Business Spotlight with Matt Sipiorski of Excel Engineering

In this episode of Success Chronicles, Mike McKay interviews Matt Sipiorski, a professional engineer and leader at Excel Engineering, a multidisciplinary, employee-owned firm. Matt shares insights into Excel’s growth and operations, including their expansion across 47 states and Canada through strong client relationships. He discusses the company’s approach to maintaining a collaborative work culture under one roof, which has fostered its success. With a focus on growth, Matt explains how Excel has scaled its team and operations, from managing a small department to overseeing a team of 24 engineers. He emphasizes the importance of balancing leadership challenges with the firm’s core values of service and quality.

Matt reflects on his leadership journey, from his early days at Excel to leading the electrical department and navigating the challenges of managing both clients and employees. He highlights the support from key people, including his wife, who helped him through difficult personal and professional times, and his boss, who set high expectations, pushing him to step outside his comfort zone and embrace new challenges. Matt also talks about the company’s focus on safety and leadership development for the next generation of leaders, particularly as older employees begin to retire. As Excel continues to expand its reach and services, Matt’s leadership philosophy centers on fostering growth, both in business and within his team.

 

Podcast Transcript:

Mike McKay: Welcome back to Success Chronicles. I’m Mike McKay, and today I’m joined by Matt Sipiorski from Excel Engineering. Matt is a professional engineer licensed in 47 states and Canada, and he holds a degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He leads Excel’s electrical and low-voltage design divisions. Matt, welcome to the show!

Matt Sipiorski: Thanks for having me.

Mike: Tell me a little more about Excel as a company.

Matt: Excel is an employee-owned, multidisciplinary engineering and architectural firm. We operate across the U.S. and Canada, offering full-service capabilities. Our team includes architects, structural engineers, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and civil engineers. We’re proud to be based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with 330 engineers, architects, and designers all under one roof. Since I joined, we’ve expanded our office three times due to our growth.

Mike: When was Excel founded?

Matt: Excel was founded in the early 1990s by Gary Runge, the original owner. Shortly after, he sold 49% of the company to the employees. When Gary retired in the mid-2000s, the company became 100% employee-owned.

Mike: I read somewhere that you submit more plans to the state than any other engineering firm in Wisconsin. Is that true?

Matt: Yes, that’s correct. For the past few years, we’ve submitted more drawings to the state of Wisconsin than any other firm. However, we also maintain a strong presence across the U.S. and even follow some industrial clients into Canada.

Mike: Is that how you expanded into 47 states? By following your core clients?

Matt: Exactly. We’re a relationship-based firm. We build strong, lasting relationships with clients, offering great service at competitive prices. We learn their needs, design standards, and expectations, which leads to repeat business. Around 93% of our work each year is with repeat clients. While we’ve thought about opening additional locations, following clients across the U.S. has worked well for us. It’s not uncommon for us to work with the same client in five different states at once.

Mike: It sounds like expanding to other offices might not make sense with that strategy. But how would you even decide where to open another office, considering your clients are spread out?

Matt: Yeah. I’ve worked at a firm with multiple offices before, and there were certainly inefficiencies. At Excel, we pride ourselves on working in the office five days a week, all under one roof. This setup allows teams to easily collaborate, jump into meetings on the fly, and coordinate projects. It also gives us a chance to train new employees and foster their growth, which has been essential with our significant expansion.

Mike: That’s great. Now, tell us a bit about your personal background. Are you from Wisconsin?

Matt: Yes, I was born in Green Bay, then my family moved to Neenah when I was around two. We moved to Fond du Lac when I was in seventh grade. In eighth grade, I met my high school sweetheart, Adriana. We started dating in high school and got married after college. We’ve been together for 24 years, married for 14, and have four kids: three girls, ages 5, 7, and 9, and a son who’s 11. Outside of work, we’re busy with their sporting activities. My son plays football, basketball, and baseball. My daughters are into soccer and swimming, and I coach both the sixth-grade boys’ basketball team and my daughter’s fourth-grade travel basketball team.

Mike: We’ve got the opposite at home—three boys and a girl. They’re all grown now, and it’s nice to see them out on their own. Each phase of parenting comes with its own benefits and challenges. But I hear you’re also a Tar Heel fan?

