By KAYLA J. MARSH
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — Since March 21, 1966, township-based T&M Associates has been dedicated to improving the quality of life and creating sustainable technical and engineering solutions for communities and partners throughout Monmouth County.
Founded by Richard T. Noble and Richard M. Schulz, T&M Associates has grown from a seven-person operation to a nationally recognized company with 400 professionals in offices throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, who are dedicated to meeting the engineering needs of their clients and business partners.
In honor of its 50th anniversary, T&M Associates has awarded two Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarships that will be presented to local high school students to further their education in the field and strengthen the industry.
“I think they [Schulz and Noble] instilled some great values in the company in regards to the care and the consideration and appreciation of the employees and the clients, and I think it is a testament to the long-term success that we have had,” said Gary Dahms, CEO of T&M Associates.
“It is about long-term relationships that go on and on, and we’ve become embedded in the fabric of the community.
“This year we embarked on a campaign of ‘50 Ways of Giving’ and we want to give back to each of the communities that we’re involved in … and we want to support the STEM system by providing scholarships for students that are going to be going into the field to further our industry and strengthen our engineering and science industry.”
At an event March 21 at the company’s office at 11 Tindall Road, Dahms presented the two $2,000 STEM scholarships to Assistant Superintendent for Operations Mary Ellen Walker, who will present them to the two students, one from High School North and one from High School South, at a later date.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students,” Walker said. “Two thousand dollars is a very substantial scholarship … and this is something the students are really going to appreciate.
“We’ve set up criteria, and it will be someone going into the STEM program, someone who is taking courses in STEM-related fields, and also they will be students participating in extracurricular activities in the area of STEM … so it is someone who really has already started to dedicate themselves to the field.”
Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said T&M Associates has served the township since Richard M. Schulz was appointed the township’s engineer in 1966.
“T&M is so close to Middletown in so many ways,” he said. “First of all they have a physical presence here and [T&M] is an important business and an important employer and certainly an important partner in the community.
“Every time we need something, we know we can call T&M … and they are always supporting the community.”
With its 50-year history with Monmouth County and the township, Scharfenberger said the company has helped to improve the quality of life and maintain a level of safety and prosperity for many communities and partners.
“I deal with a lot of communities and municipalities around the state that T&M also works with, and you get to see how really influential and powerful they are and the great job they do,” he said. “I hear the good, the bad and the ugly, and everything I hear about T&M … has been nothing short of magnificent, and that is really a testament to a 50-year company who really has made its mark.”
Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders Director Thomas Arnone said he looks forward to working together with the company for another 50 years.
“The one thing that is really something special … in my past experience as a mayor, you would hear about the engineering firms and then you would hear about T&M … and you would always hear such positive things spoken about them and about their workmanship, their results, and more importantly their professionalism and the way they handle their municipalities,” he said.
“T&M is a signature throughout the state, and your professionalism, the way you handle your day-to-day operations, your staff is second to none, and all I can say on behalf of the Monmouth County freeholders is that we are thankful to have somebody like T&M working for us and working with us and also being a county friend.”