Truth be told, David Wantman is a little uneasy about being selected as a Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Florida. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The co-founder of WGI, a successful South Florida-based consulting, planning, surveying and design firm, Wantman is not worked up about accepting the honor in front of thousands at the engineering commencement. It\u2019s the honor itself that has him questioning, \u201cWhy me?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But make no mistake, UF has good reason to celebrate him, and the humble Wantman is honored. He adores the orange and blue. Proof: During the final tense seconds of UF\u2019s basketball championship against Houston in April, his Garmin watch buzzed with warnings about his heart rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering has no doubts about his 2025 induction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDavid Wantman truly embodies the essence of a Gator engineer: dedication, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence,\u201d wrote Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment Chair Kirk Hatfield, Ph.D., in Wantman\u2019s nomination letter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 1990 UF engineering graduate, Wantman remains a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Board in the College of Engineering. He established the Wantman Group Endowed Fund for Excellence in Civil Engineering in 2012 to support UF\u2019s civil engineering teaching and research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hatfield noted Wantman was an active member of the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering’s (CCE) External Advisory Board from 2005 to 2011. He served on ESSIE\u2019s advisory board starting in 2011, taking the leadership helm in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe has consistently provided me with invaluable advice on faculty-management strategies, emphasizing the importance of fostering collaboration among faculty members at all levels to achieve collective success,\u201d Hatfield added. \u201cHis influence has cultivated a culture of dedication and hard work within CCE and ESSIE, contributing to a doubling of ESSIE\u2019s federal research expenditures since 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wantman said he is proud to be a part the college\u2019s progress and is honored by the award. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt hasn’t really settled in yet,\u201d he said. \u201cI assume it will when I have to get up on stage. I haven’t been to a graduation where I’ve been on stage since high school, so it should be interesting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wantman\u2019s wife, Kelly, also graduated from UF, as did one of their two daughters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked how his UF engineering education affected his success, he said, \u201cThis is going to sound a little bit strange, but it’s not so much the calculus and the physics or the chemistry \u2013 which I was miserable at it \u2013 or the technical skills. It’s more the fact that UF doesn’t hold your hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was in school, there were no cell phones. We stood in line for a pay phone in a dorm if we wanted to call somebody. UF obviously wanted their students to do well, but they also weren’t going to coddle you. So the biggest thing I say when I meet students is this university has taught you how to survive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After graduation, Wantman worked at his father\u2019s firm for a short time before moving to Tampa to work at a peer\u2019s firm for 10 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen my second child was born, and my wife wanted to stop work. I had to make some decisions about how to close an income gap because she was making more money than I was. My dad had gone back into business, so I approached him,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and his father, Joel Wantman, developed WGI \u2013 Wantman Group, Inc. \u2013 into a firm with more than 600 employees in more than 20 locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WGI\u2019s mission: Creatively transform how our world is envisioned, designed, and experienced.\u202fThe firm touches many aspects of civil engineering and technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPractical application is something you can relate to \u2013 roads, bridges. You turn on your faucet and you want fresh water, that’s us. You turn on your light switch and you want light, that’s us,\u201d he said. \u201cYou want the signals to be timed appropriately so that traffic doesn’t sit forever at a signal, that’s us. You decide you want to ride your bike, and you want a bike lane on the road, that’s us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Wantman heads to the podium soon to accept his honor, he understands this is great time in Gator Nation. Wantman, who attends home football games and whose daughter was a Gator cheerleader, will speak on hallowed ground during commencement, the spot where the basketball team powered its way to an SEC title before heading west to claim the championship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was in San Antonio with my dad for the Final Four,\u201d he said. \u201cWe watched the semifinals and the championship game, and my Garmin watch was telling me my heart rate was too high. You need to relax.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gators won the game in the final minutes, overcoming a significant deficit. Indeed, the Gator Nation\u2019s collective blood pressure was boiling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were times where I was sitting looking at the screen going, \u2018OK, this is not a lot of fun.\u2019 Well, that experience cured me of basketball for a while. I don’t care to watch a basketball game any time soon. It was emotionally draining,\u201d said Wantman, who also is a Gator Booster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
UF has given him much pride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObviously, my kids graduating from UF obviously was a big achievement,\u201d he said when asked about his accomplishments. \u201cI gave back to UF because I felt like a lot of good came out of my degree and my experience there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And while he may be a little uneasy during commencement and his speech, the Distinguished Alumnus honor is greatly appreciated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I won’t forget,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll sweat a little bit. We’ll see.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
David Wantman, co-founder of a successful South Florida-based consulting, planning, surveying and design firm and 1990 UF engineering graduate, has been selected as a Distinguished Alumnus from the University of Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2592,"featured_media":36719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-templates\/single-sidebar-none.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_post":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[433,447,3,43,55,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025issue","category-alumni-news","category-alumni-spotlight","category-honors-awards","category-magazine","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n