Meet the Team: Cole Hefty

Your name: Cole Hefty

What do you do at Iconica?
Construction Project Manager – I manage different projects during construction from start to finish, including financial and scheduling aspects.

How long have you worked here? 
Just over a year

What do you love about your job?
I really like the people, and being able to learn something new every day with all of the different disciplines.

What is the most exciting thing about your job?
Seeing a project come to life, from paper to reality. It’s a lot of work on the front end, but the pleasure of getting it done from a high-quality standard is worth it.

Were you interested in building as a child?
Yes. My grandpa started a residential home building company that my Dad owns now. I have gone to job sites to help as long as I can remember.

Which famous person would you like to interview or meet?
Joe Rogan

Favorite song to sing in the car?
I sing every song in the car, but really enjoy Talladega by Eric Church.

What would you say to someone considering working with Iconica?
I would say you won’t regret it. It’s a great environment of collaboration and inclusivity. It’s a great group striving to do what’s best for clients and coworkers.

How do you work with other departments at Iconica?
I’m constantly in touch with both architecture and mechanicals on design whether it be plan changes, questions from subs, or the buy-out. We have everything under one roof. In a collaborative environment, questions get answered quickly.

Dream vacation?
Either deep sea fishing for tarpon or blue marlin. Or musky fishing in Canada – although I kind of already do this.

Best advice your mother or father gave you?
Dad always says “When you’re in a stressful situation, realize it will work out because it always does.” I find that to be very true. Everything isn’t as bad as it seems.

If you weren’t in the construction field, what would you be doing?
I’ve never thought about doing anything else. Maybe coach hockey at a higher level. I coach youth teams currently.

Favorite snack food?
Cheese and crackers. I’m not a picky eater.

What does a regular day look like for you?
Every day is different. In general, I periodically check emails and take action items off of those. Some days I write contracts and have preaward meetings. Other days are filled with phone calls with subs, architects, engineers. Today I did a punch list on site.

What are some of the benefits of working at Iconica?
People and collaboration. Everyone’s door is always open. If you do not know the answer, there is someone here who does. A big advantage as a newer employee is that everyone is willing to help me to keep things moving forward and in the right direction.

What is something most people do not know about you?
I had three heart surgeries before I was 18 months old.

How can we help bring younger people into the trades?
For some, there’s a stigma that it’s only for people who don’t go to college, but we need to make younger kids realize that’s not the case. We have to provide information about the variety of good-paying jobs to erase that thought process.

Random fact?
I built a boat! Three years ago my dad gave me his old boat and it had a hole in it. I tore it down, fiberglassed it and put it back together. This summer, I got a motor and I’m back fishing on it.

Favorite childhood holiday memory?
Every Thanksgiving morning, we would go deer hunting and eat my Grandma Charlie’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Actually, we still do.