Simon Gandica

Simon Gandica is the current Principal at Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. and was previously with Kohler Co. from January 2011 to July 2016. Simon has been recognized for Superior Performance throughout their Tenure with a Series of Promotions.

As STAFF PROJECT MANAGER/SENIOR ELECTRICAL PROJECT ENGINEER at Kohler, Simon directed eighteen concurrent projects (construction, industrial, engineering design, and hospitality) throughout all life-cycle phases to exceed customer, quality, and business objectives within established budgets and timelines. Developed and implemented business plans/strategies, project scopes/designs, feasibility studies, and schedules. Oversaw construction management activities, approved construction drawing sets, and aggregated data to develop activity, closeout, and results reports.

Simon gained High Fiscal Returns throughout all Projects. Managed and administered multi-million dollar budgets, tracked costs, identified/capitalized on cost containment initiatives, negotiated $12M in contracts with construction contractors/suppliers to secure best pricing, and authored business cases to win/manage $20M in capital investments.

Simon also seamlessly Integrated the New Acquired Brazil Business Unit in to the Organization. Developed and infused corporate standards/best practices, tapped into multi-cultural and bilingual skills to bridge cultural and language disparities between the two teams, promoted open communication, and resolved issues/grievances quickly and diplomatically.

Simon recruited, Mentored, and Empowered a Teams of Engineers, Analysts, and Construction Contractors to meet individual and team goals. Scheduled milestones, measured actual performance against plans, provided training/enrichment, and fostered a positive, cohesive, and team-oriented work environment to retain top talent.

Lastly, they architected a Business Model to Measure the ROI of the 50-Member Construction/Management Department.

Simon Gandica earned their undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Universidad del Zulia in Venezuela. Simon then went on to earn a graduate certificate in renewable energy engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After working in the renewable energy industry for a few years, Simon decided to pursue a career in business administration and earned their MBA from Alverno College. Simon then went on to earn their MA in management from Hamline University. Simon is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Professional Engineer (PE).

Simon Gandica reports to Steve Lane, CEO & President. Simon Gandica works with Jon Ross - Senior Principal, Susan Osterberg - COO, and Hannah Mey - Principal.