Project Manager | I-91/I-691/Route 15 Interchange, Meriden
Every major infrastructure project depends on strong leadership to bring countless moving parts together. For Joseph Hudach, Project Manager on the I-91/I-691/Route 15 Interchange Design-Build project in Meriden, that leadership is built on nearly twenty years of experience, and a career that started at O&G long before graduation day.
Joe first joined O&G as an intern in 2005 and 2006 while pursuing his civil engineering degree at Clarkson University. “My neighbors put me in touch with Walt Koziol, a Clarkson graduate and O&G’s lead estimator at the time,” Joe recalls. “I worked as a junior estimator doing take-offs for projects like the LAX runway joint venture and the Quinnipiac York Hill Campus.” Those summers gave him both technical experience and exposure to field operations, convincing him that construction was where he wanted to build his career.
Since joining O&G full-time, Joe has contributed to some of the largest Connecticut DOT projects, including Contract E and the Charter Oak Bridge, before stepping into his current role managing the company’s first design-build project with CTDOT. “I’ve been fortunate to learn from great people while growing with the company,” he says.
A lifelong fascination with history and infrastructure fuels Joe’s passion. “I’ve always had a love for the legacy our work leaves behind,” he says. “Every structure we build becomes part of the story of where we live.”
Joe defines success as the ability to address the unknowns that inevitably arise in complex projects and guide the team toward resolution. “Every day brings something different,” he explains. “Our job is to anticipate, respond, and keep the project moving forward.”
He credits the sense of camaraderie established early on by Superintendent Bob Nardi as a cornerstone of the team’s success. “That early team-building set the tone for how we integrate new hires and keep everyone connected,” he says. Joe also draws on advice from his earliest mentors, Pete Hinman and Bill Noll, whose partnership taught him that learning from those around you is the best education. “On my first day, Pete told me, ‘Do whatever Billy Noll asks you to do,’” Joe laughs. “For the next fourteen years, I did just that, and I learned more than I could have imagined.”
When he’s not managing crews or reviewing progress schedules, Joe enjoys weekends spent with his wife and kids – gardening, hiking, or attending their sporting events.
