Remembering the Life of Mark Nieman
On June 30, we lost our teammate, Mark Nieman, who passed away in a car accident. Mark’s authentic care and concern for his teammates and for McKinstry was evident in the way he showed up every day. He was known for being a creative problem-solver, the most reliable teammate and a valued mentor to his colleagues. His can-do attitude was contagious, and he was always there with a smiling face and positive energy to jump in and lend a helping hand.
In his 26 years with McKinstry, Mark pushed what’s possible to create a better built environment. His technical abilities and collaborative spirit allowed Mark to tackle some of our most innovative and challenging energy projects. We will miss his presence as a trusted teammate, loving father and dear friend.
We celebrate Mark’s life and lasting impact.
“Mark was always so thoughtful and kind. His light-hearted and gentle presence felt comforting — even during challenging times. Seeing him as we walked by each other invoked happiness. If the joy he brought was not enough, Mark was always the consummate problem-solving engineer. No problem was too complicated to solve, and he knew that some problems just required the right people in the room working the issues. You always wanted him on your team. He was giving of time, talent, and caring.
Mark, I suspect my feelings about you are shared by so many others. You will be in our hearts and on our minds. You will be missed; not forgotten. May peace come upon your family.”~Ash Awad, President and Chief Market Officer
“Mark was a fixture of the Energy Services team since near the very beginning, and I was blessed to work with him over the last 16 years. Mark was a very loving father and would light up when discussing his daughters’ latest interests and career changes. He was also passionate about many different hobbies and interests outside of work including gaming, listening to and playing music, and learning foreign languages. I will miss Mark greatly, and he will be missed by many people who worked with him over the years.”~Robert Hail, Regional Director, Energy WW
“When asked what is special about McKinstry . . . often the response most of us give is ‘our people.’ But we’re really talking about people like Mark. Those that dedicate 26 years to build a career, lasting friendships, shared memories, and a long list of accomplishments that are too often celebrated in quiet corners and hallways, if at all. The people at McKinstry that greet you with a smile every single time you cross paths, and never turn down an opportunity to help someone else up or make you feel included. We were all better for knowing him. It’s a remarkable legacy to leave behind, albeit far too soon.” ~Megan Owen, Vice President
“Mark has been an incredible fixture in our company and industry. I’ll continue to remember him for being a brilliant engineer who was unique in his ability to speak technically while finding the right level of detail to cater to his audience. Mark was a loyal friend, a dedicated father and family member, a trusted advisor to his clients and business partners, unapologetically nerdy, and was completely at peace with who he was. He was constantly curious about the world and never stopped in his desire to learn and solve problems. Something I admired most about Mark was his ability to understand how his skillsets could be applied to create the greatest impact, while also knowing exactly when and where he could do better to rely on other teammates to be most efficient and effective. Mark taught me a great deal about appreciating and enjoying the process rather than fixating on the results or the business outcome. I’ll forever be grateful for the years we worked together making the world more efficient and effective.” ~Andrew Williamson, Business Development Manager, Energy
“I’ve worked with Mark since 1997, many of those years in adjoining cubicles. I could tell right away that he was the real deal, an engineer’s engineer. He never settled for superficial approaches or shortcuts to solving our clients’ problems. He also spoke up for his team members and had a passion for mentoring/teaching. There are many engineers at McKinstry today and in the industry who are much better at their craft due to Mark’s mentoring. His personal life, hobbies, and love of his family showed that he was the real deal outside of work too.” ~Ron Fues, Project Director, Energy WW
“Mark loved energy engineering and loved working at McKinstry. He took great pride in his work and in what he and the McK Energy team have accomplished over the last 20 years. He enjoyed sharing his talents and knowledge and did so generously within our team and by being an active member (past president) of the Association of Energy Engineers and by teaching at Cascadia College (UW Bothell) for many years. I loved hearing his stories about his ‘early days’ at Abacus and McKinstry — maybe the best part about these stories was seeing how much pleasure it gave him to share them. We will miss his good nature, expertise, passion for his work and how great a team player he was over his 25+ years at McKinstry.” ~Gerry Galvin, Project Development Engineer, Energy
“When I think about the people who work at McKinstry and the values that tie us all together, there are always a few colleagues that stand out as exemplars of our stated ideals, and Mark Nieman is one of those people. Whether it was pulling weeds at Crystal Springs Park, finding creative ways for our clients to improve their facilities, advocating and representing at the Association of Energy Engineers, supporting safety improvements for our team of energy auditors, or keeping his own score book at a team outing to the Mariners, Mark always showed up with a smile on his face and a proud part of the McKinstry family. I will miss his enthusiasm and excitement.” ~Justin Fallstrom, Senior Regional Director, E&TS
