Careers
It’s your time to excel with SKW.
At SKW, we are ready to lead a new era for the A/E/C industry, and we’re looking for talented, motivated engineers, surveyors, technicians and construction professionals who are eager to lead the charge.
Start making the most of your career.
Read our stories:

SKW Prepares Internship Program Participants for Full-Time Positions
For Shafer, Kline & Warren (SKW), an effective internship program means creating positions that offer long-term value to the company, identifying projects that offer hands-on experience, and receiving support from employees who can mentor college students and recent graduates. SKW’s recruiter, Heather Thurston, started the company’s internship program in 2015 with these principles in mind, knowing that statistically about 40 percent of new hires come from these programs.
During the planning stages, she sought input from co-workers to build a strong program. “I made the decision to put together an internship team comprised of employees who had leadership experience at SKW and could help plan the initial phases of the project,” she said.
These employees would offer guidance and make sure interns received professional experience. Because SKW’s interns work on a wide range of projects, they are just as likely to be in the field as they would be behind a desk. “The more hands-on the work, the greater value your interns bring to your business,” Thurston said.
Matched Ideals
Thurston’s next step is finding students whose goals and interests align with the objectives of the internship — and several SKW’s interns have joined the company as full-time employees after they graduated from the program.
Mitch Gibler, a University of Missouri – Columbia civil engineering graduate, started his internship in January 2016 during the final semester of his senior year. He is now a project designer and engineer in training at SKW’s office in Columbia, Mo.
Gibler has several engineers in his family, including uncles, a grandfather, and great uncles. He has been interested in engineering since the eighth grade. “I have always been math and science focused and thought that becoming an engineer was the best use of my talents and interests,” he added.
Gibler’s mindset matched the ideals of SKW, and he discovered the discipline he currently practices during his internship. Mentored by Dustin Berry, P.E., a project engineer in the company’s infrastructure services department, Gibler helped Berry with complete tasks on multiple bridge projects.
“At that time, he had 75 bridges he was either repairing or replacing for Lincoln County and needed help with quantities, specifications, utility location and relocation, and construction plan review,” Gibler said. “In addition to those tasks, I performed watershed analyses for several counties in mid-Missouri and used that information to size and design box and pip culverts. I also learned the basics of bridge design by doing bits and pieces of design where needed.”
Aaron Holderness, a student in the pipeline integrity program at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT), started his internship in SKW Enterprise Solutions’ corrosion services department in May 2017. After an eight-month internship, he was hired as the warehouse manager at SKW’s Tulsa location.
Holderness also has family in the oil and gas industry, including his father who works for a company that builds compressors and turbine stations for natural gas pipelines. “Oil and gas is an industry that you have to get a feel for — it is not for everyone,” he said. Initially, he worked for three months with Corey Holmes, managing director of corrosion services, performing close interval surveys (CIS) on pipelines. Then he spent five months in the construction services department, working under Reese McClain, managing director of construction services, and Dean Denton, construction superintendent.
“What I liked about construction services was the hands-on experience and doing something new every day,” Holderness said. “One week, I was putting in a deep well, and the next, I was working on a conventional well. I was also able to operate machinery, like backhoes, skid steers, and bulldozers.”
Ready for the Real World
Interns at SKW report that the program has prepared them for employment.
Holderness said when he graduates in April 2018, he would like to return to construction services and work in the field. “Compared to other students in my class, I received a lot of experience and became really familiar with CIS and construction,” he said. “My internship put me into a position to lead a crew when I go back to construction services.”
Gibler said his internship prepared him for a full-time position by making him self-reliant and exposing him to actual projects and processes. “I also felt valued since I was contributing to billable work and helping the project stay profitable,” he said. “Since I was essentially doing the same work as I am now full time, I felt like I could build off my experience from the internship and help shape my department for the better with a new perspective on the design process.”

