Melvin Williams,
F.SAME, FACEC
A love for building things
By Jim Timlick
Growing up in North Augusta, S.C., Melvin Williams,
F.SAME, FACEC was fascinated by how things
were built.
As a youngster, he was always willing to lend a hand when
family members needed help building something, be it assembling
new cabinets or simply hammering in nails for a new roof.
“When I was a kid, I loved building things and seeing things be
constructed. And when you have free labor like that, family was
always willing to have you help out,” he said, laughing.
That early fascination with building things eventually led
to Williams choosing to study engineering. After earning his
Bachelor of Science degree at South Carolina State University,
he attended The Citadel Military College, where he earned a
second degree in civil and environmental engineering.
Today, he is considered a preeminent voice when it comes
to geotechnical engineering and construction materials inspections.
He currently serves as vice-president and senior business
developer within S&ME’s Geotechnical Business Unit in its
Charleston office, a top engineering firm he joined just over 30
years ago. Editor’s note: Since the writing of this article and immediately
prior to press time, Williams left his position at S&ME.
Williams’ first job after graduating from South Carolina State
University was working as an inspector at a nuclear power plant
during the construction of two reactors. His primary task was
inspecting the work of the coating tradespeople involved in
the project.
“It was very intense. Safety was so important with everything
we did at that plant,” he said. “What I remember most about it
was the interactions with all of the trades and having a critical
path on how all the trades were going to interact and do their
jobs. It was a lot of coordination.”
About a year later, Williams moved on to work for the
Department of Transportation and then joined S&ME in 1988.
He says part of what attracted him to S&ME was the talent level
within the company’s ranks and the fact that Charleston was
booming at the time, which meant there was a lot of different
types of building projects taking place in the community. He also
appreciated the fact the company was willing to allow him the
CAREER PROFILE
Melvin Williams is a preeminent
voice when it comes to
geotechnical engineering
Photo courtesy of Melvin Williams
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