On Wednesday, March 27th, our President and CEO, Kevin Grigg, PE, gave the following speech at the MetroHartford Alliance Welcome Reception. At this event, Kevin and four other business leaders were welcomed by the Alliance and the business community into their new leadership roles. This speech was part of a series of speeches given that night by the honorees to thank the Alliance for the warm welcome and to introduce themselves to the community. It speaks to a larger theme – encouraging the next generation of engineers and scientists.
Thank you, David (MetroHartford Alliance President & Chief Executive Officer). I would like to take this opportunity to tell you all how exciting and inspirational it is to see David and the Alliance working so closely with Mayor Bronin and his staff, with Mike Freimuth of the CRDA, with Scott Jellison of the MDC, and with Commissioner Giulietti, Mark Rolfe, and Greg Dorosh of the DOT to help the City of Hartford realize its full potential. We all need to actively and consistently support their efforts, knowing that what’s good for our capitol city is good for us all. As the old saying goes: “a rising tide floats all boats”. To that end, I have pledged my support, and that of our entire firm, to help realize their vision – our vision – to help Hartford be all that it can be.
I grew up in a generation that encouraged their elders to “make love, not war”. Today’s youth is demonstrating this on a global scale, exhorting us all to “make love, not CO2”, and to be “part of the solution, not the pollution”. Engineers and scientists – the kind of professionals we employ at Fuss & O’Neill and have employed for almost 100 years – are the doctors and nurses of our world, of our globe. And that, ladies and gentlemen, makes careers in STEM something to get excited about! More specifically, it’s something to get our children excited about! Whether it’s mitigating the adverse impacts of air or water pollution, cleaning up and repurposing old, contaminated industrial sites, ensuring the resiliency and sustainability of our coastal resources and transportation networks, or responding to the effects of a changing climate, engineers and scientists have always been, and will always be, on the forefront of protecting, enhancing, and preserving our built and natural environments.
Yet today, the need for engineers and scientists is far in excess of the supply. Our daughters, in particular, need to be encouraged to seek out careers in STEM, and our profession suffers as much from a lack of female and minority representation in technical, managerial, and leadership positions as it does from relative obscurity. That’s where all of you can help – by encouraging and inspiring your daughters and your sons to pursue educations and careers in STEM. Satisfying, stable, and well-paying opportunities await, opportunities that, if taken, are sure to help make our children part of the solution, not part of the pollution.
Thank you and, again, my thanks to David and to the Alliance for this heartfelt recognition!
Kevin Grigg, PE, is President and CEO of Fuss & O’Neill. He is particularly passionate about the future of our industry and actively supports and encourages his employees to volunteer their time in local schools, with a focus on STEM.