The Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) Board of Directors named David E. Ott, PE as the next SEH Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/President and Chairman of the Board. Ott joined SEH® on April 1 and officially assumes the position May 1, 2019. SEH, a professional services firm owned by its employees, is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. and comprised of more than 800 engineers, architects, planners and scientists. The company serves its clients from 31 offices located in nine states across the Midwest, Colorado and Wyoming.
After a thorough succession process and national search of qualified candidates, the Board of Directors selected Ott based on his proven executive and leadership experiences with a global engineering firm of more than 70,000 employees. Ott has a long career in the engineering industry spanning more than 30 years of leading people and delivering complex projects nationally as well as internationally. Dave’s background includes serving as a senior vice president working with both public and private sectors — government, mining, industrial, transportation and power. He has led civil and environmental projects ranging from small projects like geotechnical investigations to $100-million-plus design-build infrastructure projects. Most recently he led a global team responsible for developing new business areas and leading complex projects. He holds a M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a former Officer of the U.S. Navy. His service included the responsibilities of Officer of the Deck and Engineering Officer.
Current Chairman of the Board/CEO/President Sam Claassen has served in the role for nine years and has been employed with SEH for 40-plus years. Claassen will continue to lead SEH until May 1, 2019 at which time Ott will assume the Chairman of the Board/CEO/President position and Claassen will serve as CEO-Emeritus through June 30, 2019 when he retires.
“Dave is results-oriented and has demonstrated his ability to inspire those around him. He shared his desire to preserve SEH’s 90-year tradition of building long-lasting client relationships and delivering quality service and work. That’s why he’s right for us. I believe the Board of Directors made an excellent choice and am glad Dave accepted. I’m excited for what is ahead for this great Company,” says Claassen.