Don Wendt is our BIM Manager for Westphal & Company. He has been with the company for 6 years and has been a great asset to the team. Now lets take some time to learn more about Don.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Don Wendt, and I am a father of 5 (ages 24, 17, 15, 12, 9) and live in Orfordville, WI. I spend my time away from work chasing and taxiing my family to the various events they are involved in. My family and I also try to spend as much time as we can at our cabin disconnecting from the world. I am the coach of various sporting teams in Orfordville and am a board member of our Youth Basketball Program. In my limited free time, I enjoy riding dirt bike, jet ski or anything fast with other enthusiasts as well as buying and fixing up properties. One property is an old church that we have converted into a gym/youth center.
What was your first job at Westphal & Co.?
I was hired by Westphal as the BIM Manager and was responsible for assisting the BIM team with understanding the full capabilities of Revit software and teaching how to use the tools effectively. While doing this the team and I were evaluating current BIM deliverables and having discussions with all parties involved to find out if there was a better solution/workflow for the company.
What did your journey into working at Westphal & Co. look like?
I started my career working for an architecture firm for 8 years and learned a lot about the design side of construction; learning how to make models, sets of drawings and communication. I then moved into the manufacturing environment for 6 years, where I was taught Lean Manufacturing and high volume production and tracking of parts, bill of material and higher stress communication. I then got hired into Westphal as the BIM Manager and have been here for 6 years.
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most about my job is the impact on change that can be made. The biggest impact on change that I love is when I can teach/convince teammates the power of working smarter not harder; There is no better feeling than having a non-believer turn into someone who ends up promoting the concept and the change. When BUY-IN happens within an entire company everyone’s life just gets easier.
What is the greatest career accomplishment?
My greatest career accomplishment is that I have gotten to a position in life and my career by simply good ol’ fashioned hard-work and blood sweat and tears. As my kids grow, I can see that work ethic is starting to shine through with the activities they venture into, which makes for a happy dad!
