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Land of 10,000 lakes: Jon Chiglo When the veteran transportation engineer changed lanes from the public sector to a private firm, he used his blinker and stepped on the gas.
By RICHARD MASSEY Editor
J on Chiglo has been a principal and project manager in transportation for more than 20 years and currently serves as COO at WSB . Chiglo’s extensive experience in- cludes program management, project management and de- livery, design, construction, contract management, innova- tive and accelerated project delivery, and technical team su- pervision. Chiglo spent more than 17 years at the Minneso- ta Department of Transportation most recently serving as the Deputy Chief Engineer/Engineering Services Division Director. He also managed four of the top five largest proj- ects MnDOT has administered and has worked in multiple district and Central Office roles. “Empowering my team is important and it is not my job to make every decision or micromanage, but rather help solve challenges and act as a resource for success,” Chiglo says. “I want my team to feel that they have the confidence to make decisions at the right level.” A CONVERSATION WITH JON CHIGLO. TZL: You were with the Minnesota Department of
Transportation for nearly 18 years before joining WSB. Did you experience culture shock? And, if so, what did you see in the private sector that you did not see in the public sector? Mike Chiglo: I didn’t experience culture shock. Much like the Minnesota Department of Transportation, WSB has a strong culture. We provide our staff with flexibility, great benefits, and we’re lucky to have very talented individuals working here. There are things I miss about MnDOT, but what I really enjoy about WSB is the variety of clients we are exposed to and the opportunities we get to work close- ly with cities, counties, private firms, and different depart- ments of transportation across the nation. The variety is ex- citing and comes with a new set of challenges. The level of competition that exists among private firms was surprising to me. I’m a firm believer that collabora- tion creates success but understand that competition drives business. I’m enjoying learning the business side of a pri- vate company and it’s something I’ve always been interest- ed in. At MnDOT, I was focused on being a good steward
THE ZWEIG LETTER Ap
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