When I think about what makes Sain special, I think of people like Steve Hall—those steady, committed, quietly powerful team members whose work ethic and character have shaped who we are as a company. Last week marked Steve’s 40th anniversary at Sain, an incredible milestone that speaks not only to his loyalty but to the tremendous impact he has had on our team, our projects, and on me personally.
A Career Built on Adaptability and Expertise
From the start, Steve has been the kind of designer who evolves with the needs of the company. He began in our site/civil team designing malls, and when we created our infrastructure team, he made a seamless transition into roadway design. Even after becoming one of our go-to experts in transportation work, he has always jumped in to help with site design and grading whenever needed.
What truly sets Steve apart is his adaptability. Very few people stay at one company for four decades but even fewer adapt as gracefully as he has. Steve started his career drafting by hand and has transitioned through countless software programs, changing IT landscapes, and evolving design technologies. And through it all, he has remained steady, humble, and dedicated.
What has remained consistent through all of Steve’s roles is his character: he is reliable, loyal, honest, hardworking, and endlessly committed to helping the team succeed. Steve takes on whatever task is asked of him and always does it well. He is, in every sense of the word, a rock.
A Quiet Leader with Steady Strength
Steve has never been one to seek the spotlight. If you ask him about leadership, he’ll tell you his goal is simple: come to work every day and do a good job. There is immeasurable comfort in having someone like Steve on your team. He is constant, dependable, and deeply trustworthy.
Steve’s calm presence on the team has shaped our culture more than he probably realizes. The nature of our industry includes many ups and downs, projects that result in praise or others that we never want to repeat, and the team feels the constant pull of riding high on the waves or feeling like we are drowning. Having Steve as someone who has weathered it all and has the vast experience and wisdom to help us, truly gives us a calmness and quiet support that we need to keep pushing through and working hard no matter the challenges we face.
A Personal Reflection
As I’ve grown in my own career over the past 24 years, Steve has been my quiet support system. I’ll never forget the most meaningful thing he ever said to me: that he had watched me “come into my own” as a leader and that he was proud of me. Steve is my longest-standing team member and has been steady through every season of my professional and personal life. He supports, encourages, strengthens, and shows up. I’ve watched his children grow up and celebrated milestones with his family. Working with Steve has been one of the greatest privileges of my career.
Legacy Worth Celebrating
Steve’s dedication to Sain over four decades is something we deeply appreciate and are immensely proud of. His work, his character, and his loyalty have left a lasting mark on our company. Steve has contributed to countless projects across the region. I can’t count how many times we’ve driven by a road or site and heard Steve quietly say, “Sain designed that.” Those simple words are a reminder of how deeply woven he is into the fabric of our work.
Congratulations, Steve, on 40 remarkable years. Thank you for everything you have done—and continue to do—for Sain and for our team.