​​Our Partners​

Quanta Partnership Empowers Students With Job-Specific Education

A multimillion-dollar partnership established between Sam Houston State University’s Department of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Technology and Houston-based Quanta Services will provide a unique opportunity for SHSU students to enhance their leadership abilities and workforce marketability by combining academics with hands-on training in way never before seen.

The Quanta Services partnership will allow SHSU students to develop job-specific skills and improve their industry awareness through course offerings and hands-on experience.

Students will graduate from the program with an increased applied knowledge base and a better understanding of industrial and field operations through a curriculum that combines three enhanced courses, an off-site minimester, and an internship program with their core engineering technology courses.

Core Courses

Quanta Services collaborated with members of the SHSU faculty to enhance three core courses currently offered in the engineering technology program in order to increase exposure to the utilities and industrial construction fields.

They include:

• ETEC 1100: Foundations in Engineering Technology
• ETEE 1340: Electronics Technology I 
• ETEE 4382: Industrial Safety
• ETEC 4384: Supervisory Personnel Practice

Hands-on Experience

In addition, hands-on experience will come in the form of a minimester course unlike any other and an internship opportunity during which students will have the chance to provide value to a team of professionals.

The Lazy Q Ranch industry-immersion experience will provide a highly interactive case study for students in the minimester course by exposing them to the end-to-end process of managing a project in the field.

Built with the vision of the company’s founder, John Colson, the one-of-a-kind Lazy Q Ranch facility encompasses more than 2,100 acres in La Grange and includes pressurized pipelines and testing facilities, a live substation, and transmission/distribution lines. The self-powered system enables a variety of training programs in a safe and contained environment.

The structured internship program will allow students to get paid to “test drive” the utilities and industrial construction industries by working in either electrical power or oil and gas services.

“There are few programs and degrees that provide students with a curriculum that is delivered and taught by exceptional faculty and experts in the fields of engineering technology, while providing an effective link that binds theory and practicality of the workforce in industrial and field operations of electrical power, gas and oil industries,” said department chair Stanley Kelley. “Students who successfully complete their degree through this public/private partnership will possess knowledge, skills and experience matched by no other.”

Name-Affiliation

1. Stephen Christopherson-Odin
2. Jonathan Carter-Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group
3. Christopher Luberoff-Polk Mechanical
4. Matthew Parker-Linde Engineering
5. Mike Monteleone-Pacific CM
6. John Schneider-Webber
7. Thomas Wilson-Way Engineering
8. Alec Stafford-Motion Machinery LTD.
9. Michael Swanson-Quanta - O&G
10. Jacob Freeman-BuildingPoint Central
11. Chuck Jones-SHSU - Facilities Management
12. James Bryant-Anslow-Bryant Construction
13. Joel Lester-FLINTCO
14. Jeremy Janak-Industrial Specialists
15. Chris Schwarz-Way Engineering
16. William Plato-Hensel Phelps
17. Oscar Orduno-Oscar Orduno, Inc.
18. Dr. Kathlie Jeng-Bulloch-City of Huntsville-Engineering Dept.
19. DJ Forsyth-Lennar Homes
20. Kyle Holland-AGC Houston Chapter

Name-Affiliation

1. Faisal Amin-Berkeley Research Group
2. Rob Heiberger-KaseCab Americas
3. Russell Islam-Kris-Tech
4. James Holekamp-Martin Company
5. Misti Jeter-Black Pearl Technology
6. Phillip Mattingly-NVIDIA
7. Kali Johnson-Vanderlande
8. Anil Mirmira, P.E.-Harris County Toll Road Authority
9. Robert Rabe III-FESCO, Ltd.
10. Rana Razzaque-ExxonMobil
11. Rokon Rumi-Voith
12. Syed Sultan
13. Adam Segovis-Convergentz
14. Amrith Thakur-BrandSafway
15. John Vincent-HTS Texas
16. Donald Wright-Quanta Infrastructure Solutions Group LLC

Name-Affiliation

1. Emmanuel Kwasi Addai-Prime Process Safety Center
2. Sarah Anderson-IFO Group
3. Robert Coker-Inotek Exec Safety Consulting, LLC
4. Daniel Couch, Jr.-ExxonMobil
5. Chris Gilbert-Hargrove Engineering
6. David Flener-Quanta Services
7. Zahina Kadri-Air Products
8. Kurt Lazarus-HV Health and Safety
9. Clyde Loll-Institute for Homeland Security
10. Mike McKenna-Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC
11. Mary Jo Press-Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA)
12. Tracy Robles-Webber
13. Ronald Sokol-Sokol and Sokol, LLC
14. Joel N. Tietjens-T-Jens & T-Jens
15. Robert Warren-Trinity River Authority

Name-Affiliation

1. Matthew Thompson-Rock Manufacturing
2. George Land-PurgeRite
3. Thomas Robertson-LSC-North Harris
4. Chelsea Brand-TechnipFMC
5. Eduardo Almeida-BrandSafway
6. Soraya Fears-Computer Modelling Group Ltd
7. Quaim Choudhury-Machinery & Systems Corporate Technology
8. Timothy Douglas-Willis ISD
9. James Fehrle-J.E.F. Fabrication, Inc.
10. Derek Hivnor-H&R Mfg. & Supply
11. Collier McKenzie-Rosen Group
12. Robert Radakovich-LSC-North Harris
13. Cary Stockdell-Boyden
14. Kevin Tomczak-United Machine Works
15. Travis Utecht-Willis ISD CTE Center
16. Fran Bobb-FJB Advisors

Name-Affiliation

1. Alexander Dillon-Walker Engineering
2. Bill Hendrix-Primoris Service Corporation
3. Rick Thompson-Burns & McDonnell
4. Michael McCarty-Burns & McDonnell
5. Jennifer Rogers-IEEE
6. Abid Rizavi-BP
7. Staci Sides-Vault Pressure Control

Name-Affiliation

1. Brittany Lake-VLK Architects
2. Lee Grisdale-Halliburton
3. Eric Lum-Taylor Design