At Cullen, Menaker helps make plans reality

Project Manager of the Year
Ben Menaker – JP Cullen

Ben Menaker – JP Cullen

As a boy, Ben Menaker had a love for building things.

It continued into his college years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Menaker earned a degree in civil engineering and construction management.

Menaker is now a project manager at JP Cullen, where his primary duties have him doing everything from project management to oversight and business development. He serves as a liaison between the company’s project teams and clients, helping to provide continuity throughout projects.

Menaker also engages in daily communication with the teams, monitors schedules and budgets and champions safety plans.

“He draws on his experience to lead, coach and support our project teams,” said Colleen Wischnewski, marketing coordinator at JP Cullen. “As a project manager in our Industrial Market, he has successfully completed numerous high-profile projects for our Fortune 500 Food and Beverage clients.

“He brings a specialized skill set to our team that is a complement to the other team members,” Wischnewski added. “When he looks at a project, he goes above and beyond what the project needs to figure out what is the problem we are trying to solve for the customer. His strong leadership and communication skills have created raving fans out of numerous clients and has led to repeat work for JP Cullen.”

Menaker, who joined JP Cullen about two years ago, said that some of the hardest parts of his work entail conveying and upholding standards throughout all stages of a project.

Menaker credited JP Cullen for placing a heavy emphasis on planning, a priority that allows staff to take on a wide variety of projects.

“Since joining JP Cullen, he has gone above and beyond to be a team player, not just in the Industrial Market but firm-wide,” Wischnewski said. “He takes the initiative to mentor and educate less experienced peers or others who don’t have a construction background.”