Matt: Yeah, I don’t know how it started, but I’ve been a Tar Heel fan for years. Of course, I’m a big Packers fan too, but when it comes to college sports, I’m all in on North Carolina. My wife and I even traveled to North Carolina last year to watch a few men’s and women’s basketball games with our kids. It was a great trip and a fun bonding experience with my son.

Mike: That’s awesome. Now, let’s talk about your leadership journey. What inspired you to step into a leadership role, especially at Excel?

Matt: I started my career at another firm, where I interned in 2007 and then joined full-time in 2008. After seven years, I decided to make a change and came to Excel in the summer of 2015. About a year after joining, I had the opportunity to lead the electrical department. My boss at the time, the president, saw potential in me and offered me the role. At that time, there were only seven of us in the department. It was a challenging transition, as I had to quickly learn how to manage people and work with other department heads. The first year was tough, but we focused on reviewing department standards, design practices, and quality checks. About a year and a half in, we won our first large electrical project, and I was tasked with procuring and finding our own electrical projects. While I’m not a business development person, I was motivated and eager to take on the challenge. Together with one of our PMs, we started securing projects, and that was a key moment in our department’s growth.

Mike: What would you say has been your biggest leadership learning experience?

Matt: With our department’s growth, one of the biggest challenges has been managing expansion. We started with seven people in 2015, and now we’re up to 24, with another person starting soon. Balancing day-to-day deadlines while training and onboarding new employees is tough. It’s important that the quality of work doesn’t drop, even as we bring on more team members.

Mike: And in your industry, expertise is key, so it can take years to reach a level of seniority that brings those last 10 to 15% of capabilities. How do you manage the culture as your team grows, especially with the frustration that can arise when new employees don’t have the same level of experience?

Matt: At Excel, we have a “work hard, play hard” culture. While tight deadlines mean long hours, we also focus on team-building activities like annual pool and bag toss tournaments, boat outings, and a company Christmas party to strengthen relationships outside of work.

Hiring has been challenging, so we’ve expanded beyond traditional consultants. We brought in an experienced electrical contractor and a lead engineer from a manufacturing facility. While they had valuable field experience, they had to learn our software, codes, and construction drawings—sometimes with help from younger staff. This learning curve can be tough, but bringing in new talent and training them is essential for our growth.

As we’ve expanded, more internal opportunities have opened up. For example, when our team grew from seven to 11, I needed a second project manager, giving someone focused on power distribution or lighting a chance to take on more responsibility. Creating those opportunities has been a key motivator for me as a leader.

Mike: Do you ever find that people don’t want to step up?

Matt: Yes, I’ve learned that not everyone wants to move up. Early on, my boss asked, “What does he want? Does he want what you want?” That changed my perspective. Some people are happy staying in their roles long-term, and that’s okay.

We work on diverse projects—from half-million-square-foot industrial facilities to Taco Bells and QuickTrip gas stations. We need both types of people—those driven to advance and those who excel at providing consistent, high-quality work. Both are crucial to our success.

Mike: When I was younger and had a regular job, my goal was to become an executive at a billion-dollar company before turning 40. I worked incredibly hard—traveling a lot, while my wife stayed home with the kids. When I finally got promoted, I spoke to my team, and they said, “That’s great, but we think you’re crazy.” I was shocked. They told me they didn’t want anything to do with the amount of work I put in to achieve that. It was a huge lesson for me—realizing not everyone is motivated the same way I am. It’s the same thing your boss asked you: “Are you sure they want what you wanted?” because, now that you’ve got it, you might find it’s not what they expected. This can be a challenge in leadership—thinking that everyone thinks the way we do.

So, let me ask you: what’s been your biggest challenge in leadership or team development?

Matt: I’d say learning how to manage clients. Early on, while trying to build up our work and grow the business, it was really tough to tell a client “No.” You’re just happy to have them, right? Of course, we’ve been fortunate with repeat clients, but sometimes they have unrealistic expectations or request last-minute changes. It’s a balancing act—managing client expectations while ensuring we meet deadlines and maintain work-life balance for our team. We can’t push them too hard.

