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At SEH, employee-owners step up in meaningful ways to support one another, strengthen our work, and make a difference for our clients and communities. The Act of Excellence (AOE) program recognizes those standout moments when individuals and teams go above and beyond.
The AOE Committee reviews peer nominations and selects honorees in three categories: Accomplishment/Innovation, Character, and Teamwork. These recipients show what it means to take ownership at SEH and contribute to a culture we’re proud of.
Please join us in celebrating our Fall 2025 Act of Excellence award recipients: Blake Andert, Aaron Chute, Lee Eiden, Jake Emmerich, Sean Heironimus, Mike Loven, and Jesse Sabo. Read on to learn how each of these employee-owners is making a meaningful and lasting impact.
Accomplishment/Innovation
Blake Andert, Professional Engineer*
Traffic Engineering
The Act: Blake demonstrated outstanding innovation by transforming a manual spreadsheet process used to track and compile Highway Safety Improvement Program signing data into an efficient, automated system. By thoughtfully restructuring the spreadsheet and applying advanced formulas, he significantly reduced the time and effort required for updates while improving overall accuracy. The solution is scalable and can be applied to future signing projects, delivering lasting time savings. Blake's initiative reflects a proactive mindset and a commitment to continuous innovation and improvement, strengthening how the team delivers.
Character
Mike Loven, Technician
Wastewater Engineering
The Act: Mike is known for showing up for his team and finding practical ways to make our work better. After taking time away to undergo a triple organ transplant, he returned with the same steady commitment and quickly re-engaged – jumping back into project work and looking for ways to help the Water and Wastewater group work more smoothly.
Along with supporting the work we deliver for clients and communities; Mike has stepped into internal improvements that make it easier for others to do their jobs well. One example is his push to get our digital equipment resources organized and accessible for the whole team.
For years, the team has wanted a more consistent way to store and share these resources. Mike helped turn that goal into a practical solution – creating a reliable, easy-to-find, easy-to-search system that reduces rework and removes day-to-day friction.
Mike represents what the Act of Excellence recognizes – ownership, follow-through, and a team-first mindset that makes SEH stronger.
Teamwork
Top L-R: Aaron Chute, Application Development Manager and Lee Eiden, Infrastructure Services Manager
Bottom L-R: Jake Emmerich, Operations System Administrator; Sean Heironimus, User Services Manager; and Jesse Sabo, Security Risk Manager
Information Technology
The Act: When a critical internal business system unexpectedly went offline, this cross-functional team mobilized quickly, drawing on their collective expertise to diagnose the issue and identify a path forward. They evaluated backup options and implemented an alternate solution designed to restore operations as quickly and reliably as possible.
What made their response stand out was not just speed, but coordination. Despite the complexity of the situation, and the fact that this scenario had rarely been tested under real-world conditions, the team worked seamlessly, communicating clearly and supporting one another at every step – minimizing disruption for teams across SEH.
This team’s actions reflect the very best of SEH: trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to keeping work – and communities – moving forward.
Join our team
Sound like your kind of place? Find out how you can grow with a team that values who you are and what you bring. Visit our careers page to learn more.
*Professional Licensure:
Blake Andert is a professional engineer registered in MN