Designing for the Client: Andrew Wesely Builds Cohesion at Ayars & Ayars

Throughout college, Andrew Wesely believed he was going to be working at a bank. Despite studying finance and economics in college, he soon discovered he loved working with his hands.

“I think the thing that really inspires me is seeing the finished product,” he said. 

After finding a passion for hands-on work, Wesely worked different jobs in the construction industry before moving to his current position of vice president at Ayars & Ayars, Inc.

Wesely grew up in Lincoln, and later attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Despite studying finance, he always had an interest in building and design due to both of his sisters working in architecture.

During his third year of college, Kiewit Corp. representatives came by one of Wesely’s classes to talk about construction and the possibilities in the field. Wesely ended up taking a job with Kiewit which led him around the East Coast.

Later on, he got a call from Mike Ayars regarding an opening at the Omaha office of Ayars & Ayars, Inc., which he accepted. Working at the company for eight years, he now serves as the vice president.

“Construction has been my life sense,” he said. “And I really enjoy it. Especially with the design-build side, I still get to impact what we’re building, how we’re building, and then work from there … It’s nice to have that full autonomy to work through things from start to finish.”

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Ups and Downs

At Ayars & Ayars, Inc., Wesely creates thoughtfully developed structures for his clients and listens to their desires.

Working in construction, there are always issues that come up on a day-to-day basis. Wesely said perseverance is key.

“You have a lot of down days, or you run into a lot of problems that are annexed,” he said, noting that the weather doesn’t always cooperate. “It’s making sure that you come up with a plan, that if things aren’t going your way today, but maybe tomorrow you can figure out a plan to get back on track.”

In addition to working through daily problems that arise, Wesely describes also having to be proactive and prepare for upcoming projects.

“So, I’ve learned over the time, you have to always be working on that next project,” he said. “You have to always be focusing on your current projects as well to keep the current customers satisfied. But you have to keep working towards both ends of the goal.”

With the Omaha office expanding, community support and teamwork are integral components of Wesely’s job.

Wesley said he is motivated by the sense of community he shares with his peers.

“And knowing that my success is their success, and their success is mine,” he said. “So, if I let them down, then I’m letting down the rest of the team. And if I’m not pulling them up with me to get through this, you know, we all fail as a team. So, it’s holding us together, as well.”

Community is important to Wesely, and some of the organizations he has been involved in include: Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, Rotary International, the Sarpy Chamber of Commerce and the Omaha Community Foundation’s Young Professionals group.

In the future, he aims to help grow the local Ayars & Ayars operations to rival other locations and continue to give back to his community.