Dream Job

Each week, the USA TODAY Online Career Center asks celebrities, businesspeople and folks who are just plain happy in their work exactly what makes their jobs great.

This week: Construction consultants Barbara and John Soyka, owners of the Miami-based Wolfgang, Inc., Construction Management Consulting Company.

How did you obtain this job?

We segued into our construction management consulting company after having extensive experience in the apartment business for a combination of over 30 years. We used and mixed our skills to offer an owner-oriented construction and renovation management business. Since 1992, we have traveled and worked for various major apartment owners and developers. We actually created our own niche.

We are now on one of the largest (if not the largest) construction/renovation projects in the country - The Grand Flamingo located in Miami Beach, Fla. They are renovating 1,277 existing apartments in two 15-story towers, building a new 32-story 463 apartment high-rise, a seven-story parking garage, and fitness center all on 17 acres right on Biscayne Bay for a total of $170 million. We are consulting for the owner, AIMCO, the largest REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) in the country, owning over 400,000 units nationwide. We report directly to Steve Ira who is the executive vice president and co-founder of AIMCO.

When did you know this was the "dream job" to which you aspired?

Actually building our first project from the ground up in Welaka, Fla., for Flynn Development. We liked the idea of working together and the opportunity for travel.

John and Barbara with field architect Nick Hados.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The being together, travel, and owning our own company are number one. Most people marvel that we work and play together 24-7 and have the incredible marriage and closeness that we do. As far as travel, when working for DPS Finishes out of Augusta, Ga., we were blessed to live in a beach-front home on Topsail Island in North Carolina while doing several projects at Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base.

On our present project, we live in the heart of exciting South Beach. Our apartment overlooks Biscayne Bay, Star Island, and the Miami skyline. One last pleasure is that we are able to see the daily progress on to completion of the various projects and that’s a gratifying feeling that many careers don’t offer.

What is an average day like?

Our average day starts at about 6:30 a.m. where we wake to handle anywhere from 5-25 emails. This is a very e-mail-intense project, as the general contractor and architect all with large field staffs generate emails and RFIs (requests for information), between each other, the owner, and us. There are meetings dealing with the many subcontractors, consulting engineers, and city officials. We then walk the 17-acre site tracking and documenting the status of the various jobs in progress. Weekly we walk over 400 units and document the various levels of completion. The time passes quickly each day, as the intensity of this project is dynamic. Our day usually ends around 6 p.m. but we usually are responding to multiple e-mails later in the evening. We try several times each week to do massage, as we own our table and find it provides us with necessary relaxation.

What is your educational/professional background?

John was in the Army Security Agency from 1969-1972. He started in the apartment management and renovation business in 1974 in Pittsburgh. He attended the University of Pittsburgh. Barbara was born in Tampa, Fla., and attended Hillsborough Community College. She started in commercial real estate apartment sales in the late 1980s with Property Asset Management Company.

What has been the biggest sacrifice you have made for this job?

Probably the biggest sacrifice we have made would be leaving our home in Tampa, our family, and friends. We have moved over 12 times in the last seven years and with a track record like that it is difficult to maintain long-term relationships with new neighbors and acquaintances. Second would be when we left the security of corporate America behind us. It was a risk starting out on our own and having to provide our own medical, liability, and errors and omission insurances, computers, video and office equipment.

The remaining duration of this project is 26 months. However, in the consulting business the future and the next job are both uncertain. Fortunately, we have been blessed and have moved directly from project to project since we’ve started.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on you in entering this field?

Barbara and John enjoying drinks on their balcony.

We can’t say that one person or one thing was a major influence. It’s almost the direction that our life’s work has taken us.

What advice would you give someone who was trying to enter this field?

First, develop a track record of diverse construction expertise Have a strong personal relationship if married as travel and long hours are required Be "thick-skinned" as situations get tense at times. Be able to leave the day's problems at the job at day's end. Finally, computer skills are a must in today's construction industry.

What advice would you give someone who was trying to attain his or her dream job?

Do what you do best that provides you with financial, artistic, and spiritual satisfaction. Do not be afraid to take a calculated risk. Unfortunately, most dream jobs are not in our backyard and may require some sacrifice and relocation in order to attain the final goal. The number-one reason why people do not realize the ultimate job is that they fear relocation and change.

• About Barbara and John Soyka
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About Barbara and John Soyka

John Soyka was born in Lowber, Pa. He was in the Army Security Agency from 1969-1972. He then started in the apartment management and renovation business in 1974 in Pittsburgh and attended the University of Pittsburgh. Has two children: Daniel, 21, and Autumn 18.

Barbara (Wolfgang) Soyka was born in Tampa, Fla. She attended Hillsborough Community College and started in commercial real estate apartment sales in the late 1980s.

The Soykas' hobbies include computers, collecting Frederick Hart sculptures, the beach, South Beach nightlife and fine dining.