Sam Fankhauser recently accepted a promotion to be the Operations Manager of the AE2S Salt Lake City regional office in Lehi, Utah. So far, he’s enjoying the new role. “Our Employee-Owners are second to none. It’s an absolute privilege coming to work every day. We are uniquely positioned to provide the exceptional client service that you’d expect from a local firm while bringing the resources and experience you’d expect from a national firm,” says Sam enthusiastically. “Every day I’m surrounded by very intelligent people who make me smarter and challenge me to be better. I find great satisfaction in creating innovative solutions to enhance the lives of those in my community.”
Additionally, he is proud to be working in the water industry in Utah because there is a great need to conserve water. “I look forward to what AE2S and the water community here can do to make sure we protect and manage our future water supply,” says Sam.
Sam primarily focuses on raw and finished drinking water facilities, including intake structures, pump stations, and pipelines. There are several projects that have been exciting for Sam to work on since he arrived at AE2S in 2019.
“I really enjoyed helping Herriman City solve its maintenance issue at the Rosecrest Pump Station. Not only did our solution reduce required maintenance, it helped improve overall performance and saved the City a significant amount of money in annual operating costs,” he says.
He is also working on a detailed design for a new intake structure at the Deer Creek Dam and Reservoir. The design of the intake is innovative because it will allow Provo River Water Users Association to continue to deliver water during construction. “The structure will be built without draining the reservoir. Cranes will maneuver equipment and materials from barges while divers will assemble and inspect work underwater,” explains Sam.
In addition, he’s working with the rest of the AE2S Utah team on a pumping facility for the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District that will serve the South Jordan and West Jordan communities, one of the fastest growing regions in Utah. “This will be one of the largest pump stations in the area, and we look forward to its construction,” says Sam.
Sam earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University, a Master of Engineering degree in Engineering Management from Purdue University, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Nebraska. He is a member of the American Water Works Association and the American Water Resources Association.
He says two of the biggest perks of living in his home State of Utah is the fact that all four seasons are beautiful, and there is always something to do outdoors. Sam enjoys running everything from 5Ks to half marathons to full 26.2 mile marathons. He and his wife Bradi have two daughters and one son, plus an Australian Shepherd dog named Skye.
