Former county engineer’s son returns home to fill his father’s shoes

Norman Wendholt served as Dubois County’s engineer for 17 years until his death in 2009. The same year his son, Brent Wendholt, graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in engineering.

Later this month, Brent will step into his father’s same shoes as the new county engineer.

“It means a lot to get this position,” Brent said in an interview Tuesday.

Highway Superintendent Steve Berg offered Brent the county engineer position Monday morning. When he got the call, Brent told Berg he would like to sleep on it before making a decision. He accepted the offer Tuesday.

Brent was only one of three applicants for the position vacated by Jason Heile in December when he went took the county engineering job in Daviess County.

The county offered Brent about $1,400 more than Heile was making when he left for the better paying Daviess County position. It became clear during the hiring process the county wasn’t going to get many applicants willing to accept the amount the county paid Heile. In February, they approved raising the salary for the engineer position to $71,000 — about $6,000 more than Heile was asking for when he left.

Brent will also have access to a take-home county vehicle.

Brent graduated from Forest Park in 2003, where he played baseball and wrestled. He attended Vincennes University for two years before transferring to the University of Southern Indiana where he completed his engineering degree in 2009. He played baseball through his collegiate career and even returned to Dubois County to pitch for the Bombers while attending USI.

After graduating, he worked for a small engineering firm for about a year before starting with Warrick County’s Highway Department as an assistant engineer. In 2013, Brent became the director of the county’s storm water department while he continued to work as an assistant engineer with the highway department.

An engineer has to work in the field for four years before taking the state exam for their professional engineering (PE) license. Brent became eligible for the test for the first time this past October but his dual roles as the storm water director and assistant engineer made it difficult for him to take the test. This month is the second time he is eligible to take the test and he will do so before starting his new job.

Results of the test will likely be available in the next two months and if all goes well, Brent will be a licensed engineer in June or July. Once he has his license, the $60,000 starting salary will increase to $65,000. Next June, his salary will increase to $68,000 and another jump to the $71,000 will occur in January 2016.

The PE license is important for the county because the state will pay $20,000 towards a licensed engineers salary.

Warrick County gave Brent a lot of experience working with federal aid projects. Brent credits this experience with his being offered the position. Dubois County has several projects involving federal and state funding, including the overpass in Huntingburg.

Right now though, he and his wife Mallory, 29, (Gasser) are looking forward to returning home. He grew up in St. Anthony. Mallory grew up in Huntingburg and graduated from Southridge in 2002, a year ahead of Brent. His mother, Wilma, works at WITZ AM/FM and he has two sisters, Jill, 25, and Beth, 21.

The couple have a two-and-half-year-old daughter, Brynlee, with another child on the way.

“My father had a big influence on me,” Brent said. “I got to work on some projects with him while I was in junior high and high school. It’s because of him that I got interested in engineering.”

It won’t be easy for Brent to step into the highway department office on April 28. “I’m not going to lie. The first time I walk into that office it is going to be tough,” Brent said. “I did work for my dad for four summers and we had a lot of good times in that office. That will be tough, but it means a lot and I am hoping I can do a good job.”