FROM THE DESK OF: NATE LEHIGH

Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.

I grew up in Springfield, Delaware County, which is just outside Philadelphia, and I went to Penn State for civil engineering with a focus in water resources. After college I moved to Baltimore for work. I lived there for 13 years, the last 5 of which I spent with McCormick Taylor before moving back to Delco this past summer.

What are your job responsibilities?

As the manager of the newly formed water resources team in Philadelphia, it is my responsibility to win local water resources work and grow the group in Southeast Pennsylvania and Delaware. We support the highway group with drainage, stormwater, and erosion and sediment control on their projects, as well as some water resources-specific work supporting the PennDOT District 6 MS4 program and Philadelphia Water Department’s Ecological Restoration Group.

Additionally, as one of McCormick Taylor's Quality Assurance Coordinators, I help ensure that any deliverables leaving our office are properly reviewed for our high standard of quality and that the quality control has been properly documented.

What apps, gadgets, or tools can you not live without?

Like most people, my smart phone has become a part of me as a necessary tool for business and personal communication. Fuze has been a newer tool that has made work easier. I work closely with people in our Baltimore and Salisbury offices, so being able to chat, call, video, and share screens within a moment’s notice has made communication so easy.
 

What kind of music do you listen to when you work?

Usually some easy listening background music – yacht rock, jazz, classical. If I need a boost, I’ll step it up a notch and go with some classic rock or 90's hip hop. It needs to be familiar enough that I don’t get distracted from what I’m doing.
 

What’s your workspace setup like?

I like to keep my desktop as clutter-free as possible. Clutter stresses me out. No matter how hard I try, clutter always creeps back, so I tend to go through purging episodes. It’s a vicious cycle.

What’s your favorite shortcut or hack?

I despise tedious tasks and appreciate efficiencies. I don’t use it too often anymore, but the curve number tool in MDOT SHA’s MicroStation workspace is one of my favorite shortcuts that has saved countless hours of my time over the years.

Three non-work life hacks I greatly appreciate are using a cup as a phone speaker amplifier, emptying the bottom rack of a dishwasher first so the top rack dishes don’t drip down onto the bottom dishes, and imagining that wherever I place my keys immediately explodes. Trust me, you’ll remember where they are if you use this trick.

Who are the people who help you get things done, and how do you rely on them?

At work, I rely heavily on my current team in Philly and my previous team in Baltimore to do the heavy lifting of design and deliverable production. Without them being so smart and hardworking, I’d be nothing. I also rely heavily on the directors and my fellow managers throughout the company for advice, guidance, and motivation to keep me functioning as best I can.
 

In life, I rely on my three daughters and my dog for motivation. After a long day of work, they greet me with smiles, hugs, and tail wags. My family always bring a smile to my face, no matter how hard and long the day was.