SERVICE SOLUTIONS OUR TEAM OUR PROJECTS CAREERS CONTACT BLOG Employee Login The Right People Our strongest assets at JRT has always been the great people on our team. This company is founded on a can-do attitude and taking care of people along with their families. We believe our success depends on everyone in the company being successful. President Jake Tapani VP of Operations David Tapani VP of Sales Karl Tapani General Manager Matt Johnson Finance Manager Drew Johnson HR Manager Andy Bergmann Benefits Manager Elaine Muonio Service Manager Brian Blakeman Senior Estimator Stefan Erickson Estimator John Tapani Estimator Dan Tikka Estimator Sam Massie Purchasing Manager Lynda Pitsch CAD Detailer Joseph Massie CAD Detailer Rick Bruckelmyer Senior Project Manager Sven Johnson Project Manager Keith Tapani Project Manager Gary Ritola Project Manager Kevin Rose Safety Manager Randon Williamson IT Manager Eric Burdick Shop Manager Bruce Beard Payroll Manager Caroline Karvonen Assistant Controller Jacob Tichenor Accounts Payable Alison Johnson Project Manager Assistant Taylor Bergmann Project Manager Assistant Joren Sarkinen Project Manager Assistant Kristen Brooks Project Manager Assistant Landon Sheckard Service Sales Manager: Tri-Cities Reid Craigo Project Manager: Tri-Cities Matt Massie Are you next? See our careers page above. Jake Tapani Jake began plumbing in 1976, starting a small plumbing company called JRT Mechanical in 1992. Since that time he has enjoyed watching all the change and growth over the years. Through it all he learned not to grow too fast, otherwise things can get out of control. When asked what words he lives by, Jake replied, "Honesty, hard work, and loyalty to friends and family." Jake points to the great people that help run the company and the personal growth of each and every employee as keys to success. David Tapani As VP of Operations- David's favorite part of the job is getting to know all of the employees. In his spare time he likes to Salmon Fish. Words he lives by: Successful people build each other up. They motivate, inspire & push each other. Karl Tapani For the past 25 years, Karl has enjoyed watching the company grow from a small residential plumbing company to a full mechanical contractor working on complex industrial systems. Words to live by: a new challenge is an opportunity. Matt Johnson The most rewarding part of Matt's job is empowering and engaging JRT employees. He truly believes that if you treat employees with respect and dignity, they will treat you the same. In his spare time, Matt likes to fish and wrestle with grandkids (sometimes he loses). Words he lives by: Be Fair. Drew Johnson Drew has been working as a controller for 12 years. His favorite aspect of working at JRT is the people and the laid back work environment. He says that coming to work is easy when you get to work with friends and family every day. When Drew is not crunching numbers, he likes playing basketball, tennis, volleyball and going fishing. Andy Bergmann Andy has been with JRT for 8 years, working in several different positions throughout his career here. He enjoys the people he gets to work with and gets to do what he loves every day. Favorite part about working at JRT: being able to learn every day and the great opportunities that they offer. Elaine Muonio Elaine started working for JRT in 2012. The most rewarding part of her job is helping people use their benefits and get the information they need to do their job better. She really likes working with people she can constantly learn from, who help push herself and others to take on new and challenging opportunities. Elaine is the benefits manager and also administers the insurance for JRT. Words to live by..."know your own happiness.“ Brian Blakeman Brian loves working at JRT because they are always looking to grow and learn. Even when it comes to mistakes, the team takes those as opportunities to get even better. For Brian, getting positive feedback from the customers is the most rewarding aspect of his job in the day to day operation. Words to live by: Slow is steady; steady is smooth; smooth is fast. Stefan Erickson Stefan thrives off developing long lasting relationships for the company. In his spare time, he enjoys making & installing vehicle graphics, creating logos & riding stand-up jetski. Stephan has been estimating for 24 years now. One thing he's learned is to not let failures and losses cause you to lose focus. Words he lives by: trustworthy, reliable and consistent. John Tapani John has been in the trade for 13 years. The most rewarding part of his job is when a project comes in better than the estimated budget. He believes one of the most important things people can do is take time to do the things you love. For him, that's hunting and scouting. Dan Tikka The most rewarding part of Dan's job is seeing a job completed efficiently, safely, and with good quality. After 20 years in the trade, here's a list of lessons from Dan: Plan ahead, be prepared for the worst, hope for the best, and go fishing. Sam Massie Sam started at JRT in January 2011. He has worked as a pipefitter & a HVAC foreman. Sam recently started as an estimator in September 2021. His favorite thing about his job is learning new things and gaining life experience. Sam likes to watch, listen and read Jordan Peterson's work. He will play whatever sport is available to him. Words that Sam lives by- "Let's just take a minute and send it." Lynda Pitsch Lynda has worked 19 years in the business, 13 years here at JRT. Ensuring material gets to jobs on time and at the best price is the most satisfying part of her job. When not wrangling prices for JRT, Lynda enjoys family and friends and especially likes camping, fishing and boating. But the absolute best thing so far is being a Grandma (x5)! Fun fact: Lynda's husband races stock cars in Banks OR, so that's where you will find them on a Saturday night! She says: "Try not to judge anyone until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Joseph Massie Starting by working in the field, Joe has been at JRT for 20 yrs. His favorite part of the job: helping make the field guys job easier. When he's not working on CAD files, he likes horseback riding with his family and working on building projects at home. Rick Bruckelmyer Rick Bruckelmyer is a CAD