When Chris Maks was growing up in Rapid City, he played multiple sports, with his dad often serving as his coach. On road trips to those baseball, football, and basketball games, they would listen to Tom Petty songs. Now, whenever Chris hears Petty’s “Learning to Fly,” he returns to a time when he and his father were driving a two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere on their way to a game in some small town. And Chris often remembers those happy times. When working on the fixer-upper he and his wife bought a few years ago, Chris listens to the same music that he and his dad shared.

Chris, a mechanical engineer, enjoys coaching Special Olympics and Legion baseball teams when time allows. These experiences have cultivated a teamwork mentality. And being part of a team is what motivates Chris. It could be his team at TSP, or working with clients, or coming together with contractors as team members to successfully complete a project. At work, he focuses on the client’s best interest, whatever form it takes: budgetary, functionality, aesthetics, and energy efficiency. Whatever role he needs to play, he is happy to be part of the team.