News + Ideas

Director Steve Willmann is retiring after a very successful 16-year tenure with MGAC. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Steve to reflect on his achievements, memories, and the lasting impact he will leave on the company. Steve’s trademark humor and professionalism made him a well-respected figure at MGAC, and his knowledge of the construction industry is revered.

Thank you, Steve, for your contributions over the years and for sharing your stories with us. We wish you the best in your retirement!

MGAC: Let’s go right back to the beginning. How did you start your career in the construction industry? 

Steve Willmann (SW): I started young, at 10 years old! I had a neighbor who wanted to build an addition. I had already helped him build a shed, and he said, “I’ll pay you for it.” I think he paid me 10 bucks an hour, which was a lot back then. I got the bug, and I was always building for general contractors during my summers in high school and college.

MGAC: What did you study at college?

SW: I studied business. I wasn’t sure I would work in construction back then, and I felt like that would help me in whatever route I went down.

MGAC: What did you do before joining MGAC?

SW: My first job out of college was a high-end residential builder in Potomac, where I had worked as a carpenter during summers. They offered me a permanent job after graduating. I think it’s kind of the right way to come into construction. You learn the trades that way. I worked for a company that builds the same type of houses that we work on now for very wealthy individuals. Life comes full circle sometimes! They created a position for me where I just helped the owner, Bill Crowell. I’d go to his office and say, “What have you got for me?” and he’d say, “Well, let me show you about permitting”, and we went down to the permit office. The next day, it was something different. So, it was just learning. After a few years, they asked me, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Although I was quiet, I guess I was a little cocky, and I pointed to Bill’s seat and said, “sitting there!”

MGAC: Good answer!

SW: I learned everything they were doing. Whether it was going for high-end jumbo loans at the bank or working with architects, I ended up doing it. When working with the architects, sometimes a client would call who wanted a new project or house. We all got together and would work on the design, and I would help them through the process.

I also helped with the sales aspect, which was really important. I wasn’t making much money—very little, considering—and I asked my boss what I could do to make more. He told me I could sit on houses and help sell them on the weekends. So, I did. I was nervous as anything, and I got sick from nerves. I didn’t know what I was doing! Everyone thought I was one of the owners’ sons, but I managed it, and it ended up being a great experience. Sales and relationships are so important in what we do, so that was a great way to learn all of that.

MGAC: Absolutely. A great lesson in being across multiple aspects of a business. What made you decide to join MGAC?

SW: I worked with Mark (Anderson) at a previous company that he had started. We got to know each other there and stayed in touch. I was doing different projects for other construction companies and developers.  We stayed in touch and talked about working together again. I didn’t necessarily expect him to offer me a job, but I called him and said I was looking to make a change. He asked me to come in, and that was it. That was almost 17 years ago.

MGAC: Is there a favorite project that you worked on during your time at MGAC?

SW: That’s not really fair!

MGAC: I am putting you on the spot there a little.

SW: They are all so different. I have been fortunate that I have been able to work on a lot of different projects in my career. High profile projects that stand out are the Strathmore Hall Foundation, Ronald Reagan Ranch, Glenstone Foundation, The Alamo, and Johns Hopkins University. Just big, iconic projects that I learned a lot from. When people ask me that question, my answer is usually whichever one I was working on at the time! I feel like I’ve been really lucky.

MGAC: Very diplomatic! What would you say is your greatest accomplishment during your time at the company?

SW: I could answer that in a lot of different ways. I was talking to a former coworker, Bruce Bieber, this week. When I started, our offices were side by side and directly across from Mark’s. So we knew each other pretty well. I’m saying that because even if you asked me the same question in a year, I’d say it is the friendships. It’s the relationships that I’ve made. It’s not a single project. I could make something up and back it up with lots of other fun stuff, but the greatest accomplishment is meeting Mark and being friends with him for so long. I have been given good opportunities.

MGAC: That’s lovely. People make the workplace, for sure. Would you say you have had any challenges? If so, what has been the biggest challenge?

SW: Time and money. If you had all the resources in the world, and we had a couple of projects that came close, you could do amazing things. If you don’t, if you’re limited in time or you’re limited in resources, that’s when it becomes challenging. If you have enough time and enough money, you can do crazy, wild, amazing things!

MGAC: Do you have any favorite memories?

SW: It’s little fragments of interesting experiences. I remember when we got into some federal work, we had an opportunity to get this really neat private tour of the US Capitol and the Senate and House buildings, and the underground train. There’s a train system that connects all the Capitol buildings. We walked inside the cavity of the Capitol dome. Very few people ever get that tour. I grabbed Katie Eisenhower, who has worked here as long as I have, and we went on this private tour together. I thought, “Who else gets to do this?” It was very cool.

I gave Mark this picture of me holding a 12-inch aluminum pyramid and said, “Guess where this is!” It was outside at the top of the Washington Monument. It was under renovation and I knew the scaffolding contractor who was working for me renovating it, so I got this really cool picture. It was 550 feet high and felt like being on top of the world. Nobody can guess where it was taken. It’s a neat shot.

MGAC: I know you mentioned the importance of your friendships and relationships. How have your coworkers left a lasting impact on you?

SW: I think it’s the way we do business and how it carries over into your personal life. So much of what we do is competitive. When I started as a general contractor, you are always trying to beat somebody else’s price, trying to do it better, faster, smarter. At MGAC, I’ve learned to be fair, to do the right thing and help others—and have fun doing it—are the real reasons people will remember you. Knowing the projects to walk away from is equally important because it’s your reputation on the line. I think I’ve spent most of my career thinking that if we do a really great job and a client loves us, we’re going to get additional work, either from them or they will recommend us. And that has been true, and it’s still happening. So, ultimately, it’s how we collectively do business that will stay with me.

MGAC: Any regrets or things you wish you had done differently?

SW: My answer has to be no, because you learn from your mistakes. Obviously, you wish you hadn’t made the mistake, but I haven’t goofed up too badly, and I always try to use humor in situations. This isn’t an easy business. You have to wrangle a lot of different personalities, from corporate leaders to billionaires to the guys actually doing the work, and everything in between. There are a lot of egos and personalities involved, people get mad or tense, and say, “I didn’t know this was going to cost that much”. I’ve tried to use humor often in those situations and to diffuse it. I don’t mean joking about things, but to lighten the situation. I think people appreciate that.

MGAC: I think that’s important. It puts people at ease as well, I think. Do you have any advice for younger people just starting out their careers or wanting to follow in your footsteps?

SW: Be curious. Work hard, build relationships, and have fun. If you’re curious, it’s going to lead you where you need to go.

MGAC: Great advice. What are your plans for retirement?

SW: Some of them, I’m doing now. I’d just like to do more of it! I have three grandchildren I love being around, and this is the perfect time of their lives. They are six, eight, and ten. I try to go to all the soccer and baseball games, the dance recitals, everything that they are doing. I play pickleball three times a week. I want to try and compete at that a little.

I like to fly fish. I’ve been fly fishing in Ireland and Scotland, and I have another trip planned. That will lead to more traveling and just seeing more. Whenever I go anywhere new, there’s a spark that says, “Where’s next?”

MGAC: Do you have a place on your bucket list that you’d love to tick off?

SW: A couple! I would love to go to Alaska. But at the same time, I thought, if I went there, I might never come back because it seemed so beautiful. It would be great to fly fish there. Montana and Iceland are on the list, too. The next ten years, I think, get in as much of the world as I can.

MGAC: Lastly, what legacy would you like to leave?

SW: That’s for somebody else to decide. Not me.