About Tim

How many total years of industry or construction management experience do you have? 26 years in the industry, 13 years in construction management.

What’s the best project you’ve ever worked on? Why? OSU Kelley Engineering Center. I was on site from mock up to punch list. It was a complicated job with plenum floors, plenum exterior, and great wood ceiling project. It made all of my future jobs seem easier.

Who was the biggest influence in your life? Why? My Mom; she always made me believe that anything was possible.

What is the last book you read? The Bible “The Book of Mark”

What is your favorite restaurant? In-N-Out Burger

What was your high school mascot? White Buffaloes

What do you like to do in your spare time? Hang out with my family, hunt, fish, and hike.

What job would you do if money didn’t matter? If money didn’t matter, I would not have a job. I would live life with my family and do everything.

Favorite song of all time? “These Thousand Hills” by Third Day

What is your drink of choice? A strong cup of coffee.

Secret Skill? It is a secret.

Name one item on your “bucket list”. Go to Israel and visit Jerusalem and swim in the Dead Sea.

Beavers or Ducks / Huskies or Cougars or favorite sports team? Gonzaga Bulldogs & Seattle Seahawks.

About Victor

Victor began working on WPI jobsites in the 1980s during his summer breaks in high school and continued through his college years but didn’t really know the innerworkings of the office and didn’t have strong plans to join the family business at the time. After three years of more fun than studying in college at OSU, his father, Mike Roach said it was time to go to work. Without any strong direction he reported to the WPI office in June of 1989. Beginning as a “gopher” back when everything was paper blueprints, and the internet was less established. He spent most of his time driving around town retrieving drawings and specification books for the estimators to work on. Not long after that he began learning to estimate small projects.

After a short time in the WPI office, he discovered that estimating jobs was a bit like assembling puzzles and found it to be quite interesting. At the time the bidding process could be like a thrilling roller coaster ride and Victor began working with the older guys on larger projects. The dollar values were in the millions and for a young man that was very exciting to be involved in. After those early months, he knew there was no going back to anything else.

After many years of bidding and managing multitudes of projects, he developed into a great estimator, project manager and strategist. Victor was often involved in the largest and most complex projects for WPI. In time he rose the ranks at the company and eventually became vice president and then president in 2015.

Victor contributes his success at WPI to seeing his father Mike at the helm for many years and working with scores of great field and office people along the way. The spirit of Mike and Pam Roach still pervade the company. Nothing too fancy. Just good old fashioned hard work, quality craftsmanship and valuing the people who work here.

Victor’s time away from work has long been watching his four children play sports and other activities. He also loves cooking at home and often brings in his “famous” giant pots of soup and bread for the staff. For vacations, it’s anywhere he can find sun and blue water. Victor looks for WPI to continue for years into the future. “We have a great team and people here at WPI. We plan on continuing to grow across the West and stay on the cutting edge of our industry.”

About Angela

Starting at an early age, Angela had big dreams for herself. She either wanted to be a truck driver or a brain surgeon…instead she ended up in the family business of construction. Angela began at age 12 helping her dad, Mike Roach, with estimating. Mike would measure the different wall types and Angela would write the numbers on the spreadsheets and do the math. She learned from an early age how to use a 10 key. She worked with her mom, Pam Roach, and brother, Victor Roach, to stock and clean up jobs.

Angela then became a paid employee in 1983 as a receptionist at our NE Portland office. She learned payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable and other accounting related tasks. She eventually learned some estimating and did project manage one large project, One Oak Plaza.

The biggest influences in Angela’s life are her parents, Mike and Pam. She derives her sense of humor and love for relationships from her Dad. She gets her numbers acumen from her Mom. Overall, she has developed her conservative business approach from over 45 years of experience of living the family business.

Angela would say her greatest success is her daughter, Hailey. Hailey graduated from the University of Puget Sound and is now a paramedic. Angela currently has four dogs and loves volunteering at the many causes she supports. She loves being an Aunt to Victor’s children and enjoys family road trips to see the US.

About Michelle

With over 28 years of experience in financial management in the construction industry, Michelle Baer (she / her / hers) leads all the financial and technological areas at WPI. She guides the Finance, Information Technology, Safety, Accounting, Human Resources, and Risk Management functions at our headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Michelle is a member of the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) and Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). She is a Board Member of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI).

Michelle is described by her peers as, “dedicated, hardworking, detailed, and diligent.” Michelle’s work ethic was shaped by her father, who was fond of reminding her, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

When not at WPI, Michelle enjoys ballroom dancing, tending to her rose garden, going on long walks, and spending time with her family and friends.

