CEM gives 5 percent of annual funding to local philanthropies

With continued support for and commitment to the growth of the community, CEM awards 5 percent of its annual profits to organizations with philanthropic objectives and initiatives. Harford Family House, Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding and Eden Mill Nature Center received grants from CEM this month.

“There’s nothing more rewarding for our team than witnessing other organizations give back in ways that are unique and valuable to our community,” said Stephanie Hau, president and CEO of CEM. “Each of us has a role to play locally and beyond, and we feel fortunate to be in a position to help fellow organizations fulfill that role.”

A CEM grant recipient for the third time, Harford Family House serves as the largest provider of transitional housing for homeless families with children in Harford County. With an ultimate goal of ending homelessness in the county, the resources provided by the organization have expanded substantially since its inception in 1989. Today, Harford Family House offers 25 housing units to shelter families in need, while also providing education in life skills, job readiness and individualized case management to help families overcome the cause of their homelessness.“We are so very fortunate to have such a great community-minded and philanthropic company right here in our own backyard,” said Robin Tomechki, CEO of Harford Family House, of the organization’s partnership with CEM. “We thank CEM for their generosity and for continuing to make Harford County a better place to live and work.”

Helping fulfill a mission to provide healing and learning to individuals and groups whose minds, bodies and spirits will benefit from the transformative connection between people, CEM awarded a grant to Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding (CTR) for their unique approach to delivering customized and innovative therapy for a range of clientele.

“When corporations like CEM create a ‘generosity stream’ for small, nonprofit organizations, it can truly transform a community,” said Founder of CTR, Cathy Schmidt.

Schmidt initially founded the organization under the basic principle of connecting individuals with horses who may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact. The program expanded significantly beyond therapeutic riding. Programs include corporate teambuilding, leadership workshops and bereavement.

Inspired to provide local communities with educational programs centered on caring for the environment, CEM awarded a grant to Eden Mill Nature Center, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization located in Pylesville. The organization, founded in 1991, dedicates its programs to developing a greater awareness and appreciation of natural and historical resources in the area.

“One of the greatest and most productive relationships for any community is the connecting of local nonprofits and local businesses,” said Frank Marsden of Eden Mill Nature Center. “Eden Mill Nature Committee has been fortunate enough to have such a relationship with a local company, CEM. Through their support, Eden Mill has in the past been able to develop an outstanding Nature Center and recently the ability to enhance and grow our volunteer base and leadership, so that we can give back to our community.”

Through this Charitable Giving Program, CEM fulfills its commitment annually to giving back to the community, including non-profit groups striving to improve the human condition.

For more information on each of the 2017 CEM grant recipients, visit them on the web at www.HarfordFamilyHouse.org (Harford Family House); www.CTRChangingLives.org (Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding); www.EdenMill.org (Eden Mill Nature Center).

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

CEM is excited to launch our Employee Spotlight feature series. Get to know the faces of CEM and learn more about our team members.

Amanda Hudak
Engineering Service Area

Favorite part of working at CEM:

“We share our accomplishments with the community. The more success we have as a company, the more we can give back to the community.

I have been a member of the Al Cesky Scholarship Committee for about one year. The committee raises funds for scholarships that are given out once a year to a male and female of each high school in Harford County based on their athletics and academics. I was recommended to join this committee by a current member who said they were looking for some new faces to help grow the committee. Currently, I help out with anything that the committee needs including, being a secretary and helping with their social media presence. I was also able to offer the CEM office as a meeting place once a month. We just recently had our fundraising banquet which was very successful and in the next year we hope to accomplish a running festival!”

CEM honors Memorial Day with a tribute

CEM is proud to recognize, thank and honor the brave men and women of the extended CEM family who have and continue to serve our country. Happy Memorial Day.

Stephanie Hau

George Novak, U.S. Navy: Father
Charles Muthig, U.S. Marine Corps: Step-father

Joe Hau

Robert Hau, U.S. Army: Father
Russell Jeffreys, U.S. Air Force: Step-father

Frank Baldwin

Michael Baldwin, U.S. Navy: Brother
Adam Baldwin, U.S. Navy: Brother
William Baldwin, U.S. Army: Grandfather

Scott Murray

Timothy Murray, U.S. Navy: Brother
Murril Harple, U.S. Army Air Corps: Grandfather
James Murray, U.S. Army Air Corps: Grandfather

Andy Wishart

Robert Wishart, U.S. Marine Corps: Father
Joe Altmann, U.S. Air Force: Father-in-law
Tim Jahnigen, U.S. Navy: Brother-in-law

Dan Smith

James Smith, U.S. Air Force: Father

Brandon Luedtke

Charles Barksdale, U.S. Army: Step-father

Brian Miller, U.S. Navy

CEM’s Stephanie Hau shares inspiration with 2016 Women of Tomorrow award recipients

Stephanie Hau, CEM’s president and CEO, proudly served as the keynote speaker for the 2016 Women of Tomorrow Awards event on Tuesday, March 29, where she was honored as the “Woman of the Present.”

