Mike Hopke

Special Thanks to Mike Hopke for Years of Hard Work and Dedication to W.B. Hopke Co, Employees and Clients

Mike Hopke joined W.B. Hopke part-time in 1975. He recalls starting his career at the bottom, cleaning the shop, servicing equipment and emptying trash cans. In 1979, after graduating from Virginia Tech, Mike joined W.B. Hopke full-time and never looked back…until today.

Mike is now the senior advisor to Hopke and partially retired. Mike was gracious enough to share his experiences and provide advice for those working for W.B. Hopke today.

Mike made it clear that he and his brother Frank Hopke ran the business together. Frank joined the company in 1984. Mike is most proud of the fact that he and Frank have continued the Hopke tradition of excellence, a tradition handed down from his father William Hopke Jr and his grandfather, William B. Hopke Sr.

“After almost 40 years, Frank and I still enjoy our time together discussing work and playing golf, and there’s not too many brothers that can be around each other for this many years and still claim they enjoy each other’s company,” Mike said with a chuckle.

Mike has always had a head for numbers. He graduated from VA Tech with a degree in finance. He worked in estimating and leaned more towards the business and sales side of the company. He has worked with boards of directors, met with clients, and attended many dinner meetings. Mike handled much of the “face work” while Frank focused on the operations side of the business working in the field, managing job details, crews, equipment and deadlines. Together Mike and Frank are a great team.

Most important to Mike was to keep the work coming in the door. As he stated, “Frank and I had a lot of responsibility. We inherited the business from our father, William Hopke Jr, so it was important to me and to Frank that we keep our father’s business going and its reputation intact. We didn’t want to let our customers or employees down. Our employees have families, and they depend on the work coming in, so we were always looking ahead to the next project and putting more work on the books.”

The Hopke brothers have given back too. They have donated to charities and been an integral sponsor for First Tee and charity golf tournaments. They have always tried to do their best for their employees.
“We have the most dedicated employees, so we have always tried to do our best to show our employees how much we appreciate them. Our company has had family picnics, luncheons, dinners, and even fishing trips. My hope is that our employees think of W.B. Hopke as a good employer and we hope we have done things right for them,” said Mike.

On a personal side, Mike enjoys golfing, skiing and bike riding. He is an avid reader and is involved in clubs like the First Tee. He has two children — a son and daughter. He has been married to his wife Ann for 33 years.