Mike on mega projects, reinvention, and aviation at Denver International

Mike, a Program Manager based in Denver, on a career spent building some of the largest projects in the world, and how AtkinsRéalis helped him grow beyond delivery into program management and business development.

Mike has spent most of his career on mega projects, the billion-dollar-plus programs that reshape cities, across Denver, Australia, and New York. He joined AtkinsRéalis for another one: the Central 70 project with the Colorado Department of Transportation, his first roadway job. 

“After five years on Central 70, I moved into a Project Director and business development role for local agency construction management projects,” he says. “That led me to Denver International Airport and into aviation, which I’ve grown to love.” 

What drew him in was the sheer range of the work. “A large hub international airport pulls together so many industries,” he says. “It’s let me leverage everything I’ve done across buildings, roadways, and rail.” For Mike, that breadth is the value of AtkinsRéalis. “It’s given me the opportunity to grow my career beyond project delivery and into business development and program management.” 

Building at one of the world’s busiest airports 

Today Mike supports the teams delivering for Denver International (DEN), one of the ten busiest airports in the world, providing owner’s representative project management and quality assurance. 

He’s especially energized by what’s ahead. “I’m managing the new Project Delivery Support Services on-call contract at DEN, which provides full project management teams for airside, landside, and facilities projects all across the airport,” he says. On the horizon are two mega-scale programs, the Concourse C-West Expansion and the North Terminal Expansion. “Both will need large, diverse teams to deliver.” 

Why he’d recommend it 

For Mike, the case for joining comes down to scale and opportunity. “The size and diversity of AtkinsRéalis give you endless opportunities to work with great clients on large, complex projects, with room to grow and realize your potential,” he says. “In Denver, we get to work at one of the ten busiest airports in the world and help deliver major programs, because of the talent we have locally, nationally, and around the world.” 

Outside work 

Away from the airport, Mike packs his time with just about everything. He plays in a softball league, golfs, works out, and gets into Colorado’s outdoors as much as he can, hiking, camping, and snowboarding. He’s also a dedicated traveler, often planning trips around sporting events: more than 10 countries, 34 states, 11 ballparks, and 9 NFL stadiums, and counting. 

We’re growing our Aviation team across the US. Explore job opportunities at AtkinsRéalis.