WHEREAS, Steve Groen began his over 37 year career with Hennepin County in 1984 as a seasonal employee and started full time in 1989 as an Assistant Engineering Technician; and
WHEREAS, from 1984 to 2021, he has held a variety of Public Works positions with increasing responsibility; and
WHEREAS, Steve is known as a strong problem solver, communicator, decision maker, innovator and leader; and
WHEREAS, because of his strong experience and leadership, Mr. Groen was promoted to the position of Construction Division Manager in Transportation Project Delivery in 2018; and
WHEREAS, as Division Manager, Steve successfully led his team in completing several complex construction projects, including 66th Street in Richfield, Wayzata Boulevard in Orono and Long Lake and Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie; and
WHEREAS, Steve has been devoted to continuous improvement for the county as he has led the implementation of innovative projects including cold in-place recycling and installing fiber for the county’s Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and has shown dedication to protecting our environment by creating a new Water Resource Engineer Supervisor position in construction; and
WHEREAS, Steve’s overall knowledge of the county has been a vital source of information for county staff as well as a key contact for other agencies and city partners over the years; and
WHEREAS, Steve’s dedication to serving county residents and determination to get things done has been demonstrated in his work, time and time again, as he has gone above and beyond to meet with residents and stakeholders to ensure their concerns are heard and issues are resolved; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Groen has shown his commitment to staff development through recruitment, training, and mentoring, and has worked with organizations to create opportunities for a diverse population and developed and improved training for technicians now and in the future which has strengthened the county’s workforce.