Matthew Kist Promoted to SKW Vice President of Development Services
Renowned for engineering and land surveying since 1950, Shafer, Kline & Warren (SKW) announced today the promotion of Matthew Kist, P.E., to vice president of development services.
Kist will transition from his current team leader position, where he’s heavily involved in the management of development projects, acting as a client liaison and overseeing the day-to-day operational activities of his project design team, to his new role effective Jan. 1, 2018.
“Matt brings a blend of proven experience and expertise, with a high degree of professionalism and a genuine commitment to service that SKW is looking for in its leaders,” said Brian Johanning, president of Infrastructure & Development at SKW. “His vision and enthusiasm for SKW’s future is reflected in the way he approaches every project, and we know that this area of our business will thrive under his leadership.”
Kist will work closely with Tom Smith, SKW principal and current vice president of development services, to ensure a smooth transition for existing and new clients. Smith has been with the firm’s development services department for 48 years and joined the board of directors in 1999, where he will continue to serve SKW’s clients and shareholders.
Smith noted that he is excited to have Kist assume this mantle of leadership and looks forward to sharing with him the skills and talents he’s learned and developed throughout his career. “Matt brings fresh ideas and new methodologies to the department and to SKW,” Smith said. “His time here as team leader of development services has been beneficial to the entire firm, and I look forward to the good work he’ll produce in the coming years.”
Kist noted that he’s eager to work alongside Smith and explained the importance of active mentorships in any organization. “From the person right out of school to the person who’s been around the building for three, four or five decades, it’s important that mentorship is available and visible,” Kist said. “Aside from the passing on of expertise, it also provides guidance; anyone can look up and say, that’s where I can go. It provides a career path as we continue to grow our group.”
Kist continued: “Tom is a walking encyclopedia regarding site development around the Kansas City metro area, and he knows who the key players are. Working with him will be important for my own, and the department’s, continued success.”
Likewise, as Kist assumes leadership for the development services department, Smith explained that he will be able to focus more time on projects while remaining an active SKW board member. “I look forward to the continuation of what I do well, and that’s developing relationships with new clients and serving our existing clients,” Smith said.
Kist has a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Originally from Columbia, Mo., Kist lives in Parkville, Mo. He enjoys outdoor activities, including golfing, hunting, fishing, and spending time on his family’s hobby farm near Columbia.

SKW’s Lenexa Interns Learn Experience is the Best Teacher
No two days are alike for Shafer, Kline & Warren’s (SKW) Lenexa interns. From project site visits to industry-related field trips, SKW provides opportunities that allow interns to grow as professionals.
Brett Morey, a senior at Kansas State University and Jolene Williams, a senior at the University of Missouri are both civil engineering majors who are working on projects in SKW’s infrastructure and development services departments. During their internship, they have the opportunity to work on projects in the preliminary stages to finishing construction, and everything in between.
“Seeing the stages of a project from beginning to end within the span of my internship has taught me a lot about this industry,” said Morey.
Morey and Williams have been able to work on projects in the office with software like MicroStation, as well as go out in the field to monitor construction. They have also gained experiences outside the technical realm of engineering, like meeting with government agencies and acting as a liaison to clients.
Intern Robert Brewer has been a part of SKW’s field services department this summer. The senior design and drafting technology major at the University of Central Missouri has been able to work hands-on in the field throughout his internship.
“I’ve been able to go out and survey parking lots in downtown Kansas City, building corners by Crown Center and more,” said Brewer. “Going out to sites to collect points is challenging, but I’ve learned a lot.”
Meagan Platt, the Lenexa office’s content marketing intern, is a journalism major entering her senior year at the University of Missouri. As a member of the marketing department, she creates content for SKW’s social media and website.
“I came into this internship with limited knowledge of the AEC industry,” said Platt. “My time with SKW has taught me that in any kind of marketing, you have to adapt and quickly become an expert on your product or service.”
These four interns are paired with mentors in the Lenexa office, who guide them through projects and their overall internship experience.
“My role as a mentor is to give meaningful experiences that will lead to broad exposure to multiple types of roles and projects,” said Senior Project Manager Paul Parks.
Matt Kist, SKW team leader, said his experience as a mentor has allowed him to reflect on what he wishes he knew going into the engineering field.
“Looking back to when I was an intern, I was only doing drafting work,” said Kist. “It’s important to get our interns out in the field to gain a full understanding of what they’re doing in the office.”
In addition to visiting project sites, SKW’s interns are also able to attend several field trips over the course of their internship program. These include tours of the Kansas City Power & Light Iatan Power Plant, Kansas City Water Plant, and the Blue River Secondary Disinfection System.
“Going on field trips has shown me what the final project outcomes of field surveying can potentially be,” said Brewer.
During the last few weeks of their program, SKW’s Lenexa interns are looking forward to seeing their current projects continue to develop, and gain new experiences through additional projects.
“I’m doing more work on projects than I thought I would in an internship,” said Williams. “I’m eager to see what other projects my mentor gives me throughout the rest of my time with SKW.”
Start making the most of your career.
Press Inquiries
Media Relations11250 Corporate Ave.
Lenexa, KS 66219
(913) 888-7800 Phone
(913) 888-7868 Fax