Having joined the team as part of the Manhard integration, Jim brings deep roots in the Midwest market, a career shaped by economic cycles, and a passion for building the right teams. In this Q&A, he shares what drew him to civil engineering, the lessons that have stayed with him throughout his career, and what he sees ahead for Atwell.
What inspired you to pursue civil engineering and land development?
Growing up, I always liked Legos and taking things apart to figure out how they worked. I had a couple of uncles who were civil engineers, so the field was always somewhere in the back of my mind. The real clarity came in a freshman engineering class in college, where a civil engineer and a mechanical engineer each came in to talk about what their careers looked like. The mechanical engineer described everything from designing roller coaster components to refrigerator bolts. That didn’t appeal to me. What I liked about the civil side was that you can actually see the work: you can drive past it, point it out to your family, and say, “I worked on that.” That connection to the real world, to the places that people live and work, is ultimately what drew me to land development.
Tell us about your career journey leading to Atwell.
I started full-time in 2005 with a local firm of about 100 people. Those early years were a great foundation. When the recession hit after 2008, the firm went through some significant downsizing, but staying through that period made me a more well-rounded engineer. With lean teams, I had the opportunity to manage, design, and draft all at once. You learned everything. In 2011, our group merged with Manhard, and I spent the next 14 years there growing from project manager to Managing Director and Vice President, overseeing the Midwest region, and eventually helping lead operations in Texas . Now, as a VP at Atwell focused on the central region, I’m excited to bring that experience into a bigger, more nationally-scaled platform.
What excites you most about what’s ahead at Atwell and where do you see market opportunities?
A few things stand out. The strength of our teams has created a really strong, combined talent base, and we’re still in the process of getting to know each other and figuring out who can help where and how to build the best teams. That’s actually the fun part to me, connecting the dots between the relationships we have and the expanded services we can now offer. Capabilities like Atwell’s Power and Energy group and our national footprint open doors with existing clients that simply weren’t there before we joined forces.
On the market side, I see strong demand continuing in residential and industrial both in the Midwest and Texas. It seems like the industrial markets have definitely picked up. I would say Chicago has always been a big hub for industrial work and we do an excellent job in that space throughout the country. There’s always a need for industrial buildings and the distribution and distinct types of work that’s been out there which continues to be a strength for us.
Data centers and mission-critical facilities are certainly a significant growth area, and I think the Atwell team has a truly impressive resume there that we’re just beginning to leverage. We’re also working to build out our solar and renewable capabilities in a more focused way, which has real runway. The goal across all of it is to be a full service go-to firm and we have the talent to do that.
What is a career moment or project you’re most proud of?
My very first project out of college was D.R. Horton’s Carillon Club in Naperville. It’s a 220-acre active adult community with a golf course. I jumped in on day one and stayed with it for many years, from early design through completion. It was one plan set after another and an incredible learning opportunity. I still occasionally drive past it. I think about how formative it was to design a large project from start to finish so early in my career. It was also instrumental in learning how to build valuable relationships with our clients. A key component of our job that I tried to replicate with each new client.
More recently, wrapping up a 530-acre adult community for Pulte in Aurora was another highlight. It’s a great reminder of the scale and impact this work can have in the community with the residential and commercial components.
What are the biggest challenges in your work, and how do you navigate them?
In my experience, the hardest parts of the job are rarely the technical ones. They’re the people dynamics. The most rewarding relationships are with clients who treat you like a partner and trusted advisor and genuinely want you as part of their team. When a client calls you first about their next project, that means something. Those are the partnerships where you want to go the extra mile.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I’ve been married since 2014, and we have two kids. I have an 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. Between his soccer schedule and her gymnastics, our weekends are pretty well organized for us. I try to get out and golf in the summers when I can, though that gets harder as we get busier.
We’ve also made family travel a priority. Disney has become a regular destination over the last couple of years, and we’re trying to keep adding new experiences and locations each year. At this stage in life, most of the best moments happen around what the kids are doing, and that’s a good thing!
