Scott Murphy named Morrison-Maierle’s eighth President-CEO

Robert J. Morrison, President and CEO of Morrison-Maierle, a Helena-based multi-disciplinary engineering firm, has announced that as of January 1, 2017, he will step down from his position in the company. The firm has named Scott Murphy as its eighth President/CEO.

“I’m honored to have had this opportunity to lead Morrison-Maierle, a company my grandfather, John Sr., and Joe Maierle founded more than 70 years ago. I’m extremely proud of the work we have done here over my 11 years as President. I am really most proud of the way our employee-owners have given back to the communities we serve, both professionally and personally. I don’t plan to go very far and know that Scott will continue and build on the work we’ve done as a company,” said Morrison, who is a Helena native.

Bob’s new role will fill several functions at Morrison-Maierle. With the acquisition of three firms in 2016, the company has grown significantly in the number of employees, office locations and projects. He will serve as the interim Chief Operating Officer, assist with several quality assurance/quality control initiatives, and perform some internal project management training development to continue improving the company’s project delivery processes. The company’s operations managers will also report to him and he will remain as a member of the company’s Corporate Leadership Team.

“I’m truly honored to move into this role at Morrison-Maierle,” said Murphy of his transition to President of the company. “Our company has prospered for so many years because of its attention to our Core Values – integrity, respect, commitment, and excellence. These are the foundations of Morrison-Maierle and how we do business today. As we move forward, it’s my intention as President to continue to promote these values as we create solutions that build better communities.”

Murphy has been with Morrison-Maierle since 1998 and has held various leadership positions since 2000 when he became the Helena Office Municipal Group Supervisor. With B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Montana State University, he is currently a company vice president who oversees the management of the company’s eight market groups and client services throughout its 12 offices in Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Arizona. As an engineer, Murphy specializes in water treatment and water reclamation projects. His most recent notable project was managing the $30 million Butte-Silver Bow Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade, a project that uses state-of-the-art technologies new to Montana.

Scott has served on the company’s Board of Directors since 2002, the Corporate Leadership Team since 2011 and is a recipient of Water Environment Federation’s (WEF’s) Arthur Sidney Bedell Award in 2007 and the American Water Works Association’s George Warren Fuller Award in 2010. Both honors are recognitions of outstanding service to the water/wastewater infrastructure industry. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children and have lived in Helena since 1998.

Bob is the third member of the Morrison family to have held the position of president and CEO. His grandfather served as the first president from 1945 to 1964 and his father, John Jr., held the position from 1971 to 1988. Members of the Maierle family — Joe, co-founder of the firm, and his son, Jim — were both presidents each from 1964-1971 and 1998-2006 respectively. Only two other non-family members have been president: Mike Watson (1988-1994) and Willis Wetstein (1994-1998).

As president and CEO, Morrison received his B.S. and M.S. from MSU. After completing his master’s degree in civil engineering in 1978, Bob worked for CH2M in Boise, Dallas, and Denver. He began at Morrison-Maierle as a senior project manager and operations manager in their new Great Falls office in 1991. In 1998, he became the company’s Chief Engineer and in 2006 was named the firm’s seventh President and CEO.
A water/wastewater engineer, he specializes in process design for water, wastewater, pumping, pipeline, and sludge handling facilities. Like, Murphy, he also received the George Warren Fuller Award in 2006.

As a student at MSU, Morrison was a member of two engineering honor societies and received the Civil Engineering Outstanding Student Award in 1977. As an alum, he has been is a member of the Alumni Association, the Bobcat Club, and an external advisor in the civil engineering department. He currently serves on the MSU Alumni Foundation’s Board of Governors.

Locally, Bob has held director positions at the YMCA, Chamber of Commerce, Montana Community Finance Corporation, and the Montana Section and national organization of the American Council of Engineering Companies.

Bob and his wife, Kathy, have two sons and three grandchildren.