In honor of National Engineers Week, we’re highlighting Warfel employees with engineering degrees. Experts say demand for engineers will continue to grow as governments and industry work to meet the challenges of a growing global population and dwindling resources. Check out our featured employee today (Senior Estimator Kyle Goodyear), and follow along all week as we learn more about the team members who make Warfel a leader in the construction management industry.
Describe what you do at Warfel: As a Senior Estimator, I lead one of our bid teams, handling project coordination with Clients and design team members, as well as our internal team members such as the Preconstruction and Operations departments. I am also responsible for managing the detailed estimating of my assigned trades for each project and coordinating the various scopes of work within the bid team. Conceptual “one-off” estimates are another responsibility of mine when Clients are looking for early budgetary pricing without a lot of design details.
Degree: Architectural Engineering, Construction Management Focus, Penn State University
Why did you choose that course of study/degree? I was always very good with math and science so an engineering path just made sense. As a kid, my dad did a lot of residential construction so I was around it all the time and was always interested in building things, so that led me to the specific major.
How long have you worked at Warfel? Nearly 8 years.
What did you do before you came to Warfel? I came to Warfel right after graduating from Penn State. While I was in school, I worked over the summers for another construction company as a laborer and intern.
What is your favorite part of your job? There are several aspects that I really enjoy, but I think my favorite part is getting the opportunity to visualize the construction of a project in my head, right down to the minute details. Coincidentally, this is also when I feel like I’m really putting my engineering background to work.
What is the worst job you ever had? From the standpoint of being physically straining, I’d say my worst job was one winter while working as a laborer for a sitework contractor. I spent the days working in below-freezing temperatures installing pipe and precast structures, often working with bare hands. Having gone through that, it served as a great reminder of why I was going to school, and gave me an enormous appreciation for the people that do it every day.
What is your most exciting accomplishment? I think the most exciting accomplishment for me in terms of my career was winning the first bid that we submitted where I was the leader of the bid team. We spend a lot of time working on preconstruction projects, where it is no longer a competitive environment. So, on the occasion that we have a competitive bid, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing you out-worked and out-smarted everyone else, and it just creates a huge sense of pride in the team.
What advice do you have for students considering pursuing an engineering degree? Whether you’re considering more of a design role or something in management, I think one of the best things that a potential engineering student can do is to spend some time working in the field for which their future work would be impacting. Not only does it give you a chance to be sure you like it, but it also helps build some rapport with those whom you may be managing or sending your design to.
What advice would you give someone applying to Warfel? Above all else, when it comes to growing our team, Warfel is focused on culture. So, if you’re interested in joining our team and you get the opportunity to talk with us, the most important thing you can do is to be yourself. While knowledge of the position is great, we’re much more concerned about whether it’s a fit culturally, and we can only determine that if we get to know you.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career? I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that I can’t, and I don’t have to, do it all by myself. Ambition and initiative are wonderful, but there are reasons why we work in teams, rather than as individuals. I’ve always considered myself a good team player, but learning when to rely on my teammates for support has helped me become much more efficient.
If you could switch jobs with someone, who would it be/what would you do? I think if I were to change jobs, and educational background was not a limitation, I would lean toward meteorology. Ever since I was a little kid I was always fascinated by watching weather patterns and models on TV, as well as watching storms develop in the sky.
What do you wish people knew about engineering? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told somebody what my degree is, and they immediately think I draw buildings. There are certainly engineers who do that, but the foundation of knowledge from an engineering degree opens all kinds of opportunities. In our company alone, there are engineers in preconstruction management, estimating, project management, and field supervision positions.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter, doing home improvement projects, hunting, golfing, and pretty much anything that gets me outdoors.
What’s a fun fact about you that we might not know? When I was an intern with another company during college, I worked in the estimating department and I was adamant that I did not want to do estimating as my career. After working in operations for about 5.5 years at Warfel, I made the switch to estimating and I love it now.