“Nick Schmidt: “It’s a Schmidt Show around here.”

Brian Schmidt (left), the original Choice One Schmidt, realized that this co-op semester has created a trio of Schmidts in our Loveland office (l-r Brian, Joe, and Nick). Knowing Brian Schmidt’s tendencies, we all know the danger… to any tasty treat in the office. However, it was Nick that coined the trio’s official name.

Keeping the three Schmidts straight hasn’t been too hard, since Brian has always been “Schmidty” (to the point where the name has become a verb), Nick has been dubbed “Scooter,” and Joe is just, well… Joe, since, believe it or not, we only have one Joe. For now.

It’s college career fair season, and with the quality employees we’ve found with repeat names, perhaps there is a second Joe or fourth Schmidt out there to keep this trend going. In the meantime, know our current three Schmidts will keep putting on a show designing great projects and making sure no doughnut gets left behind.

“Lexy Yohey: “Max is picking up chicks!”

Inside Surveyor Max Keeley couldn’t resist holding a recent fuzzy, yellow office guest—and we have the photo proof. Who knew he was such a chick magnet?

The Loveland office has had its share of winged chaos, but this little peep was refreshingly low-drama. No tape traps, no jackets thrown, just soft chirps and MAX-imum fluff. Considering the typical tough-guy nature of our surveyors, Max might consider this soft, fuzzy visitor as a welcome relief from the usual day-to-day.

While our surveyors might occasionally joke around to ruffle feathers, this was a different type of “fowl play.” One thing’s for sure: we know that our survey team is egg-ceptional!

Matt Hoying: “These guys were all cold… but they are the ones with the thermostat in their pod.”

If you’re in west Ohio like Choice One, we don’t need to tell you it’s been cold lately. Jacqueline has been bundled up in borrowed blankets, we haven’t seen Mike G. take off his coat in days, and  now, we have (l-r) Adam Kremer, Justin Puthoff, and Kyle Siegrist huddling up together sporting hats and gloves indoors.

The three gents in the photo have been hard at work designing projects, but apparently, typing and clicking a computer mouse doesn’t get the blood pumping enough to keep warm in recent frigid temperatures. Hence the hats and gloves. What might help? Turning up the heat on the thermostat, conveniently located just over their shoulders on the wall of their pod.

Winter doesn’t last forever, and in the meantime, perhaps Justin can regale everyone with his fond memories of sweltering summer days to thaw their spirits. If nothing else, it’s nice to know that teamwork—whether it be to discuss a complex grading plan or to generate warmth—can help bring everyone a little closer.

Choice One Website: “This person will prepare topographic survey data for design, focusing on detailing CAD drawings of existing site conditions.”

At Choice One, we’re always looking for the right people to join our team. In our excitement for these new team members, we thought we’d use Artificial Intelligence to help us picture someone in the role!

We’re currently looking for an AutoCAD Technician in our Sidney office, so after putting the job description into Microsoft’s Copilot (and making sure the output included a green shirt!) we were given the featured image. At first glance, this might be a great way to visualize a CAD Technician at Choice One. Then again, we’re a little concerned that she has a few pencils for fingers, clearly no one can spell, and all the Choice One employees in the background look like clones.

While this particular attempt to use AI may fall a little short, we’ll continue exploring new ways to imagine the future of Choice One. For sure, we will keep green shirts around and allot at least two coffees per person, but maybe we’ll make sure our future AI counterparts have learned to spell… ideally with human fingers.

Everyone at Choice One: “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

Click here to view enlarged images.

How do you get 78 people to smile for the company Christmas card? Bribery, of course!

We at Choice One hope you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you the very best in the New Year. May 2025 bring lots of joy, good health, and great success!

Happy Holidays from Choice One Engineering!

Wes Goubeaux: “So… is Kyle cold?”

With Christmas just around the corner and the weather turning colder, sometimes we need to get creative to stay focused and warm. Kyle Siegrist decided the best way to concentrate AND keep warm was to put his jacket on his head. (And yes, this would be the same jacket that Kyle’s son Gideon “found” again and again.)

We promise the heat is on here, but “warm” is relative. While Kyle might be cold, others are too warm. So we all compromise, and Kyle compromises by not only throwing on a jacket but using the same jacket to focus on his work. Others here have battled the cold with “work mittens” or coats in July, while some have beaten the heat by “sharing” the AC and strategically placed fans. And we can’t forget the practical Megan and her method of keeping her feet dry. Bags on feet = jacket on head, right?

Perhaps Kyle is starting a cold weather Choice One Christmas trend with a jacket on his head. Who knows what other “innovative” solutions we might come up with next… Stay tuned—next Christmas, we might all be sporting the latest in unconventional winter fashion. Because if there’s one thing Choice One excels at, it’s making the uncommon a little more in style.