Witech Women in Construction

Witech News

By: Witech Excavating

Joleen Johnson, Director of Administration

Joleen’s career in the trades started more than 25 years ago, working one day per week at a scrapyard. At the time she was a new mom and liked the fact that work was minutes from home. The yard was located right on the water, and they managed all the rail and barge traffic that came through–weighing materials then sending them back out via truck or rail. 

Before long Joleen was doing in three hours what was budgeted for eight, and ready for the next challenge. After 6 months she was working full time and learning the business inside and out.  She managed the scale house, dispatched trucks, and she even helped create a safety program for them, complete with detailed documentation and a safety handbook.

While it’s bittersweet that the scrapyard closed, it gave Witech the chance to find Joleen and vice versa. One of the most incredible things Joleen has done in her 14+ years at Witech has been helping us update our safety book and increase our safety program. Safety is still a big part of what she does– keeping our ISNET current, uploading all of our client EMRs, and maintaining project safety information. 

Joleen has also implemented our job-cost-adjusting software, and she’s been building it out for the past five years.  She wears many hats– from payroll to safety, to accounting. “When I am in my safety zone, I love my safety work.  When I am in my accounting zone, I love my accounting work.” Because of her excellent work, our people get paid on time and receive timely safety information about their jobs. This was especially pertinent during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 when the safety details were changing week by week. 

Family is big for Joleen, and that extends to her construction crew at Witech. “We’ve gone through everything together. Our family losses, our wins, the ups and downs of the business. Witech is family.”

Noelle Kelderhouse, Office Coordinator

Noelle’s been with us for a little over a year, but she’s spent her entire 25-year career in construction.  Her previous position was in project management.

Noelle loves Witech because we respect everyone and we place a high value on family. “Everyone here does what they’re supposed to do and _everything_just_runs_well. Good management, very proactive instead of reactive.”

In addition to accounts payable, Noelle does job costing, payroll, general office duties, and “anything else I am asked to do!” She’s super smart and knows construction like the back of her hand, so she has been an amazing person to come alongside Joleen as Witech continues to grow.

For Noelle, construction is a normal part of life, in and out of work. Her whole family is deep in the construction industry: her husband comes from a family of operators, and her children show interest in following in his footsteps.

We couldn’t be more proud of the women in construction who keep Witech in top shape.  Thank you to Noelle and Joleen for their attention to detail and their hard work that keeps everyone at Witech moving dirt with purpose.

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