Joel Wantman is chairman emeritus of WGI, the firm he founded after moving to South Florida in the late 1960s. Essentially working alone, he took on a few select land development and surveying projects, all the while gaining a reputation for doing extraordinary work on time and within budget.
Through careful and strategic growth, by the 1980s WGI had offices throughout Florida and more than 150 employees, including his son, David. With the economy and business booming, it seemed like the perfect time for Joel to retire. Yet, in the early 1990s, he decided to return to work, re-establishing connections with past friends, clients, and business partners, and once again started from the ground floor to build a business that delivers exemplary infrastructure.
Joel recruited David back to the business with a goal to build the new WGI and to solidify its position once again as a leader in the design consultant arena. They were awarded the first public infrastructure project they competed for. Then the second. Soon, the floodgates opened and there was no looking back.
Today, as chairman emeritus, Joel Wantman leads corporate initiatives related to company growth and stability. He also stays actively involved on a project-level basis by ensuring clients’ needs are being met. His experience over the years includes roadways, municipal projects such as recreational facilities and water and sewer systems, and major residential and commercial projects for private developers.