When Andy Sievers and his wife, Lauren, moved to Mahomet they planned to stay for two years. Now, 27 years later, Sievers is a staple in the Mahomet community.
The couple, both Indiana transplants, decided to buy a house in Mahomet nearly two years after moving to Central Illinois. Initially living in Urbana, Andy enjoyed seeing the trees along the Sangamon River in Mahomet as he drove to and from work at Roberson Transportation in Farmer City.
Over the next few years, the Sievers welcomed their two children, Andrew and Suzannah into the world. They decided to stay in the Mahomet area for the excellent school system.
Sievers, who graduated from Indiana University with a business degree, worked his way up the corporate ladder at Roberson over the following 17 years. Starting out as Safety Manager, he was promoted to Claims Manager, Credit Manager, Risk Manager and then finally to Vice President before he left Roberson to start his own safety consulting practice.
As Roberson grew into a trucking company, which operated 1,200 trucks, Sievers helped Roberson earn self-insured states with the Federal and State Governments. He was also responsible for directing the self-handling claims and hired counsel for litigation. As Vice President, Sievers also hired and trained 4,000 truck drivers in a three year period.
Because Roberson did not have the staff to cover all the responsibilities in the facility, Sievers was able to step into roles, which forced him to explore other facets of the trucking industry as they grew.
Although Sievers achieved corporate success at Roberson, he said the job was so stressful and demanding that he had to wear a heart monitor during his last year there.
“I’ve been kicked a couple times,” he said. “Especially at work. But you make a choice. You stay down or you get up and work harder. I really didn’t have a choice. I got up and worked harder. I’ve been lucky. When I’ve been kicked, it’s ultimately worked into a better situation. When you’re going through trials and tribulations, you wonder if it is going to work out. It normally does.”
With driver training experience and his knowledge of the litigation process, Sievers is now considered one of the most sought after Expert Witnesses in the country. Over the last 11 years, Sievers has traveled to 49 states as a litigation consultant to report findings on trucking companies’ driver training, hiring and supervising processes. He is one of approximately 10 other Expert Witnesses in the nation.
Sievers said most of the cases he is asked to testify in rarely go to court as most cases settle or counts are dropped to simplify the case. In the last 11 years, he has only appeared in eight trials.
As a young father trying to provide security and a sense of home for his family, Sievers said he at times, he did not balance fatherhood and his career well. With trucks all over the nation, Roberson sent him out on a moment’s notice to investigate an accident.
Sievers was able to start his consulting practice when his oldest child was a freshmen at Mahomet-Seymour High School. He believes that although he was often absent for soccer or basketball games, his children have adopted his and Lauren’s work ethic.
“I really believe the kids want to see successful parents,” he said. “It’s important for them to see their parents successful at something whether it’s their career, church, volunteering or running a marathon. I think a lot of kids don’t get to see that. We were really fortunate that both of our children were really good students and are hard workers.”
Andrew now works as an Aeronautical Engineer in Indianapolis for Rolls Royce and Suzannah is in the Parmacy program at Butler University.
As Sievers moved from Roberson to owning a small business, he missed the social interaction that came with reporting to work. To stay involved in the community, Sievers spent six years as a School Board memmber, joined the Lions Club, mentors at MSJHS and is now a Commission Member of the Mahomet Economic Development Commission. He recently developed the design and storyline for the “Shop Where You Love” campaign.
“In this town, we are fortunate to see our end results,” Sievers said. “People can make a conscience decision to help. We do have a little time to breathe, look around, and make life better for our kids and those around us.”
“Just like kids model work ethic, people here see their neighbors give back,” he said. “They see that’s the way things are done in this town.”
As Sievers has volunteered in the community, he has seen the impact involved adults have on youth. Sievers was encouraged to reach out to youth while he worked for Roberson. He chose to get involved with the Mahomet-Seymour Mentor Program. Although he sees that Mahomet is an affluent town, he also knows there are children who need attention, too.
Sievers believes junior high years are a tipping point for kids. Up until the teenage years, children model their parent’s behavior. As they enter junior high, peer groups become more important, and they begin to think for themselves.
“Every kids wants someone to be paying attention to them,” he said. “And that’s what it’s all about. You don’t have to be able to do anything. You don’t have to be smart or rich. You just pay attention to a kid. It’s amazing.”
Sievers’ wife recently retired after working for 25 years at the State Water Survey, and they have begun to think about the next phase of their lives. The couple looks forward to traveling together as Andy continues to consult.
For Sievers, three things will remain constant, though. He will continue to provide a sense of home for his family, and he will continue to enjoy the trees along the Sangamon as he gives back to the Mahomet community.
