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What is a typical day for you? And what is your favorite part of it?

There is a lot of little stuff that people don’t want to do. I’m the first one to get here on-site and that’s when I get those little things done. I open up the office and make sure everything is the way it should be before everyone gets in. They may not notice the little things, but that’s what I pride myself in. I try to make it look like it’s as clean as the main office is. So when people walk onto these jobs, they get that Andersen Core Values that we are trying portray.

The best part of my day is seeing the big picture and making sure everything goes and flows. I try to stay small, I see the big picture, I understand scheduling, milestones, and down the line, but I know we need a guy to focus on the day. I get us from the morning to the end of the day. We have the Captain and the chief, to keep the schedule going, but if I can keep the day rolling, that schedule is going to go, too.

What inspires you about the community you work in?

I’ve been working in this community for 10 years now. When I first came to work on the SHA jobs, I was told about the 10-year development plan. There was some resistance to the plan, because the old Yesler Terrace was all the community knew. And now getting closer to the end of the plan, as these redevelopments are completing, the residents are starting to embrace the idea. There are parks for the kids to play. The redevelopment of this area has made this community has improved this community overall. I can give credit to Andersen. I’m not a big wig or anything like that, but at the ground level, seeing the people around, they are taking to their environment. The personnel at SHA never lost sight of the people that they are serving. SHA worked hard to give the people within the community to work on these projects, as well. To see how all of this has unfolded, it’s a beautiful thing.

How does it feel to be an inspiration?

My dad was a happy go-lucky guy. And that’s where I get it from. He always said, everything is going to be alright. As long as you don’t bother anybody or mess with anybody.

What do you hope people will say about you when you retire?

I knew that guy. He was a good guy. Mitch helped as many people he could. He was a true green-yellow (DISC assessment). He was there every day. He tried to make things easy. Sometimes, I’ll do lunches, aside from the all team lunches, for the guys just to make them feel special. The good stuff, too.

I got lucky. After working for the railroad for 15 years and it was time for a change. My wife, my life soldier, my buddy, hands me a piece of paper that says I can do a 30-month program and work for SHA. I didn’t qualify, because I didn’t meet the criteria. I got lucky because none of the residents were taking advantage of the program. So they opened it up to everyone that applied. After the program, the teacher said… “if you’re going to pick anyone, it has to be Mitch”. I did not see that coming. And that’s when I got the call from Tracey!

I do not feel like a number at Andersen. The Andersen family offered me an opportunity for a career. As a laborer, you find yourself wondering where the job is going to be. I figured after my first job with SHA, I would be moving along to the next company. That wasn’t the case. I am going on 10 years here at Andersen. My guys have stood in my corner the whole time and now I got them.

I watched everything just grow, grow, grow. From Mead Street, to Poplar, to now Georgetown. In fact, I was a part of the Poplar office renovation! We did that. 

I think that I was a good person for SHA. I know they get a kick out of seeing one of them running around here on the job. It’s been fun. I have had a chance to meet a lot of people and doing a lot of things. It’s been fun.