MIKE THOMAS HANGS UP HIS BOOTS
After 13 years at O’Shea, Superintendent Mike Thomas is retiring. Since June 2007, he has served a variety of O’Shea clients in healthcare, Higher Ed, K-12, and others. Not only has Mike been a huge contributor to our clients’ projects, he has also acted as a mentor and advocate for his fellow employees.
“Mike has invested his time teaching some of the younger workforce, like Adam Knoles, who worked alongside him, to transition from foreman to superintendent. Mike also advocated for superintendents to have more responsibility and control of their jobs and subs,” Mike O’Shea said.
As Mike Thomas closes the chapter on his construction career, he reminisces about why he’s enjoyed working at O’Shea. “O’Shea hires the most talented people who know their craft well. But the phenomenon isn’t just hiring talented people, it’s the fact that O’Shea is filled with like-minded people.”
He continues, “By like-minded, I mean there’s this amazing cohesion among the O’Shea team that cultivates mutual respect, friendship, and professionalism with every employee.”
Part of that “cohesion” for Mike included joining the Champaign Unit 4 project team in 2019 after Superintendent Gary McCullough passed away.
“Before I even finished explaining the situation,” explains Mike O’Shea, “Mike already agreed to step in as superintendent. Initially, this was to be a short-term project for him. But it’s turned into 15 months of making a brutal 2-hour plus commute one way, and then he does it again on the drive home.”
Outside of the projects, Mike says he’ll miss his friends and the thrill of working in the field, but he can’t wait to fish, travel, and relax more. “O’Shea has been a wonderful place for me to spend the last years of my career, and there’s not a better place I could have met some of my closest friends. Besides the people, I’ll also miss the excitement of a bustling jobsite and getting my team energized for the next task,” he said.
And what will Mike O’Shea miss the most about Mike Thomas?
Laughing, Mike says, “I’ll miss the colorful stories and how he tells them with so much heart. I’ll also miss knowing he is out on the job covering our backs.”