 After
graduating from high school in St. Petersburg in 1969, Steve Walton worked
residential construction for six years while attending junior college. He
earned an A.S. degree in 1975. When he hired on with Misener Marine in 1978
as a draftsman, pencils were the tools of his trade. He fondly recalls working
under chief engineer Heinz Mueller, who shared his extensive knowledge of
the marine construction business with the new employee. "I was and
still am today fascinated with the diversity of our work," says Steve,
who is now himself Misener's chief engineer.
Heinz encouraged Steve to continue his education. In 1982, Misener granted
him a leave of absence to complete a civil engineering degree at the University
of South Florida in Tampa. After earning his B. S., Steve returned to Misener
as a junior design engineer, and has been with the company ever since. His
colleagues are Larry Landers, who was featured in the last issue of Structurally
Speaking, and David Folk.
Steve credits the diversity of Misener's work and the good people there
for his longevity with the company. He enjoys the challenges of construction
that require knowledge of many disciplines of engineering. His work runs
the gamut from analyzing and designing pile driving systems to heavy lift
analysis, to barge stability analysis, to cofferdam design, to name a few.
Says Steve, "It doesn't matter where your project is located, or the
amount of equipment you own, the key to success in the construction business
is the coupling of knowledgeable people and their skills to the challenges
of our work."
Steve and his wife Cindy of 23 years love vacationing in the mountains where
they enjoy hiking. His other passions are drag racing and golf. |