By Lee Team, a leading MEPF contractor in Southeast Wisconsin.
Mentorship Rooted in Purpose
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Lee Mechanical is proud to congratulate Angie Waechter, Construction Manager Fire Protection, on receiving The Daily Reporter’s Mentor of the Year Award as part of its 2026 Women in Construction Awards.
The honor recognizes something that has been evident throughout Angie’s more than 20-year career in construction: her success has never been solely about what she accomplishes herself. It is also measured by the people she develops, the teams she strengthens and the opportunities she creates for others.
Since joining Lee Mechanical in 2025, Angie has made an extraordinary impact on both the company’s growing Fire Protection division and its people. She brings extensive technical expertise to her role, but it is her people-first approach to leadership that has made her an especially influential member of the Lee team.
Angie holds an associate degree in civil engineering/structural and is NICET Level III certified. She is also a graduate of the MCAA Advanced Institute of Project Management and holds a Sprinkler Layout and Design Certificate from the National Fire Sprinkler Association, a Dale Carnegie Women’s Leadership Academy Certificate and OSHA 10 Certification.
Her professional accomplishments have earned recognition throughout the industry, including the AGC Greater Milwaukee Chairman of the Year Award in 2017, an Illuminating Women Award in 2022 and the Erickson/Strong Scholarship in 2024. In 2025, Angie was also featured by BizTimes Milwaukee in its “How She Leads” series for her leadership and impact.
Each milestone reflects Angie’s commitment to continuous learning, but just as importantly, her willingness to share what she has learned with others.
Building Lee Mechanical’s Construction Fire Protection Team
When Angie joined Lee Mechanical as Construction Manager Fire Protection, she stepped into an opportunity to help build something new.
As a founding member of Lee’s Construction Fire Protection team, Angie helped transform a one-person initiative into a growing operation. She has recruited, hired and trained two designers and a project manager while simultaneously estimating work, recruiting talent and managing active projects.
Under her leadership, the division has secured more than $5 million in backlog, creating a strong foundation for continued growth and profitability.
Yet one of Angie’s greatest accomplishments has been building the team behind those numbers.
She approaches leadership with collaboration, clarity and accountability. Angie believes people do their best work when they feel comfortable contributing ideas, understand the goal in front of them and know that their individual work matters to the success of the entire team.
That philosophy is reflected in the way she mentors.
Rather than expecting everyone to think, work or respond as she does, Angie has learned the importance of meeting people where they are. She describes that realization as one of the most important breakthroughs in her own leadership development. It has allowed her to navigate change, strengthen relationships and keep teams moving forward with both respect and accountability.
Mentorship Rooted in Purpose
Angie’s approach to mentoring is closely connected to the values that guide her personally.
Her faith plays an important role in how she leads and how she treats others. She strives to listen, understand and respond with consistency and compassion. Gratitude and courage have also become important elements of her leadership philosophy.
After hearing speaker and Hello Fears founder Michelle Poler, Angie completed a 100-day gratitude challenge and adopted a question that has helped shape the way she approaches uncertainty and new opportunities:
“What’s the best that can happen?”
It is a mindset that encourages people to move beyond fear, take intentional steps forward and recognize what becomes possible when they are willing to grow.
Angie does not simply tell people how to succeed. She works to create an environment where they have the confidence and support to discover what they are capable of accomplishing themselves.
Creating a Stronger Community for Women at Lee
Angie has also translated her commitment to mentorship into action through S.H.E. at Lee, which stands for Strength, Hard Work, and Empowerment. Angie founded the internal women’s group in December 2025 to bring women across Lee Mechanical together in meaningful ways and create a safe, supportive space where they can share ideas, build stronger connections, gain more experience in the field, and continue to grow, learn and collaborate.
S.H.E. at Lee reflects the type of mentorship that has defined Angie’s leadership. Rather than limiting mentorship to one-on-one guidance, she has created a structure that gives women throughout Lee Mechanical opportunities to learn from one another, develop relationships and build confidence while strengthening connections between employees in different roles and areas of the company.
The initiative also reflects Angie’s broader belief that women should have opportunities to contribute, grow and have their voices heard within the construction industry. Through S.H.E. at Lee, she is helping turn that belief into an ongoing program that invests in women and strengthens Lee Mechanical’s culture as a whole.
A Recognition That Reflects Her Impact
The Daily Reporter’s Mentor of the Year Award recognizes Angie for more than her professional accomplishments. It celebrates the lasting influence she has on the people around her.
In just a short time at Lee Mechanical, Angie has helped build a growing Construction Fire Protection operation, recruited and developed a talented team, created new opportunities for women to connect and support one another and continued to invest in the broader construction industry.
At Lee Mechanical, we know strong companies are built by strong people, and strong leaders make the people around them better.
Congratulations, Angie, on receiving The Daily Reporter’s 2026 Mentor of the Year Award. We are proud to have your leadership at Lee Mechanical and even prouder of the impact you continue to make on the people around you and the future of our industry.
Lee Team
Founded in 1976, Lee Mechanical is a leading MEPF contractor in Southeast Wisconsin specializing in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and refrigeration services. Our experienced professionals elevate commercial and industrial projects through trusted, high-quality solutions.
