Grow With Weitz: From College Graduate to Senior Project Manager – Finding Success Thanks to Accessible Leadership and Professional Development Opportunities
For someone like Dave Kubik, the freedom to learn different roles and tackle new challenges is essential to his professional career.
Currently a Senior Project Manager for The Weitz Company, Kubik shared that one thing unique to Weitz is the ability to drive your own career. He has always found company leaders open to helping employees forge a career path that is both challenging and rewarding.
“I can confidently say I would not have the same opportunities at another company, and wouldn’t have had the same support.”
Dave Kubik, Senior Project Manager for Weitz Industrial
Weitz hired Kubik after his graduation from Iowa State University during the midst of a recession and construction slowdown. He started as an estimator at a time when the focus was on bringing in new projects.
Since then, Kubik has held a number of construction roles at Weitz. That includes seven years on the estimating team while Weitz executed $800M+ of scope at Iowa Fertilizer Co., the first world scale facility built in nearly 25 years producing ammonia and granular urea fertilizer with total construction costs exceeding $3B. For three years after that, Kubik led the estimating and preconstruction team for Weitz’s industrial unit.
Currently, Kubik lives in Ohio with his family while working on a major industrial project for Weitz that he calls a “dream opportunity.”
During his tenure at Weitz, Kubik has had the opportunity to meet regularly with senior leaders outside of his business unit who are eager to provide essential guidance and direction. As he has risen within the organization, Kubik credits the leadership training Weitz provided, as well as the accessibility of mentors, to his growth and success.
“They give you enough flexibility to help you discover how to find your own way, but there’s enough checks and balances to keep you inside the lines,” Kubik said.
By supporting Kubik through various stretch roles, he has been able to gain experience on a variety of projects and now brings that wealth of experience to serve clients today. Weitz’s belief to invest in and challenge employees seeking to grow has been instrumental to employees like Dave.
“Dave’s desire to drive lean, continuous improvement coupled with his versatility and ability to adapt in real time have made him invaluable to Weitz. He leads by example by placing safety first while guiding our teams to Build a Better Way”
Jesse Hammes, Vice President, Weitz Industrial
The Grow with Weitz campaign spotlights talented employees that have grown professionally in ways they wouldn’t have imagined while at The Weitz Company. These profiles illustrate our team’s commitment to growing from within and investing in our people at every stage. Interested in Growing with Weitz? Learn more at: https://www.weitz.com/careers/.
