Aurel Lucanu, Foreman – From Romania to the United States to W.B. Hopke and a 25-Year Successful Career

Aurel Lucanu has been with W.B. Hopke for more than 25 years. His is a story of courage, dedication and loyalty. W.B. Hopke is proud to have Aurel as a key member of our team. Here’s Aurel’s story told in his own words.

I am a native of Romania. In 1997 I won the Lottery Visa and in 1998, January 12, I emigrated with my wife, Olga, and my daughter Andreia to the United States. I was almost 43 years old. I had no knowledge of the English language and generally speaking, I was feeling like I came to another planet. A friend of mine laughing said, “In America everything is different when compared with Europe, the metric system, the American English language compared with the UK English, even the key is twisted the other way in the lock.” We came to the USA with some money to get started, but it was being spent and used very quickly. I was terrified thinking that if I do not find a job soon, we would have to sleep under a bridge. It was my Good Luck to meet in February 1998 (a month after we landed in the USA) Craig Hajos (God Rest His Soul,) and he advised me that at W.B. Hopke a person with my skills could find a job. In Romania I was a Foreman in the Chemical Industry, working with complicated installations carrying deadly chemical compounds. There was no room for error, as it could have cost the lives of the people working there.

Craig took me to Hopke for an interview and I started soon after to work as a laborer on Craig’s team. I cannot express enough the gratitude of working for this company! As an immigrant who spoke very little American English, I was embraced by the management and the people working for W.B. HOPKE as if I was there for a very long time. For me, W.B. Hopke was the extended family that I left in Romania. At home, there was my wife and my daughter, but when I came to work, I felt that my second family was there. I have worked for W.B. Hopke from February 1998 until now, August 2023. In these 25 years, I completed hundreds of projects in various locations in Virginia, Maryland, and the DC area.

I have met many supervisors from other companies who were very impressed with my work ethic and especially my skills. They offered me positions with their companies, at higher pay, but I refused. I could have never, ever left W.B. Hopke. That was my family; other companies would have been just another job. I grew up with the company! I met the founder of the company, Mr. William Hopke, I worked under his son, Mr. Frank Hopke, and I got the pleasure of seeing Matt Hopke at the management of the company. It gives me a special comfort to work for a company so family oriented and to see the care they all manifest for their employees. I have been trained and worked under various supervisors who demonstrated a professional attitude and consideration for their employees.

I started as a laborer, then pipe-layer, then operator and finally, foreman. I love working outside. My wife is an IT person. She always wanted to teach me the technical stuff and to go into the IT domain, but I refused always because I don’t like to be confined in an office or in a closed space. I like the open spaces outside. I like to see projects taking forms under our hands. I have a good team, I train them even for a step up in their career, and I was happy when I got a laborer and I sent him to another team as a pipe-layer or an operator. Some of them are now foremen.

My work philosophy is based first on ethics. Be conscientious, come to work on time, and do your best. If you don’t know, I will show you as many times as necessary, until you get it. You have to follow my instructions because your safety is my priority. In 25 years, I have never had a team member injured, because safety rules are a priority. Then there’s the will to learn the skills to better your life. It’s not necessarily important to “work hard,” but you have to apply skills, be organized, and use your brain. For a job well done, there are many ways of doing it, and not all ways are the best, or the most efficient.

It is not easy to contain in a few words a lifetime of working in a great family. I am very proud when I drive around Virginia, Maryland and DC and I see buildings, roads, different locations where I know my team and I contributed. I know that my work had and continues to have meaning and I can see results. This is the most important aspect that gives me energy to continue working for W.B. Hopke. I drive with my family toward a location and in front of my eyes I see past projects. I tell them, “Here there was nothing, we worked here, I worked in Tyson’s Corner, in Washington DC, Alexandria, Manassas, etc, you name it, I worked there.” I never believed that the scared man who came here at 43 years old, not knowing the language and had to sustain the driver’s license exam in a language he did not know, one day will be driving confident in all Metropolitan area, Virginia, Maryland and working on Projects that are supposed to be delivered on time, with safety and passing various inspections.

I am a family man, happily married for 45 years (with the same woman!) and have a daughter who is now 35 years old and working as a senior manager in the Education field. We have two grandchildren (a boy and a girl), who are the light of our lives. In my free time I enjoy watching historical movies (I love the Old Western movies, as if I would have been here in another life), reading, spending time with my family, fishing, walking, and house chores (my wife has a full list!).

Imagine landing in a foreign country, where you don’t have family, friends, don’t know the language, your driver’s license is not valid, and you feel like a newborn at 43, big and stupid. I still made it, even with this rough start. I am grateful to God and to W.B. Hopke for giving me the opportunity to do what I like in a meaningful way that makes me feel that my life in the USA is a long line of accomplishments; I built something with my team under W.B. Hopke’ support and guidance. I could not have done it without them! Thank you!

Like many other Hopke employees, Aurel was born in a far-off country, made his way to America, known as the land of opportunity, overcame language barriers and made a successful life here. He traveled a long way to find a home with W.B. Hopke and we are so glad he did. Thank you Aurel for everything you bring to our company.

Contact W.B. Hopke about a career in utility installation and site work at 703-971-0404 or info@wbhopke.com.