About Devin

Devin has been with WPI since 2005 and currently leads and oversees the Portland Region: He guides and supports estimating, preconstruction, project management and field operations. He was born into construction working with his dad, a now retired union carpenter. Devin graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He started at WPI as a Project Engineer, was then promoted to a Project Manager, then Director of Project Management, then Regional Manager in multiple offices, and is now a Senior Vice President.

Devin has spent most of his career on jobsites working closely with WPI teammates as well as general contractors and coordinating with other subcontractors. Today he spends time with other managers and works closely with general contractors to build relationships and focus on the operational success of projects.

Devin spends his time wherever he is needed most, often traveling or working out of town. He has done everything from posting plan updates, writing RFIs, estimating small and large jobs, managing those same jobs, overseeing regional offices and staff to simply supporting individuals when needed. He also works closely with owners, architects, and contractors to help deliver a fantastic WPI product to them. Devin also spends time involved in wall and ceiling industry groups.

Outside of work Devin enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. In addition, he has a passion for fishing and spending time outdoors.

About Shawn

Shawn Coates has been in various operations roles in the construction industry since 2003 and in management roles since 2008. He has a complete understanding of the project lifecycle and has proven he knows what it takes to succeed in this industry.

While at WPI, Shawn has climbed the construction operations ladder from Assistant to Executive. He has worked as a Project Engineer, Project Manager, Estimator, Senior Estimator, and Chief Estimator.  Due to his work ethic and fierce ability to focus, in 2016 he was promoted to Vice President, overseeing Business Development, Sales & Estimating, Engineering & BIM/CAD, and Prefabrication. In 2022, he earned the role of WPI’s Chief Executive Officer.

Shawn is also a member of numerous industry organizations, including the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), and has been involved in several award-winning projects for WPI. One of his favorite projects was the Gonzaga University Center. He was the WPI Estimator, and this project was named the 2016 NWCB Interior Commercial Project of the Year. This project was very complex, and it is a showpiece for every involved party. It illustrates some of the highest-level work that WPI produces.

Shawn’s 4th Grade Teacher, Mr. Horn, taught him the value of doing things right the first time. Mr. Horn frequently quoted Abraham Lincoln, who said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

Shawn is passionate about golf, and playing 18 holes at Augusta National is among many of his bucket list items. He has many fond memories of playing golf with his father, who used the game of golf to teach patience and humility. He also loves the movie Cast Away because the concept of being forced to survive on an uninhabited island fascinates him. In some ways, possessing that level of drive and focus and relying on yourself to create solutions to survive are traits that share similarities with our day-to-day operation. Those traits can be necessary elements to finding success.

Shawn values confidence, maturity, strictness, fairness, stability, decisiveness, and honesty in management. He tries to foster responsible risk-taking and creativity every day, build a culture of trust, embrace change, and always operate with fairness, integrity, courage, authenticity, and passion.

About Nate

Nate has been in the construction industry since 1999 and is currently WPI’s Senior Vice President. He began his career as an Intern at Raymond Interiors and then went to work for KHS&S as a Project Engineer. Nate worked his way up to Project Manager/Estimator then to Senior Project Manager. After time as a Senior Project Manager, Nate showed exceptional leadership ability and was promoted to Project Executive. From there he continued to move through the ranks and is now our Senior Vice President. 

Nate has worked on many projects in the Western United States. The one project that stands out for Nate would be the 40 million dollar Hospital OSHPD ILPD project in California that he was a part of. Nate remembers that there were many challenges on that project, but the challenges created opportunity for multiple innovations to be discovered.

The biggest influencers in Nate’s life are his parents. They’ve always had a strong work ethic and given him positive guidance throughout the years. 

Nate enjoys spending time with family, hunting, hiking, carpentry work, riding his RZR side by side, shooting sporting clays and camping with his family (wife, daughter – age: 12, son – age: 8). The whole family keeps very busy with sporting and school events, but would love to go on a trip to Greece and Italy someday.

Nate is a member of the LCI, AGC, WWCCA and WACA.

About Casey

Casey Coates has been with WPI on the operations management side of the construction industry since 1993. He began his career in construction in 1983 and has a complete cradle-to-grave understanding of project management and estimating.

While at WPI, Casey has climbed the construction operations ladder from drywall finisher to Project Manager to Vice President. He has worked as a Project Manager, Estimator, Senior Estimator, and Emerging Markets Executive Director.

Over the past several years, Casey has served as a leading team member on most of WPI’s emerging markets work from California, North Carolina, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, and other surrounding states.

Casey appreciates the the quote, “Keep going. Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.” – Roy T. Bennett