Souder, Miller & Associates

05/18/2026

The New Mexico Water and Wastewater Association’s Northern School is underway in Ohkay Owingeh, NM! The school offers a wide range of courses designed to provide operators with valuable educational resources and practical information to help prepare them for certification exams and continued professional development.

SMA and Gallatin Operational Solutions, LLC staff have proudly supported this event for many years by serving as instructors and sharing their expertise across numerous training sessions, and we’re excited to do so again this year.

The following SMA & Gallatin team members will be teaching courses during the event:

Alyssa Chavez — Wastewater Lab Analysis

Cassie Parker — Introduction to Groundwater; Groundwater Characteristics

Matt Earthman — Water Wells

Marvin Martinez — Basic Water Review; Cross Connections; Distribution

Paul Kennedy — Activated Sludge; Solids Handling, Digestion, Thickening, Dewatering & Disposal

Be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit hall and talk with us about anything and everything water and wastewater. We hope to see you there!

05/11/2026

SMA President, Marty Howell, was recently featured in Water Engineers for the Americas & Africa’s (WEFTA) Volunteer Spotlight!

WEFTA is a non-profit organization comprised of a collective of volunteer and professional individuals who work alongside engineers to help rural and indigenous communities in need of a safely managed drinking water source: one located on site, available when needed, and free from contamination.

SMA has a long-standing relationship with WEFTA, often in the form of offering volunteer expertise and even having volunteers participate in trips across the globe to help with their missions, first-hand.

The article spotlighting Marty discusses his history with the organization, his duties within WEFTA, and his thoughts on what makes it such an outstanding team to work alongside.

Full article here:

Marty is touched by the gratitude of those who benefit from WEFTA’s services and notes the great value they place on WEFTA’s maintenance of long-term relationships with them.

04/24/2026

We’d like to take a moment and thank the outstanding folks of the New Mexico Rural Water Association for doing such a great job hosting the 48th Annual Conference! As usual, it was a greatly educational event where we got to meet with so many bright people and help each other learn.

We were honored to be recognized with the NMRWA’s “Associate Member of the Year” award, and Sonja Jamilla, our Azurite CEO, was also recognized with the “Instructor of the Year” award. Additionally, several of our clients received recognitions for their water and wastewater operations, including: Enchanted Forest, Sile, Santa Rosa, Pueblo of Jemez, and Peña Blanca.

Congratulations to each of them as well as the other award recipients! We look forward to seeing everyone again soon!

04/21/2026

NMSU’s 2026 Transportation and Construction Conference is this week!

This annual event is a premier educational conference designed for industry professionals, by industry professionals, with a focus on the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in civil infrastructure. The conference features a mix of workshops and technical sessions tailored to a wide range of experience levels and attracts approximately 800 attendees each year.

We look forward to another great conference with exciting presentations and excellent company. We’ll see you there!

04/13/2026

Join us this week at the New Mexico Rural Water Association’s 48th Annual Conference!

This year’s conference will be hosted at the Isleta Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, NM, from April 14th – 16th. This event is New Mexico’s premiere water and wastewater utility industry training conference, bringing together professionals at all-levels across various agencies to obtain accreditation and connect with one another.

SMA is a platinum sponsor of this year’s event and our staff will be teaching several classes over the week. Be sure to stop by our booth in the entry corridor and talk with us about anything and everything water and wastewater.

We hope to see you there!

04/08/2026

This week, SMA is attending two back-to-back conferences in Arizona and New Mexico!

In Tucson, we’ll be attending the 2026 Rural Water Association of Arizona’s Spring Conference on the 9th and the 10th. This event is an outstanding industrial conference, with several professional development opportunities, as well as the opportunity to network with the brightest minds in water in Arizona!

In Albuquerque, we’ll likewise be attending the 2026 New Mexico Water Summit today and tomorrow (4/9). The event also hosts many great training opportunities, exhibitions, and keynote addresses from many notable figures in the New Mexico water industry.

We hope you get the chance to come and speak with us at each of these excellent events!

04/06/2026

While the holiday falls on the first Sunday of April, today we observe Geologists Day! This holiday serves to highlight the important work that Geologists lay the groundwork for, and it gives us an opportunity to appreciate them.

Our Geologists in our Environmental Technical Sector perform vital work for us in assessing, excavating, and testing earth materials regularly for projects. Their knowledge allows us to perform well-informed work and provide well-designed solutions to our clients.

To all of our PGs and other related Geology staff: thank you for your great work and dedication! Happy Geologists Day!

03/27/2026

SMA attended the 2026 Borderplex Alliance Global Summit in El Paso, TX this week!

The Borderplex Alliance is an economic development and policy advocacy organization that is independent and private-sector led. Their goal is to bring more jobs and opportunities to the Borderplex region between Las Cruces and El Paso.

It was an exciting day filled with outstanding speakers and presentations that all point towards a bright future in the border region. Special thanks to Paul Pompeo, Arkelao Lopez-Perez, and Francisco Urueta for attending the event!

03/18/2026

It is once again National Surveyors Week! NSW is our opportunity to show our appreciation for our survey crews and the surveying profession at large.

Surveying is one of the cornerstones of our company. Our dedicated survey teams brave all types of perilous terrain, day and night, to provide geographic data for countless projects. Their important work not only contributes to the design of the modern world, but also serves as a connection to the natural world around us.

This week is a testament to their hard work that often goes unseen. Thank you for everything that you do Surveyors! Happy National Surveyors Week!

03/06/2026

It is Employee Appreciation Day! Today we celebrate and recognize the contributions made by every member of our team.

Thank you for everything that you do. In addition to the work that we do that eventually goes on to produce physical, tangible, results; there is also a lot of work that happens here that doesn’t have a physical outcome. Yet each team member goes on to make an impact one way or another and contributes to our continued successes.

Thank you all! Happy Employee Appreciation Day!