An important element of CDM Smith's culture is celebrating our successes and acknowledging remarkable contributions. Our annual Enterprise Awards spotlight extraordinary technical excellence, career development and client service. Being exceptional in these areas is central to who we are and our position as a choice firm in the industry.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tim Wall announced the award winners at CDM Smith's annual shareholders meeting in front of a live and virtual audience of direct shareholders of our privately held firm. Congratulations to all the 2025 winners!
Best Technical Paper Awards
The Best Technical Paper Awards Program recognizes individuals for delivering technical excellence, advancing the firm as an industry leader and showcasing our expertise. CDM Smith awards $10,000 to the primary author of the best paper in a peer-reviewed journal and $10,000 to the primary author of the best paper in a non-peer reviewed publication.
Maxwell Hire won Best Peer-Reviewed Paper for his work, “Field Measurement of PFAS Leaching at a Long-Term Land-Applied Biosolids Site," which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology (ACS). This study delves into field-scale measurement, laboratory testing and predictive modeling to address a critical gap in PFAS fate and transport. Learn about CDM Smith’s PFAS advisory and actionable insights in the battle against it.
Virginia Roach won Best Non-Peer-Reviewed Paper for her work, “Green Infrastructure Approaches—A National Perspective,” which was presented at the 2024 WEFTEC Conference Proceedings. This study synthesizes lessons from green infrastructure programs across major studies, focusing on funding, maintenance strategies, design standards and performance tracking with broad municipal applicability. Explore how CDM Smith is dedicated to spearheading green infrastructure.
President’s Awards
The President’s Awards Program recognizes outstanding individuals in innovation and mentorship for the prior year. Recipients are nominated by their colleagues across the firm and winners are selected by President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Bouchard from a very competitive field in both areas of distinction. Each recipient of the President’s Awards receives a career development package of up to $5,000.
Innovation
The 2025 President’s Award for Innovation has been awarded to Christopher J. Fahlin. He is the lead business stakeholder behind DesignAssist_ChemProcess, CDM Smith’s groundbreaking web-based design automation tool for liquid chemical feed systems in water treatment projects. Chris partnered closely with the Digital Engineering Solutions team to guide the tool from concept to reality. By embedding CDM Smith’s engineering expertise into reusable digital logic, the tool reduces manual effort, improved quality and delivers faster, more consistent project outcomes. As the first product developed through our Digital Engineering Solutions team, DesignAssist_ChemProcess marks a pivotal shift from traditional project delivery to scalable, productized digital services—establishing a repeatable model that can expand across disciplines and markets. Chris’s vision and commitment to innovation were instrumental in bringing this achievement to life, reinforcing CDM Smith’s position as an industry leader and setting a powerful precedent for the future of digital engineering.
Mentorship
The 2025 President’s Award for Mentorship has been awarded to Michael Sloop. No matter the project or team, Michael’s mentorship is consistent across the board, whether as a PMCL for all North Carolina PMs or as the Project Manager on complex conveyance and wastewater projects in North Carolina. His exceptional availability, responsiveness and willingness to invest meaningful time in the development of staff at every level creates a judgment-free environment where everyone feels supported. Although he has accumulated valuable experience over the years, Michael is committed to continuous improvement, routinely digging into the root cause of issues not just to resolve the immediate problem, but to ensure that it does not happen again. This unwavering mindset and his steady leadership have influenced many of his colleagues, as well as younger staff, who emphasize that they feel valued and empowered to grow regardless of seniority. Michael’s presence is one that boosts morale and contributes to the collaborative culture CDM Smith prides itself on.
Thomas Camp Award
The Thomas Camp Award, named for one of our founders, represents the essential integration of client service, technical excellence and exemplary business results. Working closely with clients to understand their needs and build trust and confidence, we carefully assemble the right team to craft the most effective solutions, with the goal of continuing strong business growth and development. This award recognizes the project—and especially the project team—that best achieves all three facets of excellence.
The 2025 Thomas Camp Award winner is the Mobile Turbidity Reduction System (Hurricane Helene Emergency Response). In this critical, time-sensitive project, CDM Smith restored Asheville’s drinking water system after it was forcefully shut down due to massive flooding and a wave of sediment-laden water from Hurricane Helene. The restoration demanded accelerated engineering, rapid procurement and real-time vendor coordination, construction and operations under extreme uncertainty, with no time for typical methods as the team worked in a damaged, high-risk environment.
The project’s success is a testament to the firm’s impeccable client service and success in cultivating longstanding relationships with major equipment suppliers. Our persistent partnership with both clients and fellow collaborators was what allowed us to implement a $23.5 million system in just 23 days and delivery of clarified water only 42 days after NTP.
Embodying the values of the Thomas Camp Award, the Mobile Turbidity Reduction System reflects our dedication to delivering to our clients quickly and efficiently while ensuring high-quality, exceptional solutions that create outcomes with impact.
CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construction firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy, and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world’s environmental and infrastructure challenges.