20 under 40: Shelby Keenum
Shelby Keenum, 27
Environmental Engineer
Mid-South Testing, Inc.
How long have you lived there? I’ve lived in Hartselle my whole life, apart from the six years I lived in Tuscaloosa while attending the University of Alabama.
I grew up in Hartselle, where I was lucky to be involved in sports and academic extracurriculars, as well as involved in my home church East Highland Baptist Church. I dreamed of attending the University of Alabama, where I eventually earned my bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering while also attending as many Crimson Tide sporting events as possible. I began dating and later marrying the love of my life, Gray, in May 2022, while finishing up school and moving home from college. I began working as an Environmental Engineer at Enersolv Corporation in 2020, and later moved over to our partner company, Mid-South Testing, Inc. in 2022. My job consists of fieldwork, client relationships, correspondence and reporting. I enjoy working at a small, woman-owned company where the duties vary from day to day. Our company provides industrial, government, residential and municipal environmental and geotechnical consulting, in which I primarily deal with soils, surface water and groundwater sectors.
My parents, Kevin and Elisa Harris, moved to Hartselle shortly before I was born. My dad, Kevin Harris began working as an optometrist in Decatur in 1995 which prompted my parent’s move. I have an older brother, Sam Harris, and younger brother, Cy Harris. I have the best sisters-in-law I could have ever imagined, Meagan Harris (Sam) and Lauren Harris (Cy), as well as the cutest one-year-old nephew, John Irving Harris (Sam and Meagan).
I enjoy any form of baseball and spend most summer-fall nights watching the Atlanta Braves. I also enjoy watching all Crimson Tide Sports, but of course, mainly football. I am a very independent person, which encourages me to learn how to fix, build and make things on my own. I enjoy woodworking and coming up with new projects to try to build.
