EMPLOYEE
Recognition Wilton | Groundbreaker | Paragon
RECOGNITION
Celebrating Our People Each year Delve Underground bestows the Wilton Award to an individual who embodies the qualities modeled by James “Jim” Wilton, former Principal and President of Jacobs Associates. The Wilton Award is highly prestigious, and employees who are Senior Associate and below who are licensed in their profession are eligible to be nominated for this honor. Two additional annual awards presented by Delve Underground are the Groundbreaker Award and the Paragon Award. These awards celebrate the innovative leaders and team players in our company, and any team member of Delve Underground who has been employed for at least one year is eligible to be nominated for either award. Nominations open each fall and close in early November, and award winners are announced in December. Recipients of all three awards will be selected by a committee of our executive leaders and regional managers. The committee will make its award decisions based on the nominations received and the award criteria.
Wilton Award
Groundbreaker Award
Paragon Award
Engineering excellence: the “engineer’s engineer”
Leadership that inspires, mentors, and innovates
Teamwork, delivers value, and a positive attitude
Eligibility Licensed professionals, Senior Associate and below, 2+ years
Eligibility All team members, 1+ year
Eligibility All team members, 1+ year
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CONGRATULATIONS
2025
Award Recipients
2025 Wilton Award
2025 Groundbreaker Award
2025 Paragon Award
Daniel Ebin
Daniel Rodrigues
Lacey Mehlert
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“Daniel is someone who embodies the characteristics of innovation, hard work, practicality, and meticulousness – and he’s an ‘engineer’s engineer.’”
“Dan is one of those rare engineers you can rely on in any situation, steady under pressure, technically exceptional, and always willing to support the team.”
“Lacey has been an unsung hero of our firm, consistently delivering excellence while uplifting those around her.”
Brad Murray Midwest Regional Manager
Kristian Nelson AUNZ Regional Manager
Andrew Mencke PNW Regional Manager
Wilton Award Nominations
Ask Yourself: Who do you call when the problem gets hard?
What we look for
Candidate Criteria
Innovative
Takes creative, out-of-the-box approaches that become company-wide best practices.
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The nominee must be a “licensed professional,” which is defined as recognition in the individual’s field of expertise outside of Delve Underground—e.g., PE, CPEng, PG, PMP, CCM, CPSM, CPA, etc.
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The nominee must be a current employee, with a minimum of two years at Delve Underground.
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Nominations are open to individuals up to (and including) the Senior Associate level, including non-engineering staff.
Hard Working
Has a strong work ethic; is willing to go the extra mile for clients.
Practical
Has an understanding of what works and what does not in a construction or business environment.
Meticulous
Improves the quality of projects, processes, or operations through close attention to detail.
An “engineer’s engineer”
Sought out by others for advice on complex problems, and a strong collaborator and team player.
HALL OF HONOREES
Award Recipient History 2011 Mark Lawrence 2012 Sam Schwartz 2013 Joel Kantola & Bhaskar Thapa 2014 Jeremy Johnson 2015 Mark Trim
2016 2021 2017 2018 2019 2020
Grant Finn Zeynep “Bade” Sozer Laura Miles Renée Fippin Joseph Schrank Shannon Goff
2022 2023 2024 2025
Jamie Schick Luke Erickson Frederic Marquis Daniel Ebin
Groundbreaker Award Nominations Ask Yourself: Who made you better this year?
What we look for Innovative
Takes creative, out-of-the-box approaches that become company-wide best practices.
Meticulous
Improves the quality of projects, processes, or operations through close attention to detail.
Candidate Criteria •
The nominee must be a current employee with a minimum of one year at Delve Underground.
Intuition
Has an instinctive understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Makes logical decisions and thinks through all potential impacts of a given project.
Mentoring
Is sought out and valued by others for input and advice to help solve their complex problems. Demonstrates collaboration, teamwork, and cooperation.
Inspiration
Encourages others to want to do more and maximize their potential. Has an ability to inspire others to rise to their level and cares about the work at hand.
HALL OF HONOREES
Award Recipient History 2020 Eric Westergren 2021 Greta Miller
2022 Ethan Guzek 2023 Elnaz Saminfar
2024 Denis Tepavac 2025 Daniel Rodrigues
Paragon Award Nominations
Ask Yourself: Who gets the whole team to the finish line?
What we look for Attitude
Self-motivated to complete work on schedule and deliver high quality products.
Candidate Criteria •
Principle
Consistently displays behavior that shows good code of conduct.
The nominee must be a current employee with a minimum of one year at Delve Underground.
Conduct
Maintains a high level of fairness and represents the company, clients, and projects in a professional manner both during and outside of work hours.
Value
Pays great attention to the details. Ensures no steps were missed and delivers an end product that one can be proud of.
Team Spirit
Works well with fellow employees, helps team members arrive at the finish line together, shares knowledge when possible, and asks for help when needed.
HALL OF HONOREES
Award Recipient History 2020 Susie Lee 2021 Yiming Sun
2022 Raina Gray 2023 Lori Lyons Lachman
2024 Carly James 2025 Lacey Mehlert
Nominate a teammate who has been the bedrock of your project, your team, or your year. Nominations Due: Midnight, November 9, 2026
Step 1
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Step 3
Choose your nominees
Tell their story
Submit on The Portal
Review the qualities and candidate criteria for each award and confirm your nominee is eligible. You may nominate one person per award.
Share specific examples of how your nominee shows the award’s qualities—the project, the problem, and the impact on their team and clients.
Submit your nomination via Microsoft Forms on The Portal’s Recognition Page.
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Scan or Click to Nominate
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Portal > Work & Life > Employee Recognition Recipients are selected by a committee of our executive leaders and regional managers and announced in December.
Wilton | Groundbreaker | Paragon