Support sparks success
Samantha Mirkes found the support she needed at NWTC to pursue her education. Now thriving in her career, she’s a passionate advocate for the college that helped her achieve her goals.
Construction management grad's path proves power of technical education
Matt Kaczmarek
Construction Management-Carpentry program alumnus
Finding purpose in every project
After high school, job applications kept coming back empty. No experience meant no opportunities. That’s when Matt Kaczmarek made a decision that elevated his career trajectory: enrolling at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
“I had no success on getting a job without experience,” Kaczmarek said. “That led me to look into education opportunities to help gain experience, education, and new opportunities that could come with meeting new people.”
He enrolled in NWTC’s carpentry program in 2016 and has been soaring ever since – buoyed by a love of construction, a knack for numbers, and a drive to keep growing.
“Construction was always something I loved since I was kid,” he said. “The hands-on aspect of the trades was very rewarding being able to see the real progress every day.”
After receiving his carpentry certificate, he went on to earn an associate degree in construction management from NWTC in 2019.
“It was a no brainer,” Kaczmarek said. “I could work full time and still do all my online classes while I was out of town working or on the weekends.”
“I knew as I grew older I would want to advance my career and get into some kind of management role,” he added. “I loved number crunching and seeing the bigger picture behind all the numbers, the tangibles, how we got there, and the difference changes could make to the numbers.”
Building a better future, one project at a time
Kaczmarek is currently a project manager and estimator at H.J. Martin and Son in Green Bay – leading millions of dollars of construction projects every year, solving real-world challenges, and helping shape his community both professionally and personally.
“My NWTC education has led me to leadership roles much sooner than I expected,” Kaczmarek said. “I have been able to help run millions of dollars’ worth of work over the last five years. Everything has been accelerated. H.J. Martin and Son has provided me many avenues of growth since I came from NWTC that I am not sure I would get elsewhere.”
With his trades knowledge and a servant leader mindset, Kaczmarek is also positively impacting the community. He serves as vice chair of the Greater Green Bay Chamber's Current Young Professionals, ensuring the trades have a seat at the table. He’s also recently been involved on the House of Hope Facilities Committee and enjoys helping his friends with projects.
His future goals include one day leading a company and giving back through housing-focused volunteer work. As for now, “I am about where I want to be,” Kaczmarek said. “Happy with what I have. Thankful I get to do what I do every day.”
"40 Under 40" honoree
In 2024, at age 26, Matt Kaczmarek was named to Insight on Business magazine’s “40 Under 40” – a program that recognizes young professionals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and achievements in their fields and communities. Kaczmarek’s family and colleagues, upper right photo, joined in the special evening that honored each of the 40 award recipients.
Serving with intention
As vice chair of Current Young Professionals, Matt Kaczmarek volunteers his time in service to the organization’s mission, “providing a platform that inspires, challenges, and empowers young professionals to drive meaningful change.” Recent activities include participating in an art project that highlighted how public art contributes to economic development, upper left and middle photos; and organizing a speaker panel on Green Bay’s economic growth, upper right photo.
Inside the Role: Project Manager and Estimator
Curious about a project manager/estimator career? Learn more in this quick Q&A with Matt Kaczmarek.
What does a project manager/estimator do (please explain it as if I were a 4th grader)?
The role of a project manager/estimator starts with counting what material you need to complete your scope of the project, and how long it takes to do it. Then ordering what material you need to have, having it onsite when it’s your turn to install the product, and making sure you have an associate there to install it when the site is ready. Then making sure you get the material and time done at or quicker than what you estimated.
Can you think of a moment on the job when you thought, “This is the right field for me”?
When I was in the office as a project manager/estimator, we got some damaged material coming into a jobsite. The lead time to get the replacement material was three to four weeks out. I was able to problem solve and get substitute material that had the same characteristics of the damaged material and get the job completed in time. Multiple of those examples made me really think this was the right field for me.
What would you say to someone who underestimates the value of technical education?
Technical education can open up lots of opportunities; I am a firm believer in that. It connected me with people of influence in the industry – connections I couldn’t get from anywhere else. It also gave me a lot of confidence to help lead projects and to stay hungry to keep learning more. There is so much knowledge that is needed to be successful in the trades that many people discredit.
Working at H.J. Martin and Son now, helping to recruit new talent in a small capacity, NWTC is the first spot we like to look. We keep those students in high regard as top talent. Our current vice president of commercial drywall did the same program I did and is running one of H.J. Martin and Son’s largest departments. That speaks to what can be accomplished with going to NWTC.
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