When Mike Tubbs was young, he learned something the hard way. And it stuck with him the rest of his life.
It happened back in high school industrial arts. Mike was building a model home for a class project that was worth a big chunk of their final grade. And he wanted everything to be perfect.
“I had a great plan. I had a great house. I had it maybe three-quarters of the way done. But I didn’t get it completed in the timeframe, and he gave me an F. I have never had any grade below a B, and this knocked the wind out of me” Mike said.
His teacher sat him down and told him that complexity and perfection don’t count for much if it’s not done on time. Deadlines matter.
The next quarter, Mike simplified the plan, finished the model and earned an A+. The teacher was so proud that he hung the model in the rafters of the school for years after Mike graduated.
“What I learned out of that was, you got to be done on time,” he said. “No matter what!”
That simple lesson stayed with him through a winding career. It’s stretched from farm fields to Design-Build sites throughout the USA, and eventually to his role as a program manager at The Korte Company.
Growing up in Southern Illinois
Mike was born in St. Louis and grew up in small towns across Southern Illinois before settling in Mascoutah, Illinois, where he still lives today.
He was the oldest of five, with four younger sisters. While his sisters played inside, Mike was out climbing trees or playing ball. Looking back on it, his childhood almost seemed like a movie. His group of friends played sandlot baseball in the summer heat. The Tubbs family took road trips to California that often felt like a Griswold vacation.
The plot took a turn when Mike entered Mascoutah High School and fell in love with industrial arts. Architecture and design caught his attention early, though it would take a while for his passion to blossom into a career.
From architecture to agriculture
Mike pursued architecture after high school. He started off at the Drake Partnership in St. Louis and took night classes at Washington University. But life had other plans.
Marriage and family responsibilities drew him into farming in Mascoutah, where he worked for 14 years. He raised cattle, hogs, corn, soybeans and wheat across 1,000 acres with his father-in-law.
“I loved it, absolutely loved it,” he said.
But droughts and poor harvests forced some hard choices. He needed winter work to help support the farm income. So, he dusted off his drafting skills and started looking for part-time work as an architectural draftsman.
Back to the drawing board
One winter morning in 1984, Mike drove to Highland, Illinois, to pick up a replacement part for farm equipment, as he’d done so many times before. But that day, he also brought along some drawings and dropped by Ralph Korte Architectural Services to ask if they needed any part-time drafting help.
By chance, Bill Pistrui was there over lunch and agreed to look at his drawings. Bill knew the Drake Partnership and liked Mike’s drafting work, but said they didn’t have anything at the moment. Still, he encouraged Mike to stay in touch.
By the time Mike got home, his wife told him someone named “Pastrami” had called. It was Bill Pistrui, offering him part-time work starting Monday.
That “part-time” job turned into 40 hours a week. Soon, Ralph Korte himself stopped by Mike’s desk to meet “the new guy”.
“He asked, ‘Are you the farmer from Mascoutah?’ I said yeah. He goes, ‘There’s no money in farming. You just stick with us. We’ll take care of you.’ Then he laughed and walked off. As he left, he said, ‘Hey, did you hear about the new policy we’re putting in place? We’re only going to work half days around here. Any 12 hours you want to put in is fine.’”
With that, Mike knew he had all the side work he’d ever need. And it didn’t take long for Design-Build to become his primary passion again.
Choosing his new career path
By 1985, Mike was ready to move up in the company. There were two career paths ahead of him — become a superintendent or a project manager.
He asked someone what each position was about. They said, “Superintendents babysit subs. Project managers push paper.”
“I figured I was better at pushing paper,” Mike joked.
Mike moved to project management, helping open the company’s St. Louis office near Union Station. Mike remembers those early years as exciting and electric. Even walking into work could involve wild antics, since their building’s first floor was occupied by the wacky radio station, K-SHE 95.
The time was defined by long hours, close camaraderie and bold projects. And Mike embraced it. After all, he was always drawn to the hardest jobs.
“The projects that would float my boat were projects that people didn’t think could get done,” he said. “And we did it. Heavy emphasis on we, because it’s definitely a team effort.”
Mike’s portfolio grew to include historic rehabs, supermarkets, industrial expansions and major USPS facilities. The Postal Service partnership became what Mike calls the “USPS Roadshow” — a career-long relationship that helped fuel The Korte Company’s nationwide growth.
Through it all, Mike kept a few things he’d learned in mind. Work hard. Support with the team. And meet deadlines.
Where philosophy meets legacy
Today, Mike serves as program manager, helping guide The Korte Company’s long-standing U.S. Postal Service work. For him, their ongoing success comes down to ambition and teamwork.
“The only people who don’t make mistakes are the people who do nothing,” he said.
What matters most is that The Korte Company gives people the chance to try, proving themselves through hard work and dedication — just like they did for him.
“If there’s an opportunity, we’re going to give it to you,” he said. “You work hard, you’re going to gain that opportunity. And if that doesn’t work out, we’ll figure out another place for you to go.”
Mike isn’t talking retirement yet. But when the time comes, he imagines himself in his pickup, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, maybe doing some fishing along the way.
For now, he’s making sure the next generation of Korte leaders is set up for success, along with delivering project success on time/early for every project the company takes on!
