At Cannon & Cannon, Inc. (CCI), our Utilities & Infrastructure team plays a key role in shaping the systems that power our communities, from water and wastewater to electric, gas and broadband. In this Q&A, we speak with Erica Mange, Civil Utilities Engineer, about her unconventional path into utility engineering and her evolving role at CCI.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in civil utility engineering?
I probably don’t have the most conventional background when it comes to utility engineering. I have always loved figuring things out, whether that be a math problem or a person. Initially, I went into college with a major in psychology and a minor in Spanish, passionate about pursuing a career serving others. But something was missing. My older sister, who was finishing up her degree in mathematics, suggested I try engineering, and maybe it could combine the things I love: math and people. So, naturally, I went with the discipline everyone uses, but nobody knows about: civil. I learned that there is actually math behind the timing of lights, the embankment of roads, and flow through pipes, and I loved that. No child dreams of working with water and wastewater when they grow up. In fact, the kids I volunteer with still tell me they can’t believe I became a plumber (same thing as a utility engineer, right?), but I am so grateful to have the career that I do, working with people I love, serving the larger community, and solving problems each and every day.
CCI Utilities covers critical infrastructure – water, wastewater, gas, electric, and broadband. What is your role within the team, and what aspects of your work do you find most fulfilling?
My role on this team is mostly related to water/wastewater as it relates to the design of pump stations and the hydraulics associated with stretches of pipe. Recently, I have gotten more involved in water modeling, using GIS and Infowater to simulate a water system and provide insight into said system to make recommendations for current and future development. As someone who is still early on in her career, the thing I find most fulfilling is getting to learn new things and being able to help when a client comes with a project or proposal.
How has your journey at CCI evolved since you started, and what have you learned along the way?
Utility engineering is a very broad category of study, having its hand in innumerable operations. One thing that has always been set for me as a goal at CCI is to find the thing I can excel in and be an expert at. While I still don’t know that I have found that one thing, CCI has opened so many doors for me to learn and gain exposure and improve my skillset. It’s hard to answer what I have learned because I feel I always will be learning, but I think that is the excitement of a job like this – to be able to constantly learn and improve my understanding.
CCI often takes a multidisciplinary approach to public works projects, combining expertise from various civil engineering and surveying disciplines. How do you collaborate with colleagues from other teams to ensure a project’s success?
Not long after I got hired at CCI, we moved offices and different divisions within the company had different sides of the office with a long hallway in between. We jokingly bought an office tricycle to help people on their long trek down the hallway to the other side of the office. In reality, though, as a multidisciplinary company that has the capacity to provide multiple services to each client, we are constantly walking the hallways and seeing people from every department. If I need advice on a SWPPP, I can go talk to the civil site team that has experience with that. If my project needs GIS points or easements, I can go talk to the survey team. Most of the developments that different teams are working on need utilities and fire flow that my team can model or provide the calculations and insight for. It’s a fun part of the job to collaborate and to see what other people within the company are doing and how one major can express itself in so many ways.
In your experience, how do the utility projects you work on make a positive impact on the communities they serve?
The joke that seems to be thrown around a lot within my team is that people will always need to drink water and use the bathroom, giving us nice job security. Civil engineering, like I mentioned in another answer, is engineering for the people. If we are doing our jobs right, nobody should know about them. We work on the things that everyone uses and nobody thinks about. As a utility engineer, we ensure that there is access to water and sewer, that there is sufficient pressure in a system in the case of a fire, that plans are designed to withstand floods, that we are mitigating contamination into our rivers, streams, and lakes, among many other things. Even when I am designing a pump station, my manager will point out spacing between different pipe appurtenances, reminding me what we design, people use and that we must always think about the maintenance crews and how to make their lives easier when operating our systems. Our focus is always the clients and people we serve.
Could you highlight a particularly memorable or challenging project you’ve worked on at CCI, and what its outcome was?
I got to help design a pump station at the EGCR building within Oak Ridge National Laboratory, along with a long stretch of sewer force main along Melton Valley/Ramsey Drive. I wouldn’t say that this project was overly challenging, but it was memorable to me because it was the first project I got to see from proposal to 100% design. I got to do site visits, lead meetings, collaborate with the Oak Ridge team, and really take full ownership of the project and its design.
Are there any new technologies or trends in civil utility engineering that excite you or influence your work?
I am sure there are many new technologies and trends I don’t even know about yet, but I am gaining a lot of exposure to and experience with GIS and water modeling that I find fascinating. There are constantly things to learn, codes to write, and insights to provide to our clients about their systems and how to monitor and improve upon them. I feel I am only scratching the surface with these applications, and I am excited to learn more.
What advice would you give to students or young professionals considering a career in civil engineering, especially in the utilities and infrastructure field?
My advice to students or young professionals would be that there are so many opportunities for you. Whether you know exactly what you want to pursue or are like me and figure it out along the way, the most important thing is a willingness to learn, to work hard, and to put your clients’ needs first. The rest will come. At least this is the advice I tell myself as a young professional who wants to already be in a place of fully knowing and achieving but isn’t there yet. It’s a process and enjoying the ride is part of it. CCI has four key values, one of which is to be servant hearted. If you aren’t doing anything else, this value alone will take you far. Be willing to serve others and have that be at the heart of everything you do.
