Congratulations to Oregon Stater Awards honorees Kelly Aust (’10 B.S., Construction Engineering Management), Jay Culbertson (’72 B.S., Business Administration and Management), and Tim Sissel (’97 B.S., Construction Engineering Management), who are making profound impacts on their professions and our world.

This year, Aust entered the Council of Early Career Engineers. As a project manager at Skanska, Aust oversees the execution of multimillion-dollar building projects for a broad range of clients, including Crestline Elementary School, Clark College STEM Building, PDX Concourse E Extension, and Oregon Health & Science University. “I make a difference every day,” Aust said. “We improve neighborhoods and communities. I love being a part of that impact.”

Culbertson was named to the Academy of Distinguished Engineers. For 30 years, he used strategic planning, engineering, and solid financial acumen to differentiate his company, Temp Control Mechanical, from the competition and grow it into one of the largest mechanical contractors in the Pacific Northwest, before it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Southland Industries in 2014.

Sissel entered the Council of Early Career Engineers. His company, Fortis Construction Inc., founded in 2003, has experienced significant success. He says the key to that success is the culture. “We believe our culture is unique in our industry,” Sissel said. “It’s a culture founded on freedom, responsibility, and hiring razor-sharp people. We are a flat organization, and really try to stay away from titles.”