We are excited to announce that five professionals at HEI have recently been named shareholders: Naomi Disrud, Joe Reiter, Ted Rud, Alex Schmidt, and Steve Strack.
“Naomi, Joe, Ted, Alex, and Steve embody HEI’s core values of being client-focused, committed to excellence, and ideal team players by being humble, hungry, and smart. These outstanding employees have earned their positions as shareholders through their work performance and commitment to the company and our clients. Please help me welcome them as our newest shareholders. We’re proud of their accomplishments and look forward to their continued contributions to the firm’s success.” – Gregg Thielman, President/CEO
Naomi Disrud
Naomi Disrud is HEI’s Director of Marketing and Communications. Naomi, first a civil engineering major, got the best of both worlds when she joined HEI’s team in 2012, calling her position a perfect fit as it married her love of language with her interest in STEM fields. Today, she guides a well-rounded team of marketing professionals who produce effective materials to support teammates companywide as well as clients of all backgrounds. From writing and graphic design to multi-media communications solutions, the team at HEI provides a full suite of marketing and public engagement services to the communities and organizations we serve. In her free time, Naomi enjoys traveling with her family, volunteering with various organizations, and rehabilitating rescue pets. She serves as a board member for the Bleeding Disorders Alliance of North Dakota.
Learn more about Naomi in a previous Top 25 Women in Business Article from Prairie Business magazine.
Joe Reiter
Joe Reiter has been with HEI for 10 years, working in the water resources sector. His experience has been focused on water distribution, serving as design engineer on several municipal projects. This includes two 1.5-million-gallon elevated water tanks for the City of Minot, several miles of water distribution and transmission main within the city of Minot, as well as several transmission main projects for the Northwest Area Water Supply (NAWS) system. Joe interned at HEI before joining full-time, and now provides civil design and project management duties for our clients. He also serves as a director of the North Dakota Water and Pollution Control Conference as well as an Officer on the Executive Team for the North Dakota Chapter of the American Public Works Association. Outside of work, you can find Joe fishing, watching sports, or spending time with family.
Ted Rud
Ted Rud is a civil engineer at HEI with 13 years of experience in hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, design engineering, and construction management. Ted specializes in river restoration and fish passage projects. He was involved with the Otter Tail River Fish Passage Restoration Project from preliminary design through construction. That project consisted of the construction of four rock arch rapids installed at the outlets of Little Pine Lake, Big Pine Lake (where his parents live), Rush Lake, and Otter Tail Lake. Known for his ability to develop innovative and balanced solutions to complex water management challenges, Ted has earned a reputation as a trusted expert in his field. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, whether it’s deer and elk hunting, fishing, hiking, snowboarding, or enjoying lake activities. He also enjoys going to the gym, playing sports, DIY house projects, and spending time with his fiancée and her son.
Alex Schmidt
Alex Schmidt serves as a civil engineer, providing services focused on urban water resources across Minnesota. He advises and implements the latest technology for stormwater management through up-to-date research and collaboration. Working in Como Park (if you have been to Como Zoo!) has been a great career-long endeavor for him. HEI has been working with the Capitol Region Watershed District in the park and surrounding Como Lake watershed to improve the lake’s quality and manage flooding. From when he started at HEI 10 years ago to now, he has provided water quality modeling, regional stormwater treatment, enhanced filtration, smart ponds, parking lots, and now a large stormwater reuse project. Alex has taken his experience globally, providing applied design and engineering services in Uganda and India. In his free time, Alex enjoys the outdoors, boundary waters camping, hunting, sports, going on adventures with his family, serving at his church, and visiting with family.
Steve Strack
Steve Strack has been with HEI for 13 years, providing transportation and traffic engineering services for our clients. He is the lead traffic operations engineer in HEI’s Fargo office and focuses on transportation projects for urban and rural communities. Steve’s expertise can be noted in the Bismarck State Street Safety Improvements and Preventative Maintenance project where he designed nine permanent and seven interim traffic signal systems, fiber interconnect, lighting, and signing. Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, landscaping, and painfully attempting to catch fish through the ice.
