PORTLAND, Oregon, May 22, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is proud to announce its President and Chief Operating Officer Catherine Myers, PE, was appointed one of Portland Business Journal’s Executives of the Year. Myers is among the Portland-area’s most successful C-level executives representing a cross-section of executive leadership from a variety of industries in the region. Honorees were selected based on their contribution to their organization’s success over the past year in terms of growth, profitability, and market position strength.
Honorees were formally recognized on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at Portland Business Journal’s annual celebration. During the event, Myers was commended for her leadership in shifting SSOE’s focus from smaller design projects to large, game-changing projects, as well as her role in the firm’s significant growth in the semiconductor and battery / electric vehicle markets. Key to this growth was Myers’ establishment of a complex projects division that aligns technical and project management skill sets company-wide to focus solely on projects in these markets—a business strategy that has yielded nearly $33 million in new revenue for the firm and, most recently, the #2 ranking among manufacturing design firms by industry-leading publication Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Myers was also regarded for her work in leading SSOE in the implementation of Lean thinking and processes into its project delivery and administrative practices. Over the past few years, she has worked to solidify SSOE’s internal Lean Operating Strategy, while providing training and mentoring in efforts to further employees’ understanding and knowledge of processes and tools. In January of 2022, Myers was appointed to the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Board of Directors. Later that year, SSOE’s Lean Operating Strategy—under her executive sponsorship—evolved into a Lean Community of Practice. Collaborating with fellow board members and developing Lean champions across SSOE, Myers continues to drive Lean practices into the firm’s operations with a focus on achieving the company’s aggressive goal of executing projects 50% more efficiently by 2025.
SSOE’s Vince DiPofi, PE, Chief Executive Officer, commented on Myers’ recognition, stating, “If you want to talk about a transformative leader, you’re talking about Cathy Myers. She is a partner, a peer, and a role model leader with the highest ethics and professionalism.”
DiPofi continued, “Cathy and I work hand in hand on an almost daily basis and I am a witness to, and beneficiary of, her insight and expertise. She’s been instrumental in making our Oregon operations the fastest growing in the company and putting SSOE on the map as a Top 2 Manufacturing Design Firm [by ENR] this year. I will say publicly what I’ve said privately to her—our company would not be where it is today without her. And as we approach our firm’s 75th anniversary, I can think of no one more deserving of this honor.”
History in the Making
Myers joined SSOE in July 2017. She made history as SSOE’s first-ever woman Chair of the Board, President, and Chief Operating Officer—the latter two roles she still holds today. She has Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portland, where she has been instrumental in establishing an SSOE-funded senior project sponsorship within the Shiley School of Engineering.
A registered Professional Engineer for over 30 years, Myers’ knowledge of the AEC industry as well as the specific markets in which SSOE’s clients work has been an invaluable asset to the firm, along with her involvement in LCI, Society of Women Engineers, and many other organizations. In 2020, she was the recipient of DJC Oregon’s Women of Vision Award.
To view a full listing of Portland Business Journal’s 2023 Executives of the Year, click here.
