June 7, 2018

We are pleased to welcome our new Controller, Mike Halstead, to Epstein! Mike will be responsible for financial reporting and accounting.

Prior to joining Epstein, Mike worked at Hansen Company, Inc., a mid-sized general contractor out of Johnston, Iowa that works with an assortment of projects and clients.

He attended Iowa State University (go Cyclones!), where he studied finance and management. He proceeded to return to ISU in 2009 to complete his accounting undergraduate degree.

Mikes dad was a carpenter and eventually a construction superintendent. So, construction has always been in my blood, he says. I grew up visiting job sites and constantly doing home projects or side jobs with my dad. I got into accounting because Ive always been pretty good at math; this position lets me mesh those two together.

Mike grew up in Ankeny, Iowa, which is a suburb north of Des Moines, Iowa, and attended Ankeny High School. Side note: Until five days ago, Mike has never lived outside of the county he was born in!

Although Mike says he doesnt have any real hobbies, he does enjoy riding motorcycles, having grown up around them with his dad. His Harley is still in Iowa Mike, you have to get that bad boy (girl?) here for Summer Time Chi! Hes also always been interested in the health scene, saying his devotion to fitness offsets his love of ice cream and donuts. Preaching to the choir.

Mike previously participated in distance running for quite a while, though a nagging back injury led him to change his fitness modality. As a result, hes been doing CrossFit for the last 4.5 years now.

And he loves dogs. Like, if he could have one in his office, he would. I strongly support this notion.

Mike and his wife, Megan, have been together for seven years after getting married in Las Vegas. He is a self-proclaimed homebody and Megan likes to travel, so they do a pretty good job of balancing each other out.

Important: Mike likes to have fun at work. If hes ever grumpy, its likely because hes either hungry and/or under-caffeinated. Im sure theres a Snickers "you're not you when you're hungry" joke in there somewhere¦

Also important: He was a volunteer firefighter for six years (mostly during college). He misses it a great deal and therefore might be drawn to windows when he hears firetrucks passing by¦

So, if you see Mike staring longingly out a window, hand pressed against the glass, dont fret, just get him a snack and carry on.

Welcome, Mike, we are thrilled to have you!