Team Member Spotlight: Luke Schmidt, EIT

Growing up in rural Northeast Pennsylvania instilled a strong sense of belonging and purpose in JHA Engineering Technician Luke Schmidt. His journey from the small town of Harford, PA to a career in civil engineering has been shaped by hard work, passion, and a love for hands-on projects.

Luke attended Mountain View High School, where he played soccer and volleyball. His academic quest next took him to the Word of Life Bible Institute for a year before transferring to Cedarville University in Ohio, where he studied civil engineering. It was there that he met his wife, who was also studying engineering.

Now settled just outside Montrose, PA, he enjoys the perks of a short commute to JHA’s Montrose location. This affords him greater opportunities to take an active role in the community. “My wife and I love living in Montrose because we’re real close to church. We’re involved quite heavily in the local church. We also like going to the park in town and playing pickleball.”

Outside of work, his hands are always busy. “I love working in my grandfather’s wood shop on little woodworking projects, whether it’s furniture or whatever.” His love for building extends to his home, a fixer-upper he purchased in college. “I love doing construction, working with my hands, just fixing little things that need to be fixed.”

His introduction to JHA came through trusted connections. “I knew some people that worked here, and they only had good things to say” about the company. That led to a summer internship that provided a firsthand look at the complexities of engineering in the real world. “It taught me things that you can’t learn in the classroom. Some of the day-to-day things that I learned through that internship were that no project is the same, each project has its own individual challenges. Counties, municipalities–they all operate a little bit differently. Every site is different. It was a great experience.”

What keeps him motivated? The opportunity to engage with clients and see projects evolve from concept to reality. “I love getting the opportunity to talk to clients and understanding projects from their perspective, understanding what their big goal is and how they go about what they do.”

Why does Luke stay at JHA? “Number one would be the people. I love interacting with the people that I work with every day. The other reason I have stayed at JHA is the learning opportunities that I have. Working under licensed professional engineers every day is wonderful. The management team here really understands where I’d like my career to be in the future. They give me stretch assignments and tailor my training and development specifically to me.”