For nearly a year as we approach our 60th anniversary, we have celebrated Urban Engineers’ culture, people, and projects. In honor of our anniversary in August, we asked staff to reflect on changes in their passions. Read on for staff responses. 

What passion project or personal interest competes the most with your work commitments?

Jeremy Hull: Over the years at Urban, I have accepted more responsibility while maintaining clear communications with clients and coworkers. In my free time, I keep busy with many hobbies. I have ridden dirt bikes for more than 20 years and raced competitively for the last eight. I enjoy riding at the local tracks with old racing friends. At times, work has to take precedence over the fun things. To maintain a healthy state of mind and reduce my stress level, I make sure to make time for the fun things in life. 

Michael Mullin: Making music and performing live has been my passion since I was 12 years old. Since joining the band Vacationer in 2012, I have toured and performed all over the U.S. I also perform locally in my band Thrills. 

Nicholas Orso: The mobile cabin my wife and I designed and built was a passion project that I was able to balance with my work commitments. Although it took more than two and a half years to complete, we learned so much and it felt good to create something from scratch and really push our boundaries. Work took precedence though, and if I had deadlines, they were the priority. It is important to balance work and life, but you have to keep clients happy and produce quality work product, or else you won't have a job for long!

Tanner Geiger: I am a volunteer fire fighter and have to meet a fire department percentage to stay a member. They believe in a family, work, fire department order of importance which has allowed me to balance everything. The fire department understand that work is important, and Urban supports my volunteerism. 

Do you have to take time off or work flexible hours to focus on your personal interest/passion project?

Michael Mullin: Upon my hiring, Vacationer was booked to perform at Parahoy, a cruise line festival in the Caribbean Sea. Urban supported me by deferring my start date. For local shows, I am still able to make sound check after working regular hours. Touring schedules are often determined three to six months ahead of time, which has been enough of a window for me and my supervisors to plan for and still meet project deadlines. 

Nicholas Orso: I kept a pretty normal schedule, working on the project in the evenings after work for two to three hours every few days. I would get a lot done on the weekends. One year on my birthday, I took the day off and worked on my mobile cabin all day alone. May sound sad to some, but for me, it was the best and most satisfying use of my time - celebrating my love for hard work and using my hands to create something tangible. 

Has Urban supported you in balancing your work schedule with your passion project/personal interests? 

Jeremy Hull: Erie employees try to accommodate and fill in the gaps when I am out of the office. When I can take off work there is no question that my work will be supported. I like to have a strong backup to share responsibilities with so I can leave and not worry that I will have items to clear up when I return.

Michael Mullin: Urban supported me by providing a laptop and the ability to work remotely with flexible hours throughout the time I was on tour. Whether it was from the hotel, green room, or most often, our E-350 Ford Econoline van, I was able to edit video, complete post-production processing, and send deliverables from the road.

Nicholas Orso: Urban has been flexible with me. A few times, I had to take large deliveries for my mobile cabin during the day and was able to work from home in the evening, or even make up the time on the weekend. It is important to feel that the company you work for is reasonable and progressive. I think Urban is doing a great job of providing a good support structure for employees and I am proud to work here.

In your experience, why is it important to maintain a healthy work/life balance? 

Jeremy Hull: Too much of one or the other can create problems. Too much work will lead to family complications, and too much personal time will take away from work productivity. I have seen both sides of this battle and it is a struggle, but we all do our best to maintain balance.

Michael Mullin: I think a healthy work/life balance is essential to my happiness and clarity of mind, which in turn determines how creative, productive, and adaptable I can be in difficult situations. A healthy balance means less stress which translates to overall well-being. Knowing Urban supports my passion really makes me feel part of the Urban family.

Nicholas Orso:  It's very important to carry on passion projects or some other love of yours outside of work, as a stress reliever and something to draw positivity and creativity from - to tap into, exercise, and grow the other parts of your brain.

Tanner Geiger: My volunteer fire department does not have a staff that waits for emergency calls. Every member is on call at all times and responds when they are willing and able to. The calls can happen at any hour of the day. For me, knowing when to respond to an emergency call or not is how I balance my work life since being overly exhausted is a danger at the fire scene and on the construction site. 

What advice could you offer to someone who is struggling to balance work demands with personal interests or passion projects?

Michael Mullin: Life is all about momentum, so start with small shifts towards your goal. Sometimes it’s a conversation or just a positive shift to your inner dialogue. Discipline and a real love of whatever you’re engaged in is critical.

Nicholas Orso: Go easy on yourself and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are times when work at Urban is demanding, or you have other obligations. I have been lucky to always have that philosophy. I work daily to reinforce the satisfaction of a job well done because I think it's powerful.

In your experience, why is it important to maintain a healthy work/life balance? 

Jeremy Hull: Too much of one or the other can create problems. Too much work will lead to family complications, and too much personal time will take away from work productivity. I have seen both sides of this battle and it is a struggle, but we all do our best to maintain balance.

Michael Mullin: I think a healthy work/life balance is essential to my happiness and clarity of mind, which in turn determines how creative, productive, and adaptable I can be in difficult situations. A healthy balance means less stress which translates to overall well-being. Knowing Urban supports my passion really makes me feel part of the Urban family.

Nicholas Orso:  It's very important to carry on passion projects or some other love of yours outside of work, as a stress reliever and something to draw positivity and creativity from - to tap into, exercise, and grow the other parts of your brain.

Tanner Geiger: My volunteer fire department does not have a staff that waits for emergency calls. Every member is on call at all times and responds when they are willing and able to. The calls can happen at any hour of the day. For me, knowing when to respond to an emergency call or not is how I balance my work life since being overly exhausted is a danger at the fire scene and on the construction site. 

What advice could you offer to someone who is struggling to balance work demands with personal interests or passion projects?

Michael Mullin: Life is all about momentum, so start with small shifts towards your goal. Sometimes it’s a conversation or just a positive shift to your inner dialogue. Discipline and a real love of whatever you’re engaged in is critical.

Nicholas Orso: Go easy on yourself and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are times when work at Urban is demanding, or you have other obligations. I have been lucky to always have that philosophy. I work daily to reinforce the satisfaction of a job well done because I think it's powerful.