Michael Vigneron
Current Position: Vice President, Director of Engineering
Hire Date: May 2000
Hired as an intern? Yes
Other titles held: Engineering Aide, Graduate Engineer, Licensed Engineer, Senior Project Engineer
Credentials: PE
It actually started with the hope of getting extra credit in my college composition class while I was still in high school. We were asked to reach out to a business in an industry we were interested in, and if we got a response, we could turn it in for extra credit. My dad grew up with Roy Rose, who was a Vice-President at the time, and figured he could introduce us and I could at least get some extra credit if nothing else. As it turned out, Roy asked me to call him during my spring break of my first year of college, and I interviewed for an internship that summer. I was lucky enough to be invited back for the next two summers and was excited to accept a full time offer when I graduated from Michigan Tech in 2003.
I remember being pretty nervous, mostly because it was something new and I wanted to do a good job. Luckily there were some seasoned vets in the inspection group that showed me the ropes and made me feel like part of the team.
When I started off, I was always pretty focused on just doing the best that I could each and every day with an eye towards the next step, such as passing the PE, without any real thought as to what my career might look like 20 or 30 years down the road. My career goals now have certainly shifted more towards to business side of the business recently, although I still very much enjoy problem solving and providing solutions for people.
I would say to be open to exploring all of the different ways that you can use your time and talents to make the world a better place. As a design professional, you have the ability to make a huge difference in the lives of individuals and communities. Every once in a while, take a step back and give yourself a chance to truly appreciate the end result of your efforts and the positive impact it has had on others.
I am very grateful for the opportunity AEW had given me to expand our traffic services. The support of the company has been phenomenal. I take a lot of pride in the growth we’ve experienced and in the projects that we’ve completed over the last decade.