Meet Senior Project Manager Joel Goodenough
Whether he is actively working at an ISG construction site or spending time with his family, Joel loves to be outdoors. Over the past seven years, Joel has enjoyed his role working with construction teams and mentoring and teaching fellow ISGers in the field. To learn more about Joel’s industry journey, ISG endeavors, personal passions, and heart for the outdoors, read on!
How did you come to work in the AEC industry and ISG?
I have always enjoyed being around construction. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin and I was used to seeing my dad fix and build things. I studied engineering at University of Wisconsin Platteville and was lucky enough in my freshman year to get an internship at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. With those opportunities to work in the industry I realized that it was something that I wanted to pursue. As I continued my career, a recruiter reached out with a Construction Administration opportunity at ISG that was just the right fit.
What has been the most unique project you have been a part of with ISG?
The project I am currently working on, the construction of a new $11 million bridge, is unique. Many projects have a typical construction season of April through November since we must work around winter weather. This project is unusual in the fact that it started last summer, and because it is bridge work, we had to work on it throughout the winter. We built a new temporary roadway and temporary bridges, and then once the new bridges were in place, we removed them. The ability to be out in the field and working through that was a new experience for me and I look forward to being assigned to more projects like this. We don't get those opportunities too often to work through the winter.
Is there something that you are passionate about at ISG that you would love to work on in the future?
One of the things I'm passionate about is finding opportunities for our staff to grow. There is so much to learn from the diversity within each project, whether on bridges or other project types. I also enjoy mentoring and exposing my team to new project elements to gain a fuller understanding of how these projects get done. What’s exciting to me is seeing growth in people and the process of discovery as they learn by actively working in the field.
How do you spend your free time?
I have an eight-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter, so there is never a lack of finding things to do. We have a lot of fun traveling, spending time outside together with a little bit of sports thrown it in there. Soccer has been taking up some of our weekends lately, but just being outside and enjoying things is where we really find our space. We have a goal of travelling with our kids to all 50 states and as many National Parks as possible. In 2020, we were able to visit seven of the National Parks.
What is your favorite thing to do in the La Crosse area?
One thing that we take advantage of is the Mississippi River where we spend quite a bit of time fishing and boating. The fishing there can be good, and the area is beautiful with all the bluffs. We also do a lot of hiking around the Perrot State Park area.
Fun Facts About Joel!
- He has been to four continents
- Joel and his wife were married on Christmas Eve in Mexico and have returned to that same spot seven times since then
- He has the best wife in the world
- Missed his daughter’s birth because she came seven weeks early
- He never misses his 5:00 am workouts
- He had to take his college roommate to the hospital to get his fingertip sewn back on (after Joel scraped the tip from the door jam)
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