Chad Helmle is Craftwater’s founding partner, President and CEO. A dynamic visionary, Chad leads his team, partners, and clients toward the stormwater infrastructure future with infectious determination and resolve. After 20 years in a corporate engineering environment, Chad started Craftwater Engineering with two primary goals: partner with clients to fundamentally transform urban watersheds through science-based planning and analysis, ambitious regulatory change, and cutting-edge engineering design; and create a company culture that empowers staff (the best of the best in engineering, science, and everything!) to create and innovate through their passion to change the world and impact lives. Chad is a Professional Engineer with over 23 years of experience dedicated to understanding both the theory and practice of how water infrastructure functions and interacts with the natural environment and the human factor across vast and varied watersheds.

 

Chad has been in stormwater infrastructure leadership roles for much of his career and has overseen hundreds of water resource plans and projects spanning the United States as well as U.S. and international military bases. Chad holds a M.S. in Civil Engineering, Environmental Fluid Mechanics/ Hydrology from Cornell University and a B.S. in Engineering and Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame. He is a veteran who is proud to have served his country as an Air Force engineer.

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Chad is a devoted believer in working hard AND playing hard, and he leads the Craftwater team toward “fun” with infectious determination and resolve. Chad enjoys being a mediocre soccer player in a dad league and trying to keep up with his kids on the slopes.