From the battlefield to the construction field

Bell relies on diverse background

Bell

Matt Bell is trained to handle the worst a construction project can throw at him.

Did he go to some special, top-secret construction school where people learn tricks of the trade that aren’t available to other industry professionals?

No. Bell joined the Army.

“The skills I developed in the Army were organizational skills, respect and how to deal with temper and anger, which helps me with the stress,” said Bell, who has worked at Tri-North Builders in Fitchburg for two and a half years.

It’s a safe bet that Bell, 36, saw his share of stressful situations while serving for more than 18 years in the Army’s infantry (including three combat tours of duty). Now, he uses what he learned in the military to navigate his job as a retail project manager for Tri-North.

Construction industry stress comes from making sure projects are completed on time, within budget and within the scope of the client’s demands. But Bell offers the advantage of having sat on the other side of the table as a project manager for a client.

He spent three years working as a construction manager overseeing new projects for Famous Footwear in Madison.

“Now, I’m on the other side of the fence,” said Bell, who lives in Poynette.

“It helps me as far as knowing what these retailers want and how important it is to get the store opened on schedule.”

For Tri-North, Bell gathers and reviews bid proposals, makes sure permits are in place and supervises projects nationwide. He works closely with project managers from the retailers that hire Tri-North.

“Usually, I try to get a good working relationship,” he said. “You become a team to get the job done. They’re under the same pressure I am to get the store open in time.”

Bell, at one time, manages two to eight projects, ranging from 900-square-foot stores in strip malls to 8,500-square-foot stores in enclosed malls. The project costs run from $250,000 to $1.1 million.

While Bell, who is a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, might have enhanced his preparation for a construction career with his Army stint, he still needed formal construction training.

The Sun Prairie native graduated from Madison Area Technical College in 1994 with an associate’s degree in architectural technology.

“Eventually, I wanted to become an architect,” Bell said. “I just decided I didn’t care for sitting behind a computer all day drawing.”

After Bell graduated, his first employers at Trachte USA in Oregon took him under their wing to foster his talents.

“The owners saw some potential in me for project management,” Bell said. “I was looking for more responsibility and thought I could handle it. I owe them a lot.”

At Trachte, Bell was promoted from draftsman to project manager, a role that led him to work on electrical substations and telecommunications buildings. After five years, he moved on to Whalen & Co. in southern Wisconsin to manage the construction of cell phone towers.

“It was very fast-paced,” he said.

Bell has built a career of staying on top of a project’s details while overseeing the big picture. But he’s also come to realize that though the specifics might be different on each job, project management requires the same basic skill set no matter where he works.

“Managing a project is the same across the board,” he said. “It’s basically getting used to the product you’re producing.”

— Sharon Verbeten