The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Construction Executive of the Year –
David Tengler, Hunzinger Construction
David Tengler’s path into the construction industry wasn’t a traditional one.
During college, he studied aerospace engineering and interned at NASA, but after some time he realized it wasn’t what he wanted to do for a career.
At the encouragement of some friends, he switched to civil engineering and got his first taste of the construction industry as an intern at Hunzinger.
“I was impressed with how much planning and effort went into a construction project to make a conceptual design become a reality,” he said. “I also really enjoyed the individuals I worked with, the teamwork and the camaraderie I experienced.
“Walking around a job site witnessing a project built before my eyes was really exciting. At the end of a project you can look back and see the fruits of your labor.”
Today, Tengler is vice president/project executive with Hunzinger. It’s a new role for Tengler, who was previously senior project manager until earlier this year when he was promoted. The new job has additional responsibilities, such as hiring and training project management staff, coordinating company operations and strategic planning efforts.
“One of the things I have always enjoyed the most about my job is the people I work with — my coworkers, my clients and the subcontractors,” he said. “Relationships are what makes this industry work, and we all need each other to pull off all of the challenging projects we’ve completed.
“There are always problems to solve, and I am continually impressed with how we overcome adversity and persevere to accomplish big things.”
Tengler is a husband and a father of four young children. He’s active in the church and involved in his kids’ sports and activities. He also participates in Engineers Without Borders and has taken a number of mission trips to Central America to build clean water wells and septic systems.
