Sophie Michels

Board of Advisor, Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship

Sophie Michels is part of the third generation of her family business, Michels Corporation, which is the largest construction company in Wisconsin and one of the largest energy infrastructure contractors in the United States.

Michels Corporation was founded in 1959 and as a result of its rapid expansion in the 63 years since, the company employs over 8,000 people today. The company was founded by Sophie’s grandfather, Dale Michels, and since his passing over 20 years ago Michels has been run by Sophie’s father and uncles. The company was initially exclusively a pipeline contractor but today includes 9 companies: Michels Pipeline, Michels Power, Michels Construction, Michels Utility Services, Michels Road & Stone, Michels Pacific Energy, Michels Canada, Michels Asia Pacific, and Michels Trenchless Europe. Sophie is excited to be part of the next generation of the company and looks forward to working in various sectors of Michels and gaining the experience she needs to become a strong leader.

After graduating in May 2023, Sophie joined the infrastructure division of Michels where she will take her knowledge of the business from the family perspective and apply it in a more direct way to the work that the company does. Sophie has interned in both the pipeline and infrastructure divisions of Michels in the past and as a result, has gained an understanding of the importance of the energy infrastructure that the company provides.

Through the many business oriented classes and the courses provided by the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, Sophie has gained many key skills that she will bring with her into her work at Michels. She has also served on the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship Student Advisory Board for the past 2 years, where she offered insight about how to tailor programs to meet the needs of students. BIFE has allowed Sophie to collaborate with other students who come from family businesses and to be part of a community that fosters innovation and leadership.