The Young Engineer of the Year Award recognizes a young TSPE Preston Trail Chapter member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and the community during early career years. Duehr is receiving the chapter prize February 23 at the 2023 Engineers Week Awards Luncheon being held at the Plano (Texas) Event Center. The luncheon is the highlight of the Engineers Week festivities. Nationally, the week celebrates the profession and draws public awareness to the many contributions engineers make to better communities.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Duehr is appreciative of the mentors who have helped shape his career. Now, he wants to pay that forward.

“I want to be a resource for younger engineers and continue to drive their growth and development by succeeding in our projects together,” he said. “I want to help them by sharing knowledge, teaching them new skills, or just giving advice. The simple spark of, ‘Oh, I understand it now’ is the biggest compliment.”

As a licensed professional engineer, Duehr has been designing and managing a broad range of municipal projects, including water, sewer, and storm water utilities as well as street improvements in North Texas. For Duehr, being an engineer isn’t just a job; it’s a life-long passion.

“I want to stay inquisitive,” he said. “Instead of saying, ‘I don’t know,’ I’d rather say ‘I don’t know yet.’ I have learned to be quick to listen and slow to speak in order to better understand and digest others’ opinions and viewpoints.”

Duehr is currently in the Texas Professional Engineer Leadership Institute (PELI) program, which focuses on project management and client relationships. He recently completed the 2022 National Society of Professional Engineer’s (NSPE) Emerging Leaders Program and was one of 16 individuals chosen from around the country to participate in the program created to develop strong leaders in the engineering field. For more information, visit www.lan-inc.com.