“Don’t ever think it’s just going to happen in one day. Regardless of if you’ve been working at a place as long as I have, you’ve got to treat every day like it’s the first day. You’ve got to go in there wanting to impress and do a good job every day.”
Do you believe you can choose your own fate? or do you believe fate chooses you? William ‘Bill’ Matthews may hold an answer to this question in his 25-year career with Unintech Consulting Engineers, Inc. (UNINTECH), as our Residential Division Director.
Bill has been a constant persistent force in the residential division. To talk about his career with UNINTECH is to simultaneously talk about the history and success of the residential department he spearheads. In 1998, after working with UNINTECH for two years—he started as a draftsman, Bill successfully cultivated one conversation with KB Home into a blossoming client relationship that’s still blooming to this day. That conversation sparked an idea for him: UNINTECH could expand its expertise to include residential services. And he could lead this new division.
He insisted to co-founders Min Chow ‘Clifford’ Hew and Elisa Chan that he could profitably head a residential division. Clifford and Elisa thought his proposal over, and seeing his tenacity and integrity, they chose to say yes. Quickly, this newly founded residential division began to flourish under Bill’s guidance. He was promoted to supervisor, then to manager, and finally to his current prestigious position as Residential Director and Shareholder. Now, his team inspects and designs almost 2,000 homes each year—that’s about a quarter of all the homes built in San Antonio every year!
Bill chose to start his formidable residential career’s journey by attending Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in Waco, Texas. Funny story: Bill didn’t enroll in classes for his first semester himself, his friend did. Bill didn’t even know that it happened until his friend showed up at his apartment and said, “You’ve got school orientation in the fall.” All the work already completed, Bill happily just showed up to orientation and worked diligently until he graduated in 1996 with his bachelor’s degree in Drafting and Design. When searching for a job, he came across an ad in the newspaper for a draftsman position at an almost five-year-old company called Unintech Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Bill has seen a broad variety of home designs over his career. While his department works mostly with tract homes now — homes that have the same foundation designs and are used repeatedly — he has seen his fair share of outrageous custom home designs. One had a driveway that was so steep, a car could breakdown just getting up to the house. Another, you had to climb two flights of stairs—meaning 26 steps— just to get up to the front door!
25 years working for one company is certainly a personal accomplishment. Bill credits his success in his career to the guidance of Clifford and Elisa. He reminisces fondly on those early days as a draftsman—trips with Clifford to towns all over Texas inspecting bridges, mentorship sessions with Elisa to help hone his management skills, and the years between then and now where he built his life with Lisa, his wife of 14 years, and their children.
When asked if he had advice for those wanting to have a career like his, Bill had this to offer: “Don’t ever think it’s just going to happen in one day. Regardless of if you’ve been working at a place as long as I have, you’ve got to treat every day like it’s the first day. You’ve got to go in there wanting to impress and do a good job every day. Believe me, you’ll see perks along the way. And I’m proof of that.”
As Bill imparted his advice, he paused for a moment as he was overcome with emotion. “It’s been a good adventure.”
He humbly praises his team of account holders, CAD designers, and inspectors for their unwavering devotion to their jobs, their drive to complete work on time, and their desire to be dependable and reliable, all of which have garnered more prestige and business for the division over the years. With their help, Bill has managed to build an astounding reputation for his division and has successfully kept a steadily increasing workload. UNINTECH is thankful for the outstanding work and dedication that Bill Matthews chooses to bring every day.
So, do we choose our own fate or does fate choose us? If we excavate Bill’s life in regard to fate, from his humble beginnings as a draftsman helping draw up foundation plans for KB Home, to when he pushed for the creation of a residential division, to present day’s booming residential home-building business, we find that Bill has chosen to design his own fate.
William ‘Bill’ Matthews is the Director of the Residential Division at Unintech Consulting Engineers, Inc., in San Antonio, Texas. He is responsible for the management, design and coordination of residential projects requiring site plan and foundation design work. Under the scope of residential services, Mr. Matthews has performed and monitored site plan layout design, lot fit design, foundation design, and coordinates with the UNINTECH Survey Division on flood certificates and final survey documentation.