Garver’s roots run deep in Oklahoma. By investing in quality infrastructure projects and the communities we serve over the past three decades, our firm is a growing and thriving Oklahoma business. Garver has created opportunities for Oklahomans like me to work, raise a family, and put down roots of my own in our great state."
- Brent Schneids, Garver
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Garver: Firm helps Oklahomans with local services, charitable initiatives
Good corporate neighbors provide essential public services, create job opportunities for professionals and contribute to the community. Their reach goes far beyond corporate headquarters or a local office building.It extends to customers, families and the towns they call home.
Garver is an engineering, architectural and environmental services firm
with more than 30 offices and 700 employees in 13 states. Nearly 100 employees live in Oklahoma, with offices in Tulsa and Norman, as well as an Oklahoma City office that opened in 2019.
“These aren’t just jobs. They’re careers,” explained Mary Elizabeth Mach, water team leader for the state of Oklahoma. “We win work with Oklahoma people for Oklahoma people and we execute that work in the communities where all of us live. These aren’t projects that are taking place in Denver or Seattle or other cities far away here from. They impact the roads, bridges and water systems we all use.”
Mach is in charge of a team that executes engineering reports, conducts analysis and designs systems to ensure the public safety of water. A graduate of Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, Mach saw her field as a way to help both people and the environment through problem-solving and a position at Garver allowed her to stay in the state after graduation.
“Site-specific challenges are really fun to overcome and solve in my position. Relationships with people are another aspect of this field that I have come to love because we become friends with clients,” said Mach. “Garver Gives is one way employees can be involved with philanthropic efforts in our communities. We give dollars, we give hours and if we weren’t here and able to do that, those entities would not benefit from our contributions.”
Mach has worked with Food & Shelter in Norman, one of the many charitable efforts Garver employees are involved in as a way of giving back. Employees help coordinate fresh food pick-ups from local stores and restaurants to help make it available to those in need who visit organizations that can help them directly.
Public health issues related to treating water during the COVID-19 pandemic make Mach’s work at Garver all the more critical. The firm also works closely with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation as one of the leading project managers on Oklahoma roads and bridges.
The importance of quality-based selection and choosing the engineers best-suited for a particular project stands out to Mach as an important issue for public works in our state.
“Garver is able to accomplish challenging, technically-involved projects where Oklahomans’ health and safety are concerned,” said Mach. “The firm has acquired that respect because of the quality of work, dedication to schedule and commitment to public safety. I’m glad to part of that team and the work Garver leads.”