2011 40 Under 40: Marcus Sanchez, PE, LEED AP, 37

Marcus Sanchez, PE, LEED AP, 37

Vice President and Director of Operations, Henderson Engineers Inc. (HEI), Phoenix

Kansas State University, BS Architectural Engineering

Sanchez has been dedicated to HEI for his entire professional life; he began as an intern during college and, 12 years later, he is vice president and director of operations at the company’s Phoenix office, which is now its largest branch. When the firm asked Sanchez to move from Lenexa, Kan., to Phoenix, he enthusiastically gathered his pregnant wife, three children, two dogs, and two cats and prepared them for the trip. Under Sanchez’s leadership, the office grew to 35 employees and became one of the largest MEP consulting engineering firms in the Phoenix metropolitan area in just five years. It has provided design services for more than 250 projects with a total combined construction budget of more than $750 million. Sanchez’s strength lies in his courage and charisma, both of which he used on an introductory visit to an architecture firm in 2005. He convinced the firm’s principal of his dedication to client service, and since then, the firm has worked almost exclusively with HEI for approximately $200 million worth of construction projects. Sanchez’s favorite project is the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, Kan.), which won the 2004 Technology Award from ASHRAE Region IX. He strives to create a sustainable work environment and would consider himself successful only if the office continued to excel long after he retires. He conducts a 10-class advanced project manager training program for HEI Phoenix employees to pass on his leadership experience. Sanchez is strongly service-oriented; he is active in his church and he and his family most recently held a charity community garage sale at their home and raised more than $2,000 for an individual to receive a kidney transplant. He and his wife are currently working with Aid to Adoption for Special Kids to either foster or adopt children. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, mountain-climbing, and biking.

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