Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc. started the new year with new leaders.
“The transition will be seamless to our clients. They can expect continuity–the same team committed to service and the same high quality, cost-effective service.”
Stephen A. “Steve” Sherk, P.E., president and CEO of Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc.
Stephen A. “Steve” Sherk, P.E. stepped into the role as president and CEO and also continues to serve as Director of Civil Engineering. Scott M. Rights, P.E. continues to serve as vice president and COO (chief operating officer) as well as Director of Water and Wastewater Engineering. Both Sherk and Rights have been with the Lebanon-based employee-owned firm 25 years or more.
“The transition will be seamless to our clients. They can expect continuity–the same team committed to the same high quality, cost-effective service,” Sherk stressed.
SESI was established in 1990 by Jeff Steckbeck, who retired as president at the end of 2025. Steckbeck said after working in Texas and then in Lancaster for Huth Engineers (now part of Lancaster-based ARRO Consulting), he realized that there was a void of a qualified civil engineering firms headquartered in Lebanon County.
“It was my opportunity to open up a practice and serve my hometown,” said Steckbeck. “Over the past 35 years, our firm has provided an opportunity for more than three dozen bright, talented Lebanon County natives to find a job opportunity in their home county. As is most times the norm, the cream rose to the top.”
“I depart SESI, leaving management and leadership in the hands of some brilliant and intelligent men and women who will take it to a higher level and make it a better firm than was possible when I ran the firm by myself,” he said. “Retiring is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, as this firm truly is ‘my baby’. The sadness I felt on December 31 at 5 p.m. as I walked out the door has only ever been rivaled by that feeling when I dropped off my daughters at the university at the start of their freshman year. I will be eternally grateful to my wonderful clients, my employees, business partners, my daughters, and especially my wife Susan, who has stood by me through thick and thin and helped me grow the greatest engineering firm in the history of Lebanon County.”
“Jeff built the company and established its core values. This new leadership team is committed to those core values.”
Mandy Sherk, C.P.A., Business Manager of Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc.
Mandy Sherk, SESI business manager, said although Steckbeck has stepped back from the firm, he will continue to serve in an advisory capacity.
“Jeff built the company and established its core values. This new leadership team is committed to those core values,” she said. The four core values are: providing cost-effective, common-sense solutions; hiring and developing the best and brightest professionals; being a strong champion for the Lebanon County community; and treating the SESI team like family.
“The transition process has been a collaborative effort. Jeff Steckbeck began succession planning about 20 years ago, when the company transitioned to an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan). That planning has allowed us to confidently move forward,” Sherk said.
Steckbeck said major benefits of the ESOP have been profit-sharing, across the board performance bonuses, and “retention of valuable, talented, professionals who enjoy the opportunity to chart and control their own destiny”.
Rights said in 2005 when the ESOP was created, the company was sold to an employee-owned trust and a board of trustees was created. The five-member board selects the leadership team. Current board members include Sherk and Rights as well as Jason E. Chernich, P.L.S., director of surveying; Michael F. Lusaitis, P.E., project engineer, and Chad D. Smith, project manager.
When the company was established, it was a one-person firm. Today, 27 people work at the firm. While the firm has grown in number, Rights said the field of engineering hasn’t really changed much other than more technically advanced tools such as GIS (Geographic Information System)-specific software.
“When I first started in the industry, CADD (Computer-Aided Design and Drafting) was still a relatively new thing and hand-drawn blueprints were still used. CADD’s still used today, but it’s evolved and you can do more with it. With that evolution and some other new software tools, the line between the engineer and drafter became blurred,” Steve Sherk explained.
He added, “The tools we use have evolved have made our job easier but it’s also made our jobs more difficult. While we can do tasks quicker, we also can handle a lot more tasks at a time.”
Regarding AI or artificial intelligence, Sherk said it’s a new technology that SESI is thoughtfully deploying. “It’s a resource and a tool, but we can’t forget that it’s our name and seal on a plan,” he said.
“We’re with clients every step of the way.”
Scott M. Rights, P.E., vice president and COO of Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc.
Rights said another change in the industry is an increase in regulatory requirements. What that means for SESI and its clients is the fact that what it takes to get a development plan approved has increased; there’s a longer list of requirements to meet, which can translate into a longer time between a plan being submitted for approval and the time construction begins. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many of our clients are experienced developers and understand the regulatory requirements. It’s the clients who do a ‘one-off’ project that may need more education about the process,” Sherk said.
“We’re with clients every step of the way,” Rights added.
SESI’s clients include developers, individuals, municipalities, public authorities such as water and sewer authorities, and school districts. Rights has served as a consulting engineer for public authorities as well as developers and individual clients. Sherk has also served clients on both sides of the municipal table, however his current focus is municipal service. He currently serves as the consulting engineer to Cleona Borough, Union Township, North Lebanon Township, Jackson Township, North Cornwall Township, and the City of Lebanon. He also provides occasional consulting service to South Lebanon Township.
“Because we do both sides (public and private client work), we have an advantage of knowing the mindset of various municipalities–what their priorities are and where development areas are. It helps us navigate the development process for our private clients,” Rights explained.
SESI has been part of a number of public projects including the recent renovations at Cedar Crest High School and Cedar Crest Middle School and in Northern Lebanon School District, as well as the current installation of a splash pad at Southwest Park and the recent streetscape improvement project in the City of Lebanon, just to name a few. Rights said SESI also has helped secure grants and low-interest loans for municipal projects and was instrumental in creating the Lebanon County Stormwater Consortium.
“We do work throughout the state, but our main work focus is Lebanon County. It’s important to me that our work is in the best interest of the community. I grew up a few blocks from our office, so I’m part of the community, too,” Sherk said.
Rights added that four of SESI’s board members, including himself and Sherk, were born and raised in Lebanon County.
The firm’s website says, “At SESI we believe that our team is what sets us apart from the competition. By relying on the people we employ to help develop and refine how work is completed, a collaborative atmosphere is created in which everyone has the opportunity to contribute.”
Learn more about Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc. at steckbeck.net.
