about your professional background and what drew you to your career path! 

My career path has definitely not been a straight line. I’m from a small town, just outside of nowhere anyone has heard of – about an hour from the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. I started college in Mississippi, where I studied business advertising on a music scholarship. After my freshman year, I transferred to Geological Engineering because I liked the Geology 101 class I had, and Ole Miss had one of only 11 accredited programs in the country. After graduation, I moved to Atlanta and worked on construction sites testing soil and concrete.  

My first engineering job at a civil firm was a few months later, and I was excited about it. As it turns out, I was pretty good at site design, and my first Project Manager was patient enough to explain the “why” as well as the “how.” The explosion of work in pre and post-Olympics Atlanta ended up exposing me to so many different types and sizes of projects that I felt confident enough to start a company in 2005, which operated until I went to work for the City of Asheville in 2019. Seeing municipal work from the other side and understanding the challenges of government changed my opinions about some stereotypes (and reinforced some others). I left the city in 2023 for another management position and was there until I noticed the opportunity with Summit this Fall.  

The Operations Manager position seemed to align extremely well with my experience and goals, and I knew it was the right fit after meeting the people in the organization. 

What do you enjoy most about your work? 

Civil engineering, in general, is one of the most impactful jobs in the world, and nobody really knows it. It is only noticed when things go wrong, but a million times a day it goes right. Think about the road that you drove on yesterday that wasn’t flooded, or the traffic signal that wasn’t backed up. From the web of underground nonsense that keeps the economy going to the new trail that leads to the neighborhood park, the Civilization we interact with every day was once some lines on a paper that a contractor probably ignored 

What attracted you to Summit?

The size of the company and its regional base attracted me to Summit; the opportunity for growing the Western North Carolina and Georgia market is exciting.  

What are some key projects or initiatives you’ve worked on in the past that you’re particularly proud of? 

Most of my career has been working on run-of-the-mill developments like neighborhoods, office parks, industrial buildings and things that seem unexciting. Unless it is your home, your office or your restaurant, most are just pieces and parts of the community. I did seal drawings for the Georgia Aquarium and several mid-rise offices that were pretty impressive. However, the most rewarding projects I’ve been a part of over the years are the multimodal trails around metro Atlanta. These have the highest not-in-my-backyard to these-are-wonderful swing of any project after construction. It is great to see how quickly these are adopted and used in communities that really needed them.

Any other fun facts or interesting things about yourself that you would like to share? 

[My wife] and I have been married for 26 years. We have two kids, aged 20 and Mia 16Snowboarding is the one activity that my kids will still do with me and my wife. I didn’t pick up trying to ski until I was 30 years old, and it has been quite painful. It is still my family’s favorite vacation/weekend/snow day activity when we can all get together. I still like to play guitar and sing with friends when I can, and we love concerts and live music.