The Engineer Who Carries the World in a Backpack
Personal Story and Beginning of the Journey
I was born in a border town in the westernmost part of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a time when several companies in my hometown operated globally. Growing up in a working-class family, I quickly realized that success does not wait; rather it is beeing bulit. Like a bridge. Like a turbine. Like life.
As a young engineer, I did not dream of an office. I dreamed of the World. I got to know it through my profession - working on over 100 projects around the globe. Every country, every continent is different, but the common link is always the same: people who need solutions that will improve their everyday lives. That is the power of the engineering profession.
Why it is a privilege to be a global engineer
Being a global engineer does not only mean working with technology. It means bringing light where there was none. It means connecting regions that have never been connected before. Connecting people and their needs.
But that is not where it ends. In every project, my colleagues and I strive to transfer knowledge – so that local people are part of the solution, learn to manage the system, maintain it, and safeguard it. Because true sustainability is when local people no longer need us – when the system lives on without us.
The beauty of exploring the World
The greatest wealth of this job is not numbers. It is not even kilowatts. The greatest wealth is people. On every continent, you learn something new: how they respect nature, how they build community, how they preserve tradition. Every country is a school. Every project is a lesson – not just in engineering, but in life.
Europe built me, Asia taught me patience, Africa brought me closer to nature, and Latin America showed me the strength of community. The Balkans, as my immediate environment, taught me resourcefulness and the warmth of human relations. My journey through the continents was much more than work – it was a journey of learning, giving, and personal development.
From the windy fjords of Northern Europe to the muddy roads of Central Africa after heavy zenith rains. From the tropical plateaus of South America and Asia to the rocky islands scattered across the Mediterranean.
I got to know the world not as a tourist, but as someone who stays longer, listens more, and creates quietly. In every corner – the same challenge: how to bring something lasting through knowledge. The same goal: to leave a mark that will benefit ordinary people.
That is why today I am more than an engineer. I have become a listener, an observer, a translator between technology and culture. I have learned that one project can change an entire village – but that one village can also change us.
Contribution to Sustainability
We do not build solutions just for today. We build for the coming decades and future generations. Small hydropower plants are not just technologies; they are the foundations of a sustainable future. They do not pollute, do not alter the global climate, do not consume resources—they use what already exists, but much more wisely.
And every successfully executed electrification in a remote community means that a child can study at night. It also means that a local entrepreneur can start a business and create new jobs. It means that in some remote hospital, there can be a device that means life to someone.
Personal Philosophy
I believe that every person can leave their mark—if guided by knowledge, curiosity, and empathy. The world has shown me that technical problems are not the hardest. The hardest is listening. Understanding. Respecting differences and connecting them into sustainable solutions.
Today, when I am asked what I do, I no longer say just “engineering.” I sincerely tell them that I connect the World.
Smail Omeragić, dipl.ing.
CEO & Founder
