ROGER THIMM
OWNER, WONDRA CONSTRUCTION
IRON RIDGE, WISCONSIN
What was your first job in the construction industry?
When I was 14 years old, I started working for a local general contractor. I helped him with specific projects, along with repairs on equipment and doing the annual cleaning and waxing of the fleet of company trucks. I learned to drive when I was 15 while helping him. I also attended my first bid opening on a school project and was read as the low bidder.
What’s your favorite thing about owning a construction company?
The constant daily challenges. No two days are alike. Your whole business can change by a phone call and the next project opportunity.
What’s the secret to keeping a jobsite running during a Wisconsin winter?
Working on winter projects is affected by the type of projects you have. If you get the right weather conditions, you are able to work. If you don’t then you wait.
How are you approaching business growth in the current economic climate?
We have been a strong trainer of apprentices for 25 years. With the new rules regarding apprentices on projects, we feel we are better positioned than others to be able to meet those project goals. Our apprentices are a company asset in obtaining more work.
How would you describe your company’s organizational culture?
Our organizational culture is based on several factors that make our company unique: safety first, technical excellence, teamwork and collaboration, adaptability and problem solving, respect for the environment, employee wellbeing and customer focus.
Do you have a favorite quote?
Leadership is doing something when no one else is willing to.
Lead, follow or get out of the way.
“Can’t” never did anything.
When opportunity comes knocking, answer the door.
With great change comes great opportunity.
Is there anything you haven’t built during your career that you’d still like to do?
We don’t have a checklist, but when you see a project that has a unique challenge, you get excited at the opportunity to build it. I never thought about them before the opportunity came along, but it is rewarding to have successfully built them.
