Welcome, Chris & Tyler!
State College, PA – This summer, PennTerra Engineering, Inc. (PTE) has added two, new team members to the Environmental Department: Chris Hazi, Environmental Designer, and Tyler Motichka, Environmental Technician.
“We are happy to have Chris and Tyler join the team,” noted John Sepp, P.E., President of PTE. “With so many projects in motion, as well as many more in the pipeline, we are glad to add some Environmental Department team members. This department coordinates with county conservation districts and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to address stormwater and erosion control measures at each project site – a very important and necessary component of each plan.”
Hazi and Motichka are both graduates of Pennsylvania State University with degrees in Environmental Resource Management. A State College native, Hazi graduated from Penn State in 2018 and then joined the Clearfield County Conservation District. From the Poconos, Motichka is from Moscow, Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State in December of 2023.
“I selected my major because it seemed to match my interests in the outdoors,” recalled Hazi. “Legal Aspects of Resource Management was my favorite class. We learned about the classes of permits most typically required for environmental construction, when permits are required, what goes into permit applications, how the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and DEP regulate the sustainable use of our resources, and what that looks like in the field. We also did a mock development project where we worked through the procurement of an NPDES permit within the Spring Creek Watershed.”
“Growing up in the outdoors, this major kept me in touch with that and also played to my strengths in math and science,” stated Motichka. “Soil and Water Resource Management was a good class and something that I’m using a lot at PennTerra with the stormwater calculations and designs.”
After joining the team, Hazi and Motichka started with general office onboarding to learn about each department, followed by their department’s curriculum training.
“It’s good to get to know the company, everyone’s roles, and responsibilities,” said Motichka. “Now, I’m learning the nitty gritty technical elements of the Environmental Department. Everyone’s really nice and willing to help – no one has said ‘no’ to any of my questions.”
Hazi echoed the sentiment.
“The people here are great; everyone is very kind and family-like,” agreed Hazi. “They say ‘good morning,’ joke, and - most importantly - they are knowledgeable and happy to help when I have questions.”
This hard-working, yet easy-going office atmosphere could be a result of the employee-ownership mindset at this 100% employee-owned firm.
“Being a part of an employee-owned company, gives you a little extra incentive to work hard,” acknowledged Motichka. “Good work drives a good company.”
Off to a strong start, Motichka and Hazi have each seen one of their projects submitted for review. Motichka has been working on a commercial project in Blair County. Hazi was involved with a residential subdivision in Centre County.
To celebrate a project’s milestone, these new PennTerra employees might be on the softball field playing for the PennTerra Silt Sox. Or, they could be outdoors doing some hiking, hunting, fishing, or kayaking.
Welcome to PennTerra, guys!
To learn more about our employee-owned team of land development experts, headquartered in Happy Valley, please click here.
