Ron Hansen - Leaving a Legacy with Spicer Group
Leaving a Legacy with Spicer Group, Ron Hansen Retires after 33 Years
Ron Hansen, PE, PS, and Steve Roznowski, PE, have a lot of things in common. They are both proud fathers, Michigan Technological University alums, and Professional Engineers who have dedicated their careers to managing storm water. As of June, when Spicer’s latest leadership change took effect, they also share a place on the short list of people who have served as President of Spicer Group.
Over the course of the last two years, Hansen and Roznowski took part in a very intentional leadership transition process. When Hansen stepped into retirement on June 1, Roznowski was fully prepared to take over the top position within Spicer.
“Ron’s been wonderful,” Roznowski said. “He and I worked very closely on that transition, especially over the last year. I think that’s part of Ron’s legacy—setting us up to take the next step and to grow the company.” You can read more about this leadership transition on page 3 of this edition.
Hansen first started working at Spicer in 1993, straight out of college. He was promoted to Associate in 1998, Senior Associate in 2000, Shareholder in 2002, and Principal in 2004. Hansen first took a seat on the Board of Directors in 2010, serving in the role of Vice President starting in 2017. He has led Spicer Group as President/CEO since 2023. It’s an impressive 33-year career, all spent with one firm.
The young engineer started out designing stormwater infrastructure for the City of Saginaw and other local municipalities, but soon the work expanded to other areas of Michigan. Hansen can summon his knowledge about the firm expanding into new territories like he is watching a video reel of Spicer Group history. He recalls major flooding that led to work in Clinton County, the first project the firm took in Wayne County, and how the Flint Water Crisis brought the team’s work to a crucial project in the national spotlight.
“Obviously, our group was growing,” Hansen said.
Hansen’s decades with Spicer have seen amazing growth. Now with 400 employees across 15 offices in three states, company records show there were just 75 employees the year after Hansen began work at the previous Saginaw headquarters, located at 1258 S. Washington Street.
He was present for so much of Spicer’s expansion, watching the firm take on work in new regions, one after another. He has a long list of municipalities in Michigan where he has personally provided engineering services.
“It’s just been absolutely incredible, the number of communities that have allowed me to help them with their projects and all of the relationships we’ve made throughout the years,” Hansen said, explaining that — if his count is accurate — he has personally provided engineering work in 43 of Michigan’s 83 counties.
One special moment for Hansen came earlier this year when he was the one to operate the crest gate to start refilling Sanford Lake in Midland County, Michigan, roughly six years after the dam there failed, causing damage to thousands of properties. Hansen was the first person from Spicer to work on the Four Lakes Task Force project, which you can read more about on page 12 of this edition of Straight Lines.
Hansen said collaborating with communities to solve problems is what he has truly loved about working as an engineer. With many new engineers coming to Spicer right out of college, like Hansen did 33 years ago, he hopes they find the same connection to the job.
“I think people excel at things that they get passionate about, so the first thing you have to do is understand that you love your job,” Hansen said. “Then, if you love your job, and you want to be the best at what you do, and you want to help people — everything else comes naturally.”
Now that Roznowski is in the driver’s seat at Spicer, Hansen hopes to spend retirement in another kind of driver’s seat, with traveling on the list of activities he has mapped out for the coming years. Hansen and his wife Angie, when not exploring new destinations, plan to spend lots of quality time with their two daughters and four grandchildren. Plus, there will be more time for his favorite hobbies — making maple syrup and deer hunting.
Hansen said he is looking forward to watching the next chapter for Spicer, expressing the utmost confidence in Roznowski and the team surrounding him. Teamwork, he said, is one of the things that makes Spicer Group truly special.
“I think the best days are ahead for Spicer,” Hansen said.
