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.
1985 – Engineers John Sevee, P.E., and Peter Maher, P.E., incorporate Sevee & Maher Engineers in Westbrook, Maine.
1986 – SME hires its first new employees, Pat Beaulieu (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.
1988 – Early Success Story – 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 monitoring.
1988 – The Start of SME’s Geotechnical Engineering Team – 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.
1988 – SME moves into its offices in Cumberland, Maine – the former Cumberland Town Hall, Police Department, and school administrative offices. We’re still in this office location today and are engaged Cumberland community members!
1988 – Early Success Story – 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!
1993 – Building SME’s Site Investigation and Remediation Services – 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.
1997 – Early Success Story – 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 operation for two months straight. Work with this client eventually led to opening SME’s Marietta, Georgia office (see 2011).
1998 – Erik Clapp Joins SME – Erik Clapp, Ph.D., L.G., P.G., 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.
2005 – SME Adds Environmental Compliance Services – 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 team has evolved to become SME’s Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Management team.
2011 – SME Opens Office in Georgia – SME’s second office in Marietta, Georgia, opens, marking the first expansion of SME’s physical presence in more than 20 years.
2012 – Dan Diffin Joins SME, Grows Civil Sector – Dan Diffin, P.E., 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.
2014 – John Sevee Retires – SME Founder John Sevee retires from full-time work at the firm – though he stays engaged with SME.
2017 – Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence – 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.”
2018 – SME Acquires ESHA – SME acquires Environmental Safety & Hygiene Associates (ESHA), establishing SME’s industrial hygiene and indoor air quality service areas.
2019 – SME opens Arizona office – SME’s Phoenix, Arizona office opens, specializing in industrial hygiene and expanding SME’s geographic footprint again.
2020 – SME Establishes Product Stewardship Service – 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.
2021 – SME’s First Patent – SME receives the first of several patents for well technology. Spearheaded by the innovation and expertise of Bruce Fowler, today SME holds patents for its Packer Purge TM and Well Hawk TM systems.
2022 – SME Acquires Bono Consulting – SME acquires Bono Consulting, Inc., a Chicago-based civil engineering firm, expanding its presence in the Midwest.
2023 – SME Adds Brownfields Team – SME hires its Brownfields and Site Redevelopment Support team, adding significantly to its areas of service.
2024 – SME Adds Power and Utility Team – Continuing its growth, SME brings on board a new Power & Utility Engineering Services group, topping 100 staff members for the first time.
2024 – Pete Maher Retires – SME Founder Pete Maher retires from full-time work at the firm – but stays engaged with SME.
2025 – Celebrating 40 Years! 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!
