Griffin fills position of Director of Engineering for City of Madison
MADISON – Michael Griffin has relinquished a nearby job to accept the position of Director of Engineering for the City of Madison.
Griffin previously was City Engineer in Athens. Working between Madison and Limestone County, his experience and network of individuals will change little, “which is a refresher and sometimes takes years to navigate.”
“Our civil engineering community is close-knitted. We all tend to work well with one another across private and public entities,” Griffin said. “The difference is that projects are a little bit bigger and neighborhoods a little bit denser (in Madison).”
“Opportunities for managing unique projects situated in an urban environment are not typical in this state,” but Madison is one of Alabama’s fastest growing areas. In addition, “Madison has a reputation of great living, community and schools,” Griffin said.
From 2008-2015, Griffin worked for Alabama Department of Transportation, primarily for Mobile and Baldwin counties. He rotated in departments for design, bridge, construction and maintenance.
In his next job at Morell Engineering Inc. in Athens, Griffin developed plan-sets and assisted his major client, the City of Athens. That job led him to the City Engineer position. “I really enjoyed working with the people of Athens and the employees. They are true Southerners with warm hearts. I had a unique opportunity to do both engineering of all municipal projects, economic development and planning,” Griffin said.
In Athens, Griffin “enjoyed bringing people together to collaborate. One project (that needed time) for fruition was Buc-ee’s. The project site involved a lot of entities and trying to get some semblance of order. Getting it all together was a challenge, and it’s still ongoing.”
“I’ve never had too many disappointing situations, but I truly care for the people I work with. What impacts their lives can impact mine,” Griffin said.
Griffin fills the slot from Gary Chenoweth’s retirement. Griffin used Chenoweth as a reference for unique situations. “Gary has always been a good resource. He has a great reputation locally (for running an excellent) department. I hope to continue to fill that role,” Griffin said.
“I like to listen to people’s problems and how, from an engineering standpoint, we can correct any issues as I work for citizens of Madison,” Griffin said. “I would like to keep folks more informed on ongoing projects and with a focus that the public welfare is our focus first.”
Griffin’s hometown is Stockton, a small town north of Bay Minette in Baldwin County. Most of his family lives in Baldwin and Mobile counties.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of South Alabama and has completed graduate courses. He achieved the status of Professional Engineer.
His wife Megan works for Athens Utilities. Their daughter Rylin, 7, attends SPARK Academy at Cowart in Athens.
Michael enjoys traveling, camping and craft beers.
