The high school football star takes a deep breath before his interview on WSTU 1420 AM, a sports and news radio station in South Florida. In a few minutes, popular local sports reporter Hamp Elliot welcomes the senior offensive guard on the air and asks the question most of the Stuart area, a close-knit community of 50,000, has been wondering, "Why did a fifth-generation Floridian decide to go to Carnegie Mellon?"
Rick Creech barely has to pause before answering Elliot because just yesterday he fielded the same question from a Stuart News reporter. In today’s paper, the story’s headline reads: Creech signs intent to attend Carnegie Mellon.
"I have always been goal driven, so much so that at 12 years old I wanted to be a civil engineer," Creech tells Elliot. "I want to design and develop Florida the way I feel it should be developed—in concert with nature and environmentally sensitive. Carnegie Mellon has everything I'm looking for: one of the best engineering schools in the country and a football team that just went to the Division III playoffs."
Creech had first-hand knowledge of life as an engineer almost from day one. His father, William, was a surveyor, so the youngster growing up had a chance to help on projects with a survey crew. "I enjoyed building projects and getting to work with the earth. I knew engineering would be a natural fit for me."
During his first semester at college, Creech's choice is put to the test. Grades came easier in high school. That isn’t the case at Carnegie Mellon as he finds himself on academic probation. "To be challenged like that forced me to mature quickly. You find out who you really are. I found out who I was. Failure was not an option," he says.
He didn’t fail. In fact, his years at Carnegie Mellon ultimately were a success—both academically and personally. He was one of only three freshman football players to make the varsity team and to go on to the national championship semifinals in 1980 (losing to the eventual winner, Ithaca College). He lettered all four years in football (playing every game); and he pledged Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, where he served as vice president his senior year and was involved in both Greek Sing and Battle of the Bands. He also pushed Buggy Hill 2 for ATO and for Student Dormitory Council.
And, at Carnegie Mellon, he met another aspiring engineer who would become his wife, Jill Hurst Creech (E'82). "Jill and I met outside Donner Hall on February 16, 1980," he says, adding that he had actually noticed her long before that because her mailbox was just below his.
Creech graduated in 1984, during a recession, with no career prospects. "Actually, it was similar to what is going on now,” he says. "I came home and worked for my dad's survey company for about six months." The work wasn't glamorous, he was basically a gopher, but it helped pay some bills for the newlyweds. With his "failure is not an option" attitude, he found a better job with a local engineer, Ken Ferrari, who served as his mentor. Within a few years, Creech felt prepared to take an engineer certification exam. He passed and, at the age of 24, was one of the youngest professional engineers in the country.
Four years later, in 1988, he started Creech Engineers out of a spare bedroom. Within a year, after moving to an office building, he officially hired another young engineer, his wife, who was pregnant with Audra. "It was a very romantic time to have a company and have your family there with you," he recalls. "Jill would bring Audra—and a few years later, Rachelle—to the office. Clients would come in and ask, 'Where’s Audra?' or 'Where’s Rachelle?'"
In 1995, Jill took over as president, which enabled her husband to focus on business development. Two decades later, with 100 employees and approximately $10 million in annual sales, the firm has been the recipient of many innovative design and concept awards for various residential and commercial projects.
The work has also led to personal awards for the Creeches in their home state. Jill Creech received the Young Engineer of the Year Award in 1988 and the Engineer of the Year Award in 2000. Her husband received the Young Engineer of the Year Award in 1990, the Engineer of the Year Award in 1990, and the Florida Surveyor Mapper’s Society Award for outstanding civic contribution in 2004.
He also received the 2008 Outstanding Alumni Service Award from Carnegie Mellon’s Civil Engineering Department for his commitment to the department. Creech hasn’t forgotten the department, even going back to 1987, a year before he founded his company. He established then a small scholarship, which helped lead him to serve almost four years on the Dean's Leadership Council. Toward the end of that post, Carnegie Institute of Technology Dean John Anderson recommended him for the Alumni Association Board. Two years ago, Creech was elected board president and ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees, a position he will hold until June 2010.
He takes over at a pivotal time. In response to feedback from alumni, the alumni board is moving reunions to Spring Carnival. The switch begins at Spring Carnival 2010 (with the classes ending in 0s and 5s).
But Creech points out that all alumni are welcome both in the spring and in the fall. “Spring Carnival is a festive event, no matter when you graduated. It is a time when many alumni and their families come back to campus for an action-filled weekend. Homecoming, including the football game, will still happen, focusing on celebrating the educational aspects of the university. We’ve just moved reunions—not Homecoming—to Spring Carnival,” he explains.
The change won’t alter Creech's own routine. He plans to attend both celebrations.
Laurel Furlow, a former newspaper reporter, is the assistant director of on-campus programs in the Office of Alumni Relations. She is a regular contributor to this department.
