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Joe Popielarczyk celebrates his award with the Tighe & Bond team.

Project Manager Joseph Popielarczyk has been named to the BusinessWest 40 Under 40 Class of 2021. BusinessWest celebrated all honorees during a ceremony at The Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA on September 22. The 40 Under 40 program was launched in 2007 to honor young professionals in Western Massachusetts who are not only reaching great achievements in their careers but are also leaders that shape their community. Working in Tighe & Bond’s Water and Wastewater Business Line, Joe specializes in civil engineering projects such as chemical feed systems, drinking water, and sanitary sewer pumping stations, as well as sanitary sewer and drinking water collection and distribution system design.

His management of projects has positively impacted numerous communities in Western Massachusetts, including water system improvements along College Highway for the Town of Southwick; the re-design of a chemical feed system in the City of Northampton; and the refurbishment of three major wastewater pumping stations, seven flood pumping stations, and the removal of a significant amount of inflow and infiltration in West Springfield’s sanitary sewer collection system. As he excelled as an engineer, Joe was chosen to participate in Tighe & Bond’s stock ownership program as an Associate Stock Owner and the Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute program helps participants take an introspective journey to discover their strengths and weaknesses and develop a toolkit to reach their leadership potential.

Joe is a leader both in the field and outside the office. He is heavily involved in industry associations such as the Western Massachusetts chapter of the American Water Works Association where he serves as the Educational Chair. In this role, he supports the education of members by coordinating presentations and training. He is a member of the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) Program Committee. For NEWWA conferences, Joe helps select presentations that focus on educational topics about the water industry. He recently moderated multiple learning sessions about water treatment at the NEWWA Spring Learnapalooza in March. He also uses his expertise in engineering to give back to the City of Westfield by serving as the Chair of the Westfield Water Commission, hearing resident concerns, and approving water department projects and abatements in the best interest of the public alongside his fellow committee members.

A Western Massachusetts native, Joe has always recognized the need to give back to his community and looks for any opportunity to help the next generation discover STEM careers. He regularly participates as a judge at science fairs for local high schools. Joe enjoys seeing the inventive ideas come to life and the interaction with the students gives him a chance to answer their questions about the trajectory of his own career and where they see their future STEM careers taking them.