October 07, 2018,

Builder in the Spotlight: Mike Wallis

What do football and construction have in common? More than you think! Mike breaks down what got him into construction, what keeps him motivated, and a surprising college course that helps him more in his daily life than any technical training.

Mike Wallis just celebrated his 18th year at Woodward. In 2000, he was brought on as a Project Manager to build a new Control Building for Gulf Liquids in Geismar; from here he went on to complete a couple more successful projects before he got an exciting offer: Start a Mississippi Office.  Since opening the Gulfport location, Mike has helped Woodward plant the flag in our neighboring state and continues to bring in exciting projects along the Gulf Coast.

Mike got into construction in 1976, when he realized teaching and coaching ball weren’t going to earn the same kind of salary as building. He worked under 3 seasoned, old school builders who helped him estimate and work the field. While these guys certainly helped shape Mike’s knowledge and drive for success through his professional career; there’s one college course that he uses now more than ever. Psychology. “Psychology trained me to be able to communicate and understand various personalities from in the field to clients in the Board Room and everywhere in between.”

When it comes to Woodward’s core values; Mike most identifies with that of Teamwork. Since I had the opportunity to play college level football and baseball, the experience helped me stay disciplined and work in a TEAM environment. It takes all the Team members to work together to make anything successful.