Mike: Got it. So, if you had to pick three people who had the biggest impact on your leadership growth, who would they be, and what would you say to them?

Matt: First would probably be my wife. When I was studying for my professional engineering license at my last company, I had to get up at 3 a.m. five days a week to study, and I did this for about three to four months. At that time, we had a 2.5-year-old son and a newborn daughter who was really colicky. My wife, Adriana, was handling everything on her own while I was focused on my studies. That was a huge turning point in my career when I passed the test. When I came to Excel and took over the group, the first year involved working 70- to 90-hour weeks to transition. Having her at home taking care of the kids and managing the house while I was working so much was incredible.

The second person would be my boss. He gave me my first opportunity and always set high expectations, which I really appreciated because I thrive on challenges. Every time he set expectations, I was determined to meet them.

Lastly, my department. The growth we’ve experienced has been significant, and I’ve had to train new people while maintaining our internship program, where we bring in two or three interns every summer. It’s a lot of pressure for them to meet deadlines and be efficient, but it’s been vital for us to continue growing as a group.

Mike: One piece of advice I’d give everyone I interview is to make sure you thank those three people—or groups of people—who’ve helped you. I learned this the hard way. I grew up learning leadership in the army, and the person who had the biggest impact on my life—I never thanked him. I reached out a few years later, only to find that he had passed away from cancer. In the business world, we don’t always express gratitude, but it can really make an impact. It may surprise them, and they certainly deserve it.

Matt: That’s a good point. Early on in running the group, I showed my gratitude by giving people more responsibility. For example, when I saw someone growing or improving, I’d find opportunities to challenge them by assigning them more responsibility. I thought that showing trust in them was a form of gratitude, but I did learn that it’s not enough—you need to vocalize it too.

Mike: Especially if they don’t want to take on that responsibility. Sometimes, giving them more than they’re ready for can backfire. Gratitude and communication are key to good leadership. Articulating the reasons behind your decisions and showing appreciation will go a long way.

Matt: That’s a good lesson.

Mike: So, what’s next for you and Excel? What’s the next big thing in the next one to three years?

Matt: For Excel, it’s about ensuring we’re developing the next generation of leaders. As people start to retire, we need to fill those roles, so we’re focusing a lot on project management and leadership training. We’re also working on identifying the right people to step into those positions.
Within our group, we’re pushing to expand our clientele, especially within industrial facilities. We’re focusing on safety. For example, if a facility has electrical distribution panels, we’ll conduct a study to assess the risks. We provide labels that tell the client what personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed to work on those panels. It’s become a big focus for us, and we’re excited to continue pursuing it.

Mike: I used to run plastics factories, and this just reminded me of the importance of PPE. Unfortunately, some of my friends had fatalities in their factories. It’s close to home for me. As a factory manager, I used to hear employees question why these safety measures were necessary, and I always told them: “Because you’re not dying while I’m here. Safety is the top priority.”

Matt: Exactly. In some facilities, staff is so focused on getting the machine up and running that they cut corners. But the stakes are high. I remember one of my project managers visited a site where there was a piece of equipment with an arc flash incident. The staff was about to open it up live, and we had to step in and say, “No, we’re not doing that.” That’s why we developed our own arc flash training program—not as a revenue generator, but as a way to help our clients operate safely. If we design a facility, we want to make sure their staff knows how to use it safely. That’s a big priority for us.

Mike: That’s fantastic work. I have one last question, which I haven’t prepped anyone for: Is there a question you wish I’d asked you? Consider it asked.

Matt: Well, that’s a tough one! I guess one question could be about my leadership style or what advice I would have for people trying to do things on their own.

Mike: What advice do you have for people who are trying to do it on their own?

Matt: There are only so many hours in a day. If you want to grow your business, you need to hire the right people and empower them. I learned early on that if I can have others manage the bigger projects, I can delegate more, and that helps me focus on expanding the business. The more work I can delegate to my staff, the more I can go out and bring in new clients and enter new industries.

Mike: Absolutely. Well, Matt Sipiorski from Excel Engineering, thank you for being on the show today. It’s been great getting to know you, and I wish you the best with your goals for the year.

Matt: Thanks, I appreciate you having me.