Upstate Profiles
S2 Engineering & Consulting
Sam and Sharla Savage met at Clemson. After graduating in 1996 with chemical engineering degrees, they spent a few years working for large companies in several different cities. In 2003, Sam and Sharla decided it was time to put themselves in charge of their own destiny. They opened S2 Engineering & Consulting with a vision of providing engineering solutions to companies that maybe could not afford the services of a larger firm.
The story behind S2 Engineering & Consulting is hard work and recognizing and responding to opportunities. Sam and Sharla work tirelessly assisting their clients with environmental permitting (air, water, land, and safety), process improvements, risk management and equipment design. Their reputation has grown in the area of air permitting and alternative fuels.
"We strive to exceed our customers' expectations," says Sam. "We have grown mostly by word of mouth and by throwing ourselves 100% into our projects."
Larger engineering firms in the state began to take note and have repeatedly engaged S2 Engineering & Consulting as subcontractors on large-scale projects. One such project is the proposed new coal-fired power plant in Florence County where Sam and Sharla contribute their capabilities to the energy studies. On another occasion, a large firm indicated that they needed help with air permitting of mobile units such as trains and automobiles. S2 Engineering & Consulting took the initiative. They enhanced their skills by attending courses and seminars to provide the support.
A recent development at the firm offers additional opportunities for Sam and Sharla: their company became 8(a) certified. 8(a) is a Small Business Administration (SBA) program designed to open federal contracts to qualified small and minority-owned companies. Under the auspices of the SBA's mentor-protégé program that facilitates private sector relationships, the designation will potentially allow S2 Engineering & Consulting to take the lead on large-scale federal projects with other firms. Up to this point, S2 Engineering & Consulting has been just Sam and Sharla. Should they be successful in winning these large bids, they will have to ramp up by hiring engineers and CAD operators.
Their strength as a team is their flexibility, versatility, and the quality of their work. "We will continue to assist our clients with permitting and build on our core strength in environmental engineering," says Sam. "As we potentially take on larger federal projects, we see a shift to an increasing percentage of our business coming from energy analysis & construction projects. We are proud of our work and the solutions that we provide."
Sam and Sharla Savage ©Photo by Molly Harrell
