Today, January 28th in our parking lot, family and friends gathered for a socially distanced celebration of W&A Engineering’s first twenty years with the long-awaited unveiling of our vicennial anniversary sculpture.
This newest addition to our headquarters in Athens, Georgia has stood under a tarp for the past several weeks, building anticipation for what lay underneath with every swish and every gust of the wind.
The W&A Engineering family was filled with pride as the tarp descended to the grass to reveal “The Tree of Oneta.” Made from materials from our home in the Southern Mill complex, such as a washing machine used by the largest manufacturer of stone-washed jeans in the 70s and 80s, this sculpture honors so many aspects of W&A Engineering’s mission to build better communities.
“My hope is that the piece I’ve created for W&A Engineering represents the effort and vision Jon Williams has built his business upon, as well as highlights the firm’s dedication to bringing new life into historical structures,” Steve Sweetser said.
Sculptor and native Athenian Steve Sweetser grew up not far from our Athens headquarters. As a child, he often played along the railroad tracks of the historic Southern Mill complex. A retired Pipefitter and US Army veteran, Steve has spent more than a decade fine-tuning his craft. He is incredibly passionate about incorporating recycled metal, steel, and piping into his art, finding pride in creating upcycled art out of materials which make our lives easier every day.
Having helped to established a COVID testing and vaccine distribution center in partnership with Southern Mill Partners and the Department of Public Health, President and CEO Jon Williams dedicated the sculpture to the health care workers who are working tirelessly—rain or shine—to end this global pandemic.
W&A Engineering would like to extend the most heartfelt and emphatic thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate this incredible victory today. We would also like to extend a warm air hug to Java Joy Joyristas Colin and April who came out to celebrate with us.
“The Tree of Oneta” celebrates not only the last twenty years but the continued growth of W&A Engineering. Here’s to another twenty years!