As a poor farm kid growing up in northern Indiana, Mike Smith, now the Chief Operating Officer of Ross Group’s Engineering and Industrial teams, thought a big trip was getting to go to South Bend a couple of times a year to shop at the K-Mart. Little did he know that a career in the heavy industrial construction business would enable him to “accidentally” see the world! To date, Mike has visited 39 states and seven foreign countries as part of construction projects over the last 48 years.
While these experiences gave Mike chances to visit historical sites and explore other cultures, they also provided career advantages. For example, traveling in the Middle East helped Mike to better understand the various people, customs, cultures, and geo-political challenges of the area. This knowledge helped Ross Group successfully navigate the negotiation and execution of a current project in the region. Likewise, living and working in Canada made working with Canadian consulting firm easier and more natural. The fact that Mike’s family still celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving was not lost on Ross Group’s acoustic consultant in Ontario: sometimes, the small things pay big dividends.
As you plan your 2024 travel adventures, whether for work or pleasure, we hope you enjoy learning about some of Mike’s travel over his career.
Eastern Saudi Arabia
Early in his career, Mike worked for a large storage tank and plate steel EPC firm. During this time, he worked up and down the east coast of Saudi Arabia, from Ras Al-Mishab near the Kuwait border down to Ju’aymah and Dammam including the Ras Tanura Refinery, at that time the biggest refinery in the world. Mike also worked on projects near Riyadh and at Pump Station 1 on the East West Pipeline, both out in the remote desert. For these projects, he traveled through parts of the Rub' al Khali, also called the Empty Quarter, which is the world’s largest continuous sand desert. Several other projects took Mike to the area near Al-Hofuf which is one of the oldest cities in that region. Nearly 30 years later, he found himself in a very much changed Riyadh while working on a food and fuel security project that revolved around soybean oil and algae.
Western Saudi Arabia
On the west coast of Saudi Arabia, Mike worked on the infrastructure being developed at Yanbu, where the East West Pipeline terminated. This project included the terminal, a refinery and petrochemical plant, and 11 tanks for loading supertankers – each tank was 360 ft in diameter and held one million barrels of oil!
Outside of work, Mike was able to swim, snorkel, fish, and water ski in the Red Sea and visit some historical sites, plus there were nice facilities for softball, soccer, and other activities.
Canada
Mike was involved in projects in the Canadian Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario. These projects revolved around power generation, particularly coal-fired power plants, one of which contained the largest Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boiler in the world at that time. Another was a natural gas fired cogeneration facility that provided power to the grid and steam and a thermal fluid to a neighboring industrial facility.
Mike’s time on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia was particularly special, as his family accompanied him there. They enjoyed the unique Canadian culture, which varies substantially from province to province and sometimes even within a province.
Borneo
Another project took Mike on an interesting around-the-world trip where he experienced 24 separate take-offs and landings via airplanes and helicopters. One of those landings, on the island of Borneo, was especially exciting. The team boarded a helicopter for what was intended to be a routine flight to a job site carved out of the dense jungle, but received an uncomfortable surprise when arriving at the site coordinates: neither the site nor the landing pad was visible. Fortunately, after several tense minutes of circling, they located the site and were able to land. This project was a “clean coal” project where high moisture/low BTU (British thermal unit) coal was dried and turned into briquets to save shipping and to make the coal less prone to self-ignition. The entire site was in the middle of the jungle, so a power plant was being built at the same time just to service the clean coal plant. The only way to get materials and supplies to the two sites was by river.
Australia
After Borneo, the next phase of the around-the-world trip was Australia. The clean coal client had a pilot plant in operation there. The jungles of Indonesia/Borneo were interesting, but Mike found Australia to be more inviting. He enjoyed some great sightseeing and fun in Sydney and the surrounding areas, including the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour (yes, that is the way they spell Harbor) Bridge.
Israel
Since joining Ross Group, Mike has made several visits to Israel to meet with a client for a vibro-acoustic test chamber. These trips were particularly rewarding as he was able to explore interesting and historical sites such as the old city of Acre. Established in the Bronze Age, this ancient city is noted for its association with the Knights Templar and is apparently one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth.
While in Israel, Mike visited Jerusalem, seeing sites that Indiana farm kid never imagined he would: the Temple Mount, the Western Wall (sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall), the Old City, and all its history. “Regardless of one’s faith,” he said, “It is moving to stand on the Mount of Olives and look down upon the city, the temple walls, the ancient Hebrew cemetery, and the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mike also ventured through a checkpoint into Palestinian territory to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (where the gift shop takes American Express, by the way). He was glad for guidance from a trustworthy guide who, it turned out, was married to a Midwest girl who had graduated from Notre Dame, which is only about 30 miles from where he was born. Small world.
Germany
Another Ross Group project took Mike to northern Germany, right on the Baltic Sea. This project is an impact testing facility that, among other things, simulates underwater explosions. To date, Ross Group has advanced this project to approximately 95% complete and will finish up in the fourth quarter of 2024 when equipment begins to arrive. This will hopefully give Mike the opportunity to see more of Germany and the surrounding countries.
Growing up, Mike never imagined all the places and things he has seen. His work-related travel introduced him to a variety of cultures and experiences and instilled in him a love of travel and exploration that continues today.
Comments