Drummond Carpenter, an environmental and water resources engineering firm based in Orlando, has established a scholarship that will be highly sought after by veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Opening their doors just five years ago, Drummond Carpenter is a company on the rise, especially after ranking #5 on the USF Fast 56 list in 2020. Their impressive list of clients includes Ford Motor Company, NASA, U.S. Department of Energy, various municipalities, and many more organizations.
The Drummond Carpenter Scholarship for Veterans will offer $1,500 in financial assistance to veterans that plan to pursue a career within the field of civil and environmental engineering.
As a Navy veteran Chad Drummond, president and chairman of Drummond Carpenter, was inspired to pursue a career in environmental engineering after witnessing environmental devastation during the first Gulf War.
“I served in the Navy between 1989 – 1993 and I vividly remember seeing the environmental atrocities caused by the burning of oil wells and the release of crude oil into the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm,” said Chad Drummond.
Chad Drummond (center) pictured with his fellow sailors while serving in the Navy.
“I was a petty officer second class that worked within the engine room on a US frigate. The temperature outside at that time was supposed to be between 100 - 110 degrees, but the thick, black smoke blocked out the sun and the temperature dropped to 60 degrees. I also remember seeing thick crude oil lying on the surface of the sea. I once dropped a nickel onto the oil and watched it slowly sink down until reaching the water underneath. That experience, more than anything, pushed me to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at the University of South Florida. Following USF, I received a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan.”
The Drummond Carpenter Scholarship for Veterans will support veterans who are current graduate students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USF.
“The College of Engineering has a long history of being a strong advocate for veterans going back to student veterans of the Vietnam War,” said Robert H. Bishop, Dean of the College of Engineering. “I’m thankful for alumni like Chad Drummond who is paying forward and helping veterans getting the civilian careers started.”
Drummond is honored to offer a much-needed scholarship to his fellow veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Chad Drummond (center) and some of the employees from Drummond Carpenter.
“When I went to USF, I was on the GI bill, and I won a few scholarships from various professional organizations. That financial assistance really made my life easier by allowing me to focus on my studies while working a full-time job.
This scholarship was created to continue that tradition and is our way of thanking veterans for their valuable service. Civil and environmental engineering is a fabulous field that requires hard work and focus. The military teaches veterans how to be detailed and diligent and these qualities are highly sought after in the field of civil and environmental engineering,” said Drummond.