Matt W.
I grew up in a house where the skilled trades were a way of life, so it’s no surprise that’s where I ended up. My dad owned his own construction company, and I was always interested in following in his footsteps in some fashion. When high school rolled around, I headed to the Career-Tech Center in Traverse City for the electrical occupations program. It was the perfect fit for me and my interests, and ended up being the first step on a path toward becoming a professional electrician.
Since then, I’ve worked just about every role that an electrician could work. Right out of school, I got a job as an apprentice and learned the ropes of the electrical trades under the mentorship of an older gentleman who’d been in the field for a long time. A few years in, I switched over to the company that was, at the time, one of the biggest employers of electrical contractors in northern Michigan. They put me in a service van for the first time and gave me a lot of independence. I learned so much about the electrical trades, just from having that autonomy.
Eventually, I took a job with a large electrical contractor, as one of their lead foremen. That was the “big leagues” of electrical work, at least compared to what I was used to. Instead of local calls in a service van, I was leading some of the biggest projects in the company’s portfolio, from high-rise towers in Nashville to battery plants in Michigan and data centers in Florida. It was exciting work and great experience, but it came at a cost, and I quickly got tired of watching my kids grow up in pictures. Eventually, I traded the traveling for an account manager position, which allowed me to be closer to home.
When the pandemic struck, my career changed again, bringing me to Windemuller. I’ve been here less than two years, but I’ve already witnessed so much of what makes this company special. The leadership shows so much trust and faith in their employees, and that confidence allows our team to grow and thrive in ways that are truly unique. I feel like I’m a good example of that: The job I applied for was an account manager position, but Scot DeYoung quickly caught wind of the fact that I’d helped establish and grow the prefabrication department at my previous job. He came to me soon after I’d started at Windemuller to offer me the role of detailer, which I took. About six months later, Scot tapped me to take over management of the whole prefab detailing department. I’m so grateful for this rapid career growth.
Today, I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Windemuller team. For years, I’d had good friends who worked here – people I knew from my kids’ school, or from helping to coach my kids’ sports teams. Before I worked here, I always noticed how positively those guys spoke about working at Windemuller. Now, having gotten the firsthand experience, I can say that they weren’t kidding! Everything, from the leadership to the camaraderie, is top-notch, and I’m so glad to call this company home.