During this year’s award ceremony, Stephanie had the opportunity to speak to motivated young women in the Harford County community. She shared advice with the young ladies to encourage their curiosity of new ideas, actively consider differences and always seek new and progressive opportunities. Stephanie urged the young women to make an impact in their community and beyond by dedicating themselves to learning, contributing and remaining engaged.

This year, four young women received recognition as nominees for the Harford County Women of Tomorrow Award. Each nominee, honored for their unique dedication to volunteer work, leadership, community involvement and academic excellence, received a nomination from a member of the community and completed detailed essays explaining their thoughts on what it means to be a “Woman of Tomorrow.”

With the passion to improve the human condition and give back to the community, CEM awarded each Woman of Tomorrow nominee with a monetary scholarship award, in addition to gifts provided by Harford County and other generous sponsors.

Proud to have had the opportunity to address such a devoted and community-driven audience, Stephanie and CEM congratulates each nominee for this recognition and wishes each young lady continued success.

National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying appoints CEM’s John Mettee III to national technology task force

CEM proudly announces the recent appointment of John V. Mettee III, head of its land survey division, to a national technology task force committee to study the impact of new technologies on the engineering and surveying professions. The task force committee, part of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying (NCEES), allows a small group of experienced, industry experts to provide insight on critical issues facing the profession.

Mettee joins a prestigious group of industry leaders from across the country to fulfill the charge set forth by the NCEES President Mike Conzett. Through focused independent research and collaboration using a multitude of technologies to interact, the committee will focus on three issues:

1. Electronic seals and signatures on design plans and related documents, establishing guidelines for application to ensure credibility with professionals standing behind the production.

2. The process of building information modeling (BIM) and the ability of multiple professionals to work on design plans simultaneously, establishing guidelines for responsibility and accountability for work in the finished product.

3. Remote sensing technology in surveying applications, developing guidelines for use by licensed professionals.

“As one of the few individuals selected to serve on this committee, it is my honored privilege to not only evaluate the impacts of these technologies on the profession and the public, but to also help in shaping the potential guidelines, which will be utilized locally and across the nation to protect the public,” said Mettee III on his recent appointment. “I value all opportunities to invest in others, as well as improve communities. This is not only my personal focus and goal, but that of CEM as well.”

One of ten professional surveyors and engineers from across the United States strategically selected to participate on the task force, Mettee possesses the ability to affect change for the profession that will have a lasting impact for years to come. In August 2016, the task force will submit all findings to the Council Board of Directors and present to the Council’s annual meeting held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

CEM receives 2015 SmartCEO Cornerstone Award for positive impact on the community

(Bel Air, Maryland: August 13, 2015) In honor of its continued quest to improve the community, the CEM team, represented by leadership and team members, were on-hand to receive the 2015 SmartCEO Cornerstone Award yesterday during a live announcement at an awards luncheon held at The Grand in Baltimore.

The Cornerstone Award celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of local business and honors the contributions and achievements of the 30 top businesses in the Baltimore metro area for their positive economic impact and serving as model stewards of the community. Finalist companies represent all business sizes and industry segments, which have made a positive impact on job creation and retention, market competition and philanthropy.

“The SmartCEO Cornerstone Award truly reflects the contributions of the entire CEM team, I would like to extend my gratitude to each and everyone CEM employee for working hard everyday to improve communities,” said Stephanie Hau, president and CEO of CEM. “Our Harford County business community, private citizens and public servants work every day to make our home an amazing place to live and work for all our citizens. In Harford County, we live by the advice of Ben Franklin who said ‘Speak little, do much.’”

CEM, a full-service environmental consulting firm headquartered in the small, suburban town of Bel Air, Maryland, seeks to improve the community in which they live and work through every facet of their operation. CEM utilizes a holistic approach to improving the human condition, which begins with responsible stewardship and efficient use of tax funding to conduct environmental projects. In addition to stewardship, CEM participates in community and public service initiatives, individually and collectively. Finally, CEM conducts an annual giving program, with five percent of annual profits donated back to local nonprofit organizations.

“It’s no secret that Greater Baltimore is home to some of the region’s most impactful companies. Moreover, they have become part of the fabric of the communities in which they reside,” says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, President of SmartCEO Events. “These companies are economic drivers, innovators and exemplary community stewards — they are true cornerstones of their communities. For that, we honor them.”

In addition to CEM, each business honored as a finalist for the Cornerstone Award will be profiled in the July/August 2015 issue of SmartCEO magazine. For more information on the SmartCEO Cornerstone Award, visit www.smartceo.com/baltimore-cornerstone-awards/.