Detailer at JRT! He's got 20 years of plumbing field experience. He's been with us since the Spring of 2008. Rick's favorite thing about his job is the people he works with and learning CAD. His time away from work is usually spent with family or in the outdoors. Sven Johnson Sven has been working in project management since 2009. He loves finding ways to be more effective and efficient on projects. Words of wisdom from Sven: "Make a decision and go with it. Don't be immobilized by fear. And, treat everyone with respect." Keith Tapani Keith has been working at JRT since he started as a laborer 16 years ago. He's most satisfied with his work when the project comes in under budget and the general contractor and owner are happy. When he's not project managing, Keith is hunting, snowmobiling or spending time with friends & family. Gary Ritola Gary started plumbing in 1993, beginning as an apprentice in the field and worked all the way to project management. He gets fired up when a project runs smooth, comes in on time and under budget. When he's not reviewing submittals and doing job walks, Gary likes to ski, play racquetball & spend time with family. One thing he has to say about JRT is there is a lot of opportunity; JRT is willing to move you into positions that are interesting and with people who are enjoyable to work with. Kevin Rose After 17 years in the field, Kevin brings practical experience to project managing, helping to bring jobs in on-time and under budget. Words to live by: Focus on your goals, do your thing, and succeed. Randon Williamson Randon says the best part about working at JRT is the great people you get to work with. He loves his job the most when things are going smoothly and employees are returning home safely. When Randon isn't busy keeping everyone safe, he's probably out hunting whitetails. Eric Burdick Eric has been working with computers for 20+ years, and the best thing about his job is knowing he helped fix someone's problem or issues. Words to live by: A laugh a day keeps the doctor away! Bruce Beard Bruce says working for JRT has been a pleasure! He has been with us since 2015. He enjoys coming into work each day because there's always something new to learn and he likes the group of people he works with. Outside of work, Bruce spends time with his family and friends & enjoys the outdoors. Bruce's motto is, "Live each to the fullest as though it could be your last" Caroline Karvonen Caroline's role at JRT is payroll. She's been at JRT since 2018. Favorite thing about her job? Besides getting everyone paid on time- she loves that she gets to learn something new every week. Payroll is continuously changing which keeps her on her toes. In her free time Caroline likes to spend time with my friends and family. Jacob Tichenor Before JRT, Jacob worked on custom software solutions & tutoring web development students. He has a degree in Web Development AAT & Business Administration DTA Jacob joined JRT in May 2021. Jacob enjoys the people and the work at JRT. He says the folks at JRT are hardworking, straightforward, and willing to help out. Jacob enjoys rock climbing, hiking, playing video games, gardening (when it's nice out), and hanging out with friends + family on my time off. What are the words he lives by? Your best work can get better. Alison Johnson Alison is in charge of accounts payable. She's been at JRT for 2 years. She enjoys organizing information and making sure funds are getting to where they need to go to keep things running smoothly. Alison says the best part of my job is the people she works with. When Alison isn't asking for credit card receipts she's probably hiking, reading, doing home improvement projects or killing houseplants. Words she lives by, "If you're working, I'm working" - Matt Massie Taylor Bergmann Taylor has been with JRT for 4 years. She enjoys the variety of work her job requires, because she's not doing the same thing every day. Taylor also really enjoys the people she works with. In her free time, she likes to hang out with friends and have a good time. Joren Sarkinen Joren worked in plumbing + HVAC before going into the office. He likes coming to work everyday to solve problems and to learn new things. When Joren's not at work, he is probably dirt biking, playing volleyball or hanging out with friends. Joren's motto is "Never give up" Kristen Brooks Kristen has been working in construction for 13 years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Health Science and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Weber State University. She's been with JRT since 2019. Kristen enjoys her job because she learns something new every day, which keeps the job exciting. In her free time she likes fishing and spending time with her family. Landon Sheckard Landon started working at JRT with little experience in the construction industry. He started in the field as an on-site Project Assistant. He learned quickly the ins-and-outs of project administration. Landon was then promoted to our PE team. He really enjoys working with our office staff + our field teams. His favorite part of the job is seeing how the work done in the office pairs together the field. Landon enjoys working with everyone at JRT. When Landon isn't not working, he's usually hanging out with family and friends. Reid Craigo Reid has been in the field most of his life. He grew up working for his parent’s plumbing contracting business! He’s got 15+ years of plumbing/mechanical experience & 12+ years of low voltage/telecommunications/surveillance systems experience. He is really excited to be working in our Tri-Cities service division and watch it grow. Outside of work, Reid loves doing just about anything with his wife & kids. He is also a huge soccer fan. Reid’s motto is "Business is always personal" Matt Massie Matt began at JRT in the Spring of 2017. Matt has been a huge help with our new Tri-Cities branch. What he finds most rewarding about his job is seeing projects come together from nothing but a piece of paper to a completed building and knowing the owners are happy. Outside of work Matt says he enjoys spending time with his wife and children. Other than that he enjoys hunting, fishing, and getting outdoors. Words he lives by: stay positive and so will everyone else. Are you next? See our careers page above.