“Good, capable people have made this organization what it is. We don’t sell any widgets; we sell brains. And we do a good job of it.” What an inspiring quote from one of our profound former leaders, Harlan E. Moyer, who passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 15. He was 89 years old.
Harlan served as CH2M HILL’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 1978 to 1991 – becoming the first CH2M HILL chief executive to succeed our founding leaders Jim Howland, Holly Cornell, and Clair Hill. During Harlan’s tenure as CEO, the firm grew from 1,400 to 6,000 employees, while increasing revenue ten-fold, to $600 million.
“He was deeply indebted to Clair Hill for the opportunity he gave him,” son Dean said. “It proved to be a good career move.” Among several notable achievements early in his career, he led the landmark South Tahoe Public Utilities Project, a joint effort of Hill and CH2M that ultimately paved the way for the two firms to merge.
All of us owe tremendous gratitude to Harlan, who in 1978 became the first CH2M HILL chief executive to succeed founding leaders Jim Howland, Holly Cornell, and Clair Hill.
Harlan joined Clair A. Hill and Associates as a civil engineer in 1952, 2 weeks after graduating from the University of Nevada at Reno. When asked about the secret to the firm’s success during his tenure, Harlan credited the thought leadership of CH2M HILL employees. He said, “Good, capable people have made this organization what it is. We don’t sell any widgets; we sell brains. And we do a good job of it.”
Harlan served as a valuable mentor to me in my CH2M HILL career. I first met him in 1988, at the company’s Capstone project management seminar, which occurred approximately 2 months after I had joined the company. Harlan was so dedicated to mentoring young engineers that he decided to serve as one of the course instructors. Imagine my surprise to be included in Harlan’s breakout mentoring group on engineering quality and effective project management! In recent years, Harlan provided me valuable mentoring advice again, as a CEO. I had several conversations with Harlan in 2014 and 2015 about leadership, company values, strategy, and business management. His sage advice and practical wisdom were a great source of strength to me, as they were for many others who had the honor of knowing him over their careers.
