Jan. 23—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Some of H.F. Lenz Co.'s top leaders have come from the engineering program at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and a new scholarship fund was started by the company to keep the talent coming.

H.F. Lenz presented Pitt-Johnstown with a $50,000 check on Monday to establish an endowment fund that will provide scholarships to undergraduate students entering their junior year and studying mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering in the Division of Engineering and Computer Science at Pitt-Johnstown.

H.F. Lenz President Thomas F. Deter, a 1987 UPJ graduate in electrical engineering, and H.F. Lenz Principal Joel Shumaker, a 1993 UPJ graduate in electrical engineering, presented the award at the campus' Blackington Hall, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown.

"We are proud to support Pitt-Johnstown and their outstanding engineering program," Deter said. "In addition to a long-term project history with Pitt-Johnstown and the University of Pittsburgh, we currently have over 30 Pitt-Johnstown graduates on our staff, including seven of our principals, and we have had 18 Pitt-Johnstown interns over the past five years.

"The quality of the Pitt-Johnstown engineering program is second to none, and we are pleased to be able to establish this new endowment fund to assist in the development of our next generation of engineers."

H.F. Lenz offers a range of engineering services for building systems, infrastructure, and industry across the United States.

"We've seen a big expansion in our market area in the past 10 years or so," Deter said. "We've been working in 35 states, designing data centers and mission-critical facilities all over the United States," he said. In addition, the company has been involved in projects for hospitals, sports facilities and schools.

"We continue to hire young, talented people from Pitt-Johnstown," Deter said.

Pitt-Johnstown has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for five degree programs — including mechanical, electrical, civil, computer and chemical engineering.

University President Jem Spectar said he was grateful for H.F. Lenz's gift, which he said will be mutually beneficial for the campus and the company.

"We are grateful to our friends from H.F. Lenz for their constant support and engagement through the years," Spectar said. "The work they do not only supports our campus but our Greater Johnstown community. ... We are grateful that H.F. Lenz has been hiring our alumni and making our community stronger."