A history of client-focused service
Since 1985, Sevee & Maher has engineered practical solutions for commercial, industrial, residential, and municipal clients in a range of industries. We have grown over the years – we have more people, there are more projects, more offices and locations – but we take pride in staying true to our identity of putting our culture, clients, and people first. That’s the same now as it was in 1985, when it all started.
Engineers John Sevee, P.E., and Peter Maher, P.E., incorporate Sevee & Maher Engineers in Westbrook, Maine.
After AutoCAD was released in 1982, MiniCAD and AutoCAD 3D begin appearing on personal computers (which came with about 10mb of hard disk space and 256kb of RAM at the time).
SME hires its first new employees, Pat Beaulieu (pictured and still going strong at SME in 2025!), who ensures that SME’s documents are up to our high quality standards, Guy Cote, who would go on to serve as SME’s President, and Pat Fasulo, who started SME’s drafting and CADD department.
SME was hired by the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) to clean up the groundwater at the McKin Superfund Site in Gray, Maine. SME’s solution pumped out contaminated water, treated it on site, and pumped clean water back in. SME is still an active consultant at the site today, providing long-term…Read More
Matt Muzzy started as a “Jack-of-all-trades” at SME in 1988, then grew over the years to lead SME’s Geotechnical Engineering group.
SME moves into its offices in Cumberland, Maine – the former Cumberland Town Hall, Police Department, and school administrative offices.
SME began its water resources work with New Jersey American Water early in our history with many small projects, then expanding them with new hires (like Principal Bruce Fowler) who led the way for growth alongside the largest water utility company in the U.S. – and several patents, too!
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) go mainstream, with articles published about the technology in Forbes, Business Week, and other magazines.
In hiring Jim Atwell, SME added some serious know-how and a real Renaissance Man to its staff of landfill engineers. Jim went on to help SME include Site Investigation and Remediation services in its portfolio, supplementing its civil, geotechnical, solid waste, environmental, and water resource engineering work.
SME worked on a number of landfill projects – for pulp and paper mills, for commercial clients, and for municipalities. Among these, SME located and permitted Juniper Ridge Landfill, which was the last greenfield landfill permitted in Maine.
By 1994, all twenty-four satellites used for the Global Positioning System (GPS) were functional and accessible to users across the globe (though the U.S. Military did not allow broad public access until 2000).
SME remediated a 20-acre site of a former electronics facility that had contaminated soil. SME excavated 60,000 cubic yards of soil, mixed it with calcium oxide, which reacted with the trichloroethylene in the soil, and captured the contamination in carbon cannisters. The clean soil was then replaced in a 24/7…Read More
Erik Clapp, Ph.D., joins SME as a Geologist, growing SME’s Investigation and Remediation sector. Erik became a principal of the company in 2010 and President of SME in 2019. Erik has spearheaded SME’s growth strategies and has led the company’s mergers and acquisitions.
Research in Motion releases its first smartphone – the Blackberry 5810 – on a 2G network and a 160×160 pixel, monochrome display screen and physical keyboard.
SME hired Bob Steeves and his decades of experience in environmental compliance, establishing SME as a go-to firm for environmental regulatory compliance and permitting.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues its first commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV, or drone) permit. Following the finalization of regulations for commercial UAVs in 2015-16, SME was an early adopter of the technology.
Dan Diffin was hired to augment SME’s Civil Engineering service area and took a one-person team to a multi-state team of 30. Dan has gone on to become a Principal of the company, Senior Civil Engineer, and SME’s Vice President and CFO.
SME Founder John Sevee retires from full-time work at the firm – though he stays engaged with SME.
Jim Atwell was awarded the 2017 Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Environmental Excellence, in recognition of Jim’s “knowledge and experience in balancing natural resource protection with the growing infrastructure needs of municipalities, businesses and individuals.”
SME acquires Environmental Safety & Hygiene Associates (ESHA), establishing SME’s industrial hygiene and indoor air quality service areas.
SME adds its Product Stewardship Group and establishes its presence in Chicago, Illinois, to provide consulting to companies on food packaging and food-contact materials.
SME receives the first of several patents for well technology. Today, SME holds patents for its Packer Purge TM and Well Hawk TM systems.
The IIJA, or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was passed in 2021, leading to $1.2 trillion in investments in transportation, roads, clean water, the electric grid, and broadband access, spurring significant engineering projects nationwide.
The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center successfully 3D-prints two large boats for the United States Marines (one of which was, at the time, the largest ever vessel manufactured by 3D printing). UMaine is alma mater to many SME staff; we watched this remarkable achievement with pride!
OpenAI publicly launches ChatGPT, leading to several years of mainstream AI research, development, and growth.
SME hires its Brownfields and Site Redevelopment Support team, adding significantly to its areas of service.
Continuing its growth, SME brings on board a new Power & Utility Engineering Services group, topping 100 staff members for the first time.
SME Founder Pete Maher retires from full-time work at the firm – but stays engaged with SME.
SME is celebrating 40 YEARS of client-centered engineering services and solutions. Thank you for working with us and being a part of our history!