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When it comes to Our People, Your Success, we believe that it takes two! This week, we’re highlighting pairs of employees whose strong teamwork has been pivotal for our projects, initiatives, and workflows. Today’s Dynamic Duo is John Ihnatolya & Nick Antrilli.
John is a Senior Delivery Officer in the Land Development & Planning Department. Because of his comprehensive knowledge of residential development, he oversees site, subdivision, roadway, utility, and stormwater designs for residential subdivisions. Nick is WithersRavenel’s Director of Project Development. He is responsible for leading project delivery and processes for national residential development, particularly in the Triangle region and surrounding area. He is also the firm’s CAD Committee Chairperson.
What types of projects have you teamed up on (or will team up on) this year?
We’ve teamed up on a few of the initial residential phases of Chatham Park. What’s been more fun and fulfilling to me is when we teamed up years ago to officially form the residential team.Looking back, it’s been such an exciting experience establishing and evolving the growth, structure, and culture. Before teamswere a thing, we operated in silos, and everyone individually was part of the LD team. Yes, more folks did residential work, but it wasn’t the residential teamwe’ve come to describe today. When the residential team started we talked how it would take us 4-5 years to make it to where we are today, and that has come true.
What do you enjoy most about working with your partner? What strengths do they bring to your projects?
John: I consider Nick to be the best engineer that I have ever had the privilege to work with, and he is an integral part of what the residential team has become, a huge part of that team’s future and the future of WithersRavenel. What I enjoy about working with him is his demeanor and how he can take a crazy situation and dissect it into manageable chunks. I also like the fact that we can talk about anything and not always see eye to eye but help me see the other side of a situation. He has helped me grow tremendously from “my way” to “our way.” It has been great to work with someone who is not selfish but puts others ahead of themselves. Is always looking at a way to improve things while keeping it simple and is always available.
Nick: What I enjoy most about working with John is I can call him to talk about anything. We can talk about family and life experiences outside of work. We can talk in depth about a project. Or we can talk in depth about the shape and direction of the residential team and, at times, the LD group in general. We may not agree on everything, but we compromise well and know when to agree to disagree. No matter the discussion, we can always hit the reset button and approach the next conversation with equal enthusiasm. It’s enjoyable to share experiences with someone who has equal passion about the success of WithersRavenel.
How do you, WithersRavenel, and/or your clients benefit from this teamwork?
Nick: Clients benefit from our teamwork because we know how to get it done, no matter what. We may not know everything, but we’ve been able to build a successful history of residential projects throughout our careers at WithersRavenel. We would attribute much of that success to the legends of the company who taught us and guided us in our careers.
John: I remember calling Nick late at night when we were working on a project together. He was working on one section, I was working on another, but we were able to talk through some things and get a solution to a concern. The dedication to this company is what he and I were taught by those who helped us along.
What is one fun thing (outside of work) that you both enjoy?
One fun thing outside of work for the both of us is that we played on the company softball team together for roughly 8 years until I (Nick) hung up my cleats in 2018.
