Age: 36
Vice President of Engineering, Senior Mechanical Project Engineer, Somerville Architects and Engineers
Sam Graner considers landing at Somerville Architects & Engineers the biggest break of his career.
Graner joined the Green Bay engineering firm in 2017 after building his career at Henneman Engineering in Madison, where he rose from commissioning provider to director. At Somerville, he moved quickly from mechanical project engineer to vice president of engineering and a seat on the board of directors.
“Firm leadership put a lot of trust in me,” the Minnesota native says. “That vote of confidence has really encouraged and motivated me to excel in everything that I do.”
A UW-Madison mechanical engineering graduate, Graner is focused on growing his team as much as himself.
“If I can be a valuable resource to as many others as possible, I can have a much larger impact than if I were to only focus on myself,” he says.
Outside the office, Graner coaches baseball, basketball and flag football for his three sons and keeps a backyard ice rink running all winter at his De Pere home.
Biggest fail: I put a lot of trust in a more senior colleague who ended up quitting their job and leaving me a horrible mess to clean up. It was a huge learning experience for me that, despite title or level of responsibility that one may have, it is always important to have trust in others but also to verify that each member of a team is doing their part.
Second career: My backup profession would be to work at a small brewery. I’ve always enjoyed brewing beer as a hobby. The precision and attention to detail that is required fits well with my engineering-oriented brain.
Surprising fact: Everyone assumes that I’m a Packers fan since I live in Green Bay, but I’ve always been a Minnesota sports fan since growing up. Sure gets me in a lot of trouble here, though.
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