People Creating Places is Schemmer's blog about our professionals, the people who create the places where you live, work, and play.
Get To Know Leslie
Leslie Steele, PE is a Geotechnical Engineer and the Manager of Material Testing and Special Inspections for Schemmer.
Leslie has more than 10 years of experience but joined Schemmer in 2021. She worked closely with our manager of geotechnical engineering, Loras Klostermann, to become a geotechnical engineer herself.
“I am actually the manager now. I manage the material testing in Lincoln and Council Bluffs. We have expanded to open a lab in Lincoln. So I manage everyone’s day-to-day, where they’re going to go, and what jobs they’re going to go to,” said Steele.
Leslie is passionate about working with people. “I like our clients and how often I get to talk to them every day. I definitely get to build relationships through daily calls. I also like how many problems we get to solve. We try to make everything more efficient and it’s always different depending on who you’re working with. So it’s always a little puzzle.”
Outside of work, Leslie plays violin. She’s played for several orchestras in Omaha and also for Hastings College and University of Nebraska - Kearney. She also flips houses in her spare time. “Most people don’t know that,“ she said. “So the field work doesn’t stop after work. I take it home,” she said with a smile.
Leslie starts her workday early in the morning, “and my day always starts and ends with phone calls from other PMs (project managers) on their jobs. I don’t know why, but it’s always before I get to work and after I leave,” she said with a laugh. Once in the office, Leslie reviews reports and documents from the day before and ensures that everything is up to the quality we want at Schemmer.
Leslie also frequently travels between Omaha, Lincoln, and Council Bluffs to oversee operations at our material testing labs. She also has a hand in business development by reaching out to clients about upcoming projects.
Leslie says her favorite part of the job is the people she works with. “They really foster a very open communication process. I have a technician that has been doing this longer than me and he teaches me so much and then I get a chance to add a little bit to that. I love how open and friendly everyone is.”
Check out our other People Creating Places blogs.
Join our team! View our open positions.
SCHEMMER - DESIGN WITH PURPOSE. BUILD WITH CONFIDENCE.
Schemmer is a full-service architecture, engineering, and construction field services consultant providing responsible solutions for complex design and construction-related challenges.
Founded in 1959, we are grounded in our past but remain fully committed to the future. Located in five States and eight offices throughout the Midwest, Schemmer is providing services to clients from coast-to-coast and border-to-border across the United States.
Schemmer's services include: