Tim sliding into the finish line at the 2019 Mud Run
Q: Where is your hometown?
A: I was born in Green Bay, but my family moved around a lot. My dad was in the paper industry, and his job as superintendent took us to a variety of paper mills throughout the Midwest.
Q: Was that tough, moving around a lot?
A: It was kind of tough. It’s hard to get used to different schools and teachers and places. That’s why when my wife and I had kids, I really wanted to make it a priority to raise them in one place.
Q: Do you have any siblings?
A: 6 brothers and sisters.
Q: 6?!? Are you the 7th?
A: Yes! I’m the youngest of seven. We were all very close. We still are. Now my nieces and nephews are going to college and getting married and having babies. It’s crazy to watch everyone grow.
Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grow up?
A: When I was in high school, I wanted to be a DNR warden. I wanted to patrol the DNR sites, like your boat launches and things like that, and be the guy who busts people for illegally catching fish! The second thing I was interested in was civil engineering, but after high school I went right to work, and I ended up working in the paper industry like my dad.
Bags League Champions
Q: Why did you decide to begin the work you’re doing now?
A: Well, one day I went to work at the paper mill and the doors were locked. The mill shut down, and just like that I didn’t have a job anymore. So I decided to use that opportunity to go back to school at WCTC (Waukesha County Technical College) and ended up with a degree in Architectural Construction Technology.
Q: How did you end up at R/M after school?
A: The school had an internship program, so I took advantage of that and applied at R/M, but I thought I was really just applying to work the grounds, like cut the grass and that sort of thing! But when I went in to interview, the team actually hired me to do manual drafting.
Q: Like with your hands!
2018 R/M Trick or Treat
A: Yeah, with a pencil and pen! I still have my old drawing pens. I had to learn how to use those Leroy lettering sets.
Q: How long have you been here now?
A: I celebrated 25 years last year.
Q: How did you end up as the team leader of the GIS team?
A: First, I began managing the CAD staff, and then about 10 years ago we did some restructuring and the GIS team became a part of my team. But GIS has been around at R/M as far back as I can remember. I’m so impressed by our team and how far we’ve come, and how far the technology has come. I’ve seen so many technological changes over the years. I started with manual drafting, and now look where we are! It’s crazy.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about working at R/M?
The challenge the job provides, and all of the new technology. And the staff. After 25 years, the people here are like family to me. I spend a lot of time with my coworkers outside of work. It makes my days so much better, coming to work with people I really care about. I also especially enjoy the long-lasting relationships R/M has built with our clients. Similarly to working with coworkers, I think its important to have a close external relationship with our clients and build a quality relationship that will last. Our team is always growing stronger.
Q: What are you most likely up to when you’re not at work?
2019 Mud Run
A: Running around with the kids usually. My son just completed his Eagle project- he worked on a new park in Sussex and it was great to help him with that. My daughter is very involved in dance, so we travel around a lot for that. Right now, it’s really all about the kids. When I’m not helping them with something, I’m watching Wisconsin sports. The Bucks and Brewers lately, and we have season tickets to the Packers.
Q: If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
A: I’d probably be a recruiter for football players. Like a scout – find good players and meet with their families and get them to sign with the Green Bay Packers!
Q: What do you think sets AssetAlly apart from other GIS options?
A: I think we pay really close attention to what our clients need. We try to understand their pain points and customize our product to fit their needs. We offer personalized attention and we engage with our clients, we make sure they know how our product works and help them become more comfortable with it so they understand what they have and maximize what they’re paying for.
Tim has worked with Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. for over 25 years. He manages several multi-disciplinary engineering technicians and GIS program analysts through his role as CADD/GIS Team Leader. He has assisted the firm in several technological advances throughout his career at R/M, including eFieldReporting™ construction review reporting, as well as the direction and leadership of our latest web-based GIS solutions.
