Opus College of Engineering Award Recipients

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR aWARD

Richard L. Schmidt, Jr., Eng '80
Brookfield, Wis.

As president and CEO of CG Schmidt, Rick considers himself only a guardian of his family’s construction management company: “My goals are to be an effective leader, to leave the company in better shape than I found it, and to eventually relinquish the role to a capable family member who will maintain the same Christian values and mission, and lead the firm into its next 97 years.”

As the fourth-generation company head, Rick finds it extremely gratifying to create exceptional facilities that improve the lives of others, such as the newest silhouette of Milwaukee’s skyline, Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons; and the rebuild of Walnut Way Innovation and Wellness Commons in the Lindsey Heights neighborhood — two of the company’s current projects.

Rick also finds time to “make our community a better place to live,” a lesson he learned at Marquette. He serves on the board of Seton Catholic Schools, an organization in the Milwaukee Archdiocese that is building an elementary school network for urban students. He has also shared his time and talents with the YMCA of Greater Milwaukee, PAVE and Milwaukee Zoological Society. He has served as president of the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association, AGC of Greater Milwaukee, and Triangle Fraternity Alumni Board, and currently serves on the Opus College of Engineering Thought Leaders Council and Marquette’s Management Advisory Board.

Rick met his wife, Nicole (Maszk), Bus Ad ’80, at Marquette, and both his children are graduates — Ryan, Eng ’07, and Brad, Eng ’10. “Any amount of success that I may have experienced in my lifetime is largely due to the education I received at Marquette,” he says.

Fun Fact: CG Schmidt was named one of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Best Places to Work 2016.