Hill & Wilkinson employees are no stranger to the fast-paced nature of the construction industry, which requires a level of commitment, grit, and willingness to learn. Teamwork is foundational and adaptability is crucial. These qualities are especially exhibited by our employees who have previous experience with college athletics, having a unique foundation that they bring with them to Hill & Wilkinson and beyond.
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Football (Outside Linebacker) at Northern Michigan University, 1998-2003
What was your favorite thing about being a college athlete?
The comradery that was built among the team.
Choose one or more of the following qualities and explain how being a college athlete grew you in these areas: Hard work/discipline, teamwork, accountability, humility, and adaptability.
You learn so much about life while playing sports at this level. It is a 365-day commitment. The discipline in-season and off-season teaches you consistency and accountability at an early age. Playing a team sport like football is also a perfect place to learn how to compete while staying humble and ultimately working as a team. This is hard to do when pressure is applied from friends, family, and the university.
What comparisons would you make between being on a college athletics team and being on the H&W team?
Football is a very demanding sport mentally and physically. I think the H&W team is similar in that it can push you to be better through competition while also being in a great support group in those moments when you need it most.
How would you say that being a college athlete helped prepare you for your career in construction?
Construction is a very team-oriented industry. You must coordinate not only internally but also with several other companies to complete the project.
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Erin Phillips, Senior Estimator
Soccer (Midfielder) at the University of Houston, 1998-2002
What was your favorite thing about being a college athlete?
My teammates and the friendships I made in the athletic department. We were a first-year program, so our team consisted mostly of freshmen. We were always together, either in class, attending other UH team’s games, or hanging out. Most of us ended up being roommates too. My college teammates are still some of my best friends today.
Choose one or more of the following qualities and explain how being a college athlete grew you in these areas: Hard work/discipline, teamwork, accountability, humility, and adaptability.
Accountability – The decisions you make impact the entire team. Our days were full and missing class, practice, or a scheduled event wasn’t an option. We checked in on each other and knew the importance of everyone’s time.
Adaptability – Being a part of a new team, we were surrounded by people with different perspectives, opinions, and personalities. It didn’t take long for this to create disagreements among teammates and coaches. The ability to handle a difficult conversation or uncomfortable situation helped improve cohesiveness within the team. Being able to adapt and develop conflict resolution skills has been an important part of my post-soccer life.
What comparisons would you make
between being on a college athletics team and being on the H&W team?
The opportunity to be on a college team and collaborate with others has a lot of similarities to my current H&W work team. During my time as a student-athlete, I learned to work and communicate well with my teammates and coaches. We set goals and held each other accountable to achieve our goals. As a team, we listened and worked to incorporate changes into future practices and games. If the team didn’t communicate, there would be a breakdown. Being able to listen and accept feedback from coaches, advisors, and teammates has been a valuable part of my working career.
How would you say that being a college athlete helped prepare you for your career in construction?
As a college athlete, I developed effective time management skills. My schedule included classes, studying, strength training, conditioning, practice, games, volunteering, a lot of travel, and a part-time job. I quickly learned how to balance a packed schedule and get work done in the limited free time available. Each day I set goals, prioritized tasks, and focused on giving maximum effort. One of the first things our assistant coach said to us freshman year was, “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to be sorry.” To this day, I hate being late.
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Football (Outside Linebacker) at Northern Michigan University, 2011-2015
What was your favorite thing about being a college athlete?
The locker room. The relationships built off the field, because of the battles fought together on the field, are unmatched to anything I’ve experienced in my life.
Choose one or more of the following qualities and explain how being a college athlete grew you in these areas: Hard work/discipline, teamwork, accountability, humility, and adaptability.
A lot of people don’t know that the games are the easy part of playing a college sport. The hard part is the off-season training and time management. For over four years, my schedule was created for me with little time for school work. It takes great discipline to juggle school and a sport at the same time. Time management becomes the #1 key to being able to continue to play.
Teamwork is huge when it comes to the game. If you want to win, your teamwork must be at an all-time high. Being accountable for your own actions on the field can make or break a game.
What comparisons would you make between being on a college athletics team and being on the H&W team?
I think the accountability aspect is the biggest. Everyone must do their job to be successful. That pressure is elevated when there are millions of dollars on the line.
How would you say that being a college athlete helped prepare you for your career in construction?
Being a college athlete gave me a lot of tools that you can’t teach. Hard work and teamwork; I understand that we are all here to get a job done as a team.
Also, the ability to not care what others look like or where they’re from. I’ve been entrenched with all different types of people from all over the country, from all types of lifestyles and cultures. When it comes to the goal at hand, I know how to work with everyone with no issues.
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Volleyball (Middle Blocker) at Prairie View A&M University, 2016-2019
What was your favorite thing about being a college athlete?
My favorite thing about being a college athlete was the training. It takes a lot of preparation to compete at a high level against other skilled teams. Early morning workouts and traveling with my teammates were so much fun and allowed me to build life-long friendships.
Choose one or more of the following qualities and explain how being a college athlete grew you in these areas: Hard work/discipline, teamwork, accountability, humility, and adaptability.
Being a college athlete really helped me learn about self-discipline and strengthened my mentality. Eating the right food, taking care of my body after rigorous training, and balancing my school work with athletics was achievable because of the discipline I gained over the years. There were plenty of distractions in college but staying focused on what was most important to me helped me stay on the right path.
What comparisons would you make between being on a college athletics team and being on the H&W team?
The culture of H&W really makes me feel like I am part of a team. I can ask for help from anyone in my office and I am eager to assist others in any way I can. We are all working towards the same goal and it has been an amazing process of learning from the best!
How would you say that being a college athlete helped prepare you for your career in construction?
As I transitioned from a student-athlete into the construction industry, I learned how to channel my dedication and hard work on the court into my career. Hard work pays off no matter what you do or where you are at in life. Trusting the process and getting better every day is something I live by and has helped me grow in my role at H&W.
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Football (Fullback) at Northern Michigan University, 2017-2021
What was your favorite thing about being a college athlete?
My favorite part is the people I met during my time at Northern Michigan.
Choose one or more of the following qualities and explain how being a college athlete grew you in these areas: Hard work/discipline, teamwork, accountability, humility, and adaptability.
Being a college athlete taught me teamwork, accountability, and learning how to deal with criticism.
What comparisons would you make between being on a college athletics team and being on the H&W team?
There are many comparisons to working with the H&W team. The most obvious being that we are all working towards the same goal here. Instead of trying to win a football game, we are working toward making a project successful. This takes every member of the team and everyone doing their part. Another big comparison is learning how to relate with and find common ground with different people. You won’t always see eye to eye with everyone, but it is important to remember that you are working toward the same goal.
How would you say that being a college athlete helped prepare you for your career in construction?
To list a few: teamwork, being able to relate to work with different folks, and learning how to accept criticism and grow from it.