Jeff Collins, Transportation Engineer & Proud Father & Husband
What brought you to work at Hoyle, Tanner?
I started working here straight out of college, so really I was happy for a job offer. I thought it was a cool opportunity for me, too, because highway was something I really wanted to work on. I knew structural wasn’t for me and felt lucky to be focusing on something different.
What do you like most about working at Hoyle, Tanner? What has kept you here so long?
The people are really what have kept me here for the past 14 years. I’ve always had good people to work with and for. The size of the company is also nice, because you get to see a lot of different stuff. There’s diversity in the projects when it comes to scale and what you’re doing.
Can you talk about a favorite memory here? Proudest moment?
It’s hard to pick a single thing that stands out. My involvement in large projects has been cool. Almost from day 1, I was involved in a huge airport project. Then I got to work on I-93, and I could definitely tell a few stories about the all-nighters I pulled for that job [laughs]. It’s exciting to see those big jobs get built. You know that you did something real, and it’s not just lines on a piece of paper.
How do you spend your time outside of the office? Any favorite pastimes or family activities?
At this point, I spend all my time outside the office with my children. I have three little girls – twins that turned 4 in May and my youngest daughter who just turned 2. I’m happy to say we’ve all survived this far! Family activities are still pretty hard to organize, though. At their ages, the girls can’t concentrate on doing anything for more than 15 minutes. Sunday breakfast is always pretty fun, though, and we love the weekends when we actually get to spend time together.
I do love watching sports, too. I don’t play them much anymore. I’m hoping I can convince at least one of my kids to do a sport when they’re old enough [laughs].
What is one thing you couldn’t live without (& why)?
It sounds cliché, but I have to say my wife. We work really well together, and I couldn’t live without her. We’re not the types to celebrate silly holidays like Valentine’s Day, either. We support each other all year long, so we don’t need one day of giving Hallmark money to show it.
Do you have a favorite quote or any words you live by?
I try to live every day as best I can and take things as they come.
Before working here, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I didn’t have too many jobs before this, just because I started right out of college. In terms of an interesting job, though, I was a mason laborer for a little while. I got to see what hard labor was all about. Lifting concrete blocks and bricks all day, slugging concrete in wheelbarrows…that was tough work. We would complain that our hands hurt, and then you look at the guys that had been doing it for years and years, and it was like nothing to them. Interesting experience.
Would you ever want to be famous? If so, for what?
Probably not. I’m not a limelight kind of person, and I know there’s a lot of bad stuff that goes along with fame.
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I don’t know about that one. I was never into superheroes when I was a kid, and now my nephews talk about ones that I’ve never even heard of!
Nichole is a Vice President and the firm's Creative & Development Director based in our corporate office. She works with all levels of employees assisting with the firm’s marketing and branding strategy and initiatives. Her passion is making a difference and collaborating with people, so it is only fitting that Nichole leads the firm’s public engagement efforts, and public input process for some of our projects. As a self-described “doer,” each day you will find her working on something different, thinking outside the box and pushing the envelope. Sure, Nichole is busy with all of the projects she originates, but when she is not working, she spends most of her time with friends and family, baking, volunteering, and renovating her house.
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