WithersRavenel would like to congratulate our co-founder Sam Ravenel on his induction into North Carolina State University’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) Hall of Fame.
The department honored Sam and five other alumni inductees during a recent ceremony on campus. Currently, 63 graduates are enshrined in the CCEE Hall; all of them have contributed to the engineering profession and their communities.
Sam graduated from N.C. State in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. “I chose civil engineering because it was so broad, I figured I would find something in there that I liked,” Sam said. “I took engineering hydrology under Dr. Rooney Malcolm and that really set a fire which has stayed with me through my whole career. I love stormwater, and I love hydrology, and he was a legendary professor.”
Upon graduation, Sam spent seven eventful years with the State Land Quality Section, finishing as Assistant State Dam Safety Engineer. He worked there with Tony Withers, in what turned out to be a fortuitous connection. After two years with a consulting engineering firm performing FEMA flood insurance studies, Sam joined forces with Tony, which led to the creation of Withers & Ravenel, PA in October 1983. The company has grown steadily during the past 42 years by expanding its service lines, embracing technology, and seizing business opportunities while always focusing on its clients.
Today, WithersRavenel is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company with more than 470 employees and 10 offices across North Carolina, serving public and private clients on a range of engineering and consulting projects. Sam continues to work as a senior technical consultant with the firm’s stormwater department.
“It’s a great honor,” Sam said of the CCEE recognition. “But it’s the company that deserves the honor. It’s all about the people. We’ve done a good job finding good people, and that’s what it is always going to be about.”
Sam does have some advice for future engineers and young professionals, especially as our world and its technology continues to evolve. “My biggest advice is to have an open mind about your career,” Sam said. “I have always had a passion for hydrology and still do. At the time when I joined Tony, it seemed like a risk, as doing land development wasn’t my plan. My takeaway is it’s fine to have a plan, but don’t let it keep you from exploring a better opportunity when one becomes available. What you think you want as a 20-year-old is your starting point and not necessarily your destination. And that’s ok.”
Sam joins our company’s co-founder Tony Withers in N.C. State’s CCEE Hall. Tony was inducted with the 2024 class.
