CMTA congratulates Roger Maybrier, Michael Stewart, Steve Torre, and Kiersten Washle for winning this year’s 40 Under 40 Award, given by Consulting Specifying Engineer magazine. Each year, CSE honors 40 nonresidential building industry professionals ages 40 and younger who stand out in a mixture of personal and professional aspects of their lives. Read on to learn more about this year’s CMTA winners:
Roger Maybrier
Roger Maybrier’s interest in engineering began when he was a child who often disassembled small appliances to discover how they worked. His career started many years later when he worked as a drafter while earning his associate’s degree in architectural technology and then a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Kentucky while still working full-time. He joined CMTA Energy Solutions in 2016 and became a partner in 2019. Roger’s ability to quickly understand complex systems and identify root causes, coupled with his resourcefulness in developing creative solutions is critical to energy conservation projects. Throughout his tenure at CMTA, Roger has been instrumental in developing projects worth $20 million, resulting in more than $5 million in energy savings for CMTA’s clients.
Roger is a leader, technical expert, and educator in the office. When someone asks Roger a technical question, he does not simply give them the answers without explaining the “why” behind it. Teaching confidence and the ability to solve complex problems with the available tools and resources is paramount in developing exceptional engineers and project managers. Roger goes above and beyond to ensure younger engineers have the tools and resources to succeed.
Devoted to client satisfaction, Roger is known for giving clients his cell phone number and telling them to call whenever they need help with their buildings, whether they are part of one of his projects or not. He even goes as far as to leave his number in the mechanical rooms and on the equipment so that facility successors, equipment operators, or service technicians may reach out for assistance. Roger’s philosophy is that for any project to be successful, the people who operate the buildings daily must also be successful, which means they also understand what the systems are doing and why. This approach is one of the reasons Roger is such an asset to CMTA Energy Solutions and his clients.
Michael Stewart
CMTA’s head of Technology Design for the Mid-Atlantic region, Michael Stewart, uses his background in electrical engineering and his passion for technology to lead clients through the process of integrating technology into their projects. He’s known for pouring over the details of plans and embracing the challenges that come from embracing and implementing new technological solutions—all while keeping an eye on the end goals of the project.
One of Michael’s favorite projects is the Samsung Solutions Center in Washington, DC. This state-of-the-art space that showcases Samsung’s latest displays and mobile devices, including one of the first-use 5G mobile test spots. In addition, the building houses many direct-view LED displays and all the most up-to-date LCD displays, including a ceiling-mounted fine pixel pitch DVLED display in the elevator lobby.
A proud University of Kentucky Wildcat, Michael has served on the UK Engineering Alumni Board for many years. One of his favorite events is Root Beer with an Engineer, during which College of Engineering faculty, alums, and industry leaders share wisdom and advice with students over root beer floats. He believes contributing to a supportive community focused on student success helps foster the next generation of engineers, and he’s also a frequent speaker at industry events nationwide. Additionally, Michael volunteers at his hometown church, First Christian Church-Frankfurt, where he helps with audiovisual equipment that supports the church’s livestream ministry, and he loves to spend time with his wife and their two sons.
Steve Torre
Armed with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering, Steve Torre began his career at a large firm in Washington, D.C., where he learned the fundamentals of real-world engineering and touched a range of prominent large-scale projects, including the 1.85 million-square-foot Herbert C. Hoover Building renovation and multiple lab and infrastructure upgrades at the National Institutes of Health Campus. His first opportunity to make a significant impact came when Steve was assigned to lead the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, India—a high-profile project with international reach featuring multiple facilities on a U.S. Department of State campus.
Steve’s experience includes working at an engineering start-up, where he embraced the entrepreneurial spirit of growing a young business and working as a project manager in the construction division of an international real estate and development firm. This role allowed him to see a side of the building and development business beyond the engineering world. Then, he returned to his engineering roots with CMTA, where he is a principal in the Arlington, Virginia, office. Notable among his impressive client list is GreenCity, an envisioned “Eco-District” currently in development in Henrico County, Virginia. The project focuses on environmental sustainability, civic engagement, and inclusion and will likely include the world’s largest Living Building Challenge-certified office building. The 200-acre development will consist of 2,400 new homes; 2,000,000 square feet of office; 280,000 square feet of retail; and a 17,000-seat arena. Every engineer dreams of making fundamental changes in the built environment—and this visionary project is shaping the next wave of sustainable buildings and large-scale Eco-Districts. Steve’s leadership on this project and others that are pushing the sustainability envelope make him a considerable contributor to CMTA’s leadership and to his clients’ goals for high-performance buildings.
Kiersten Washle
A Building Systems Engineer at CMTA’s Boston office, Kiersten Washle is passionate about helping clients understand how green technologies work for their buildings and the environment. She holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering & Sustainability and an M.S. in Engineering Management, both from George Washington University and an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. This combination of business savvy and technical prowess enables her to make a case for sustainability from engineering and economic perspectives. “My biggest professional goal is bringing the built environment into harmony with the natural one,” Kiersten says.
In the past year, Kiersten obtained her CEM, Living Future Accreditation, and ActiveScore AP. In addition, she’s an active volunteer in her community, formally serving as a mentor through the Metrowest MA Big Brother Big Sister program and GEM, Girls E-STEAM Mentoring, for middle-school girls interested in STEM careers. Kiersten also holds many volunteer positions within professional organizations, having served on the Built Environment Plus (BE+) board and now serving with CWEEL and the Boston ASHRAE chapter board.
A houseplant enthusiast, container gardener (her microgreens are particularly successful), podcast devotee, and active DIY salvager (driven by her desire to save usable items from the landfill), Kiersten’s love for sustainability extends to every part of her life.
Together, these four award-winning engineers represent the breadth and depth of science and building leadership at CMTA. Their diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives come together in a shared passion for helping every client understand how every project can perform to meet client needs and improve the built environment for everyone.