Seth Voigt: He is invested in success for 'the betterment of community' he loves

WATERLOO — Seth Voigt enjoys learning about the community he loves.He helps grow the community through projects he manages at TurnKey Associates in Waterloo.'Working here opened doors to community development on a minor scale,' Voigt said.Although TurnKey's portfolio mainly features banks, one project Voigt headed was for House of Hope's building on West Fourth Street in Waterloo. He ended up joining the organization's board in 2018, shortly after the building's completion.'Construction is person-oriented,' Voigt said. 'I became invested in success for the betterment of the community.'Voigt, 37, graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in aerospace engineering.

He said he ventured into the construction side of engineering because it'd be better than 'sitting in a cubicle.' With his job, he gets to go out on sites and out of the office. Voigt is a member of the 2022 class of Courier 20 Under 40 award winners. Seth Voigt, who works for TurnKey Associates in Waterloo, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 recipients in 2022.  CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer He said he learned to love engineering through the booby traps in the movie 'Home Alone' and the gadgets in the TV show 'MacGyver.' Voigt said he loves his job because he gets to mesh his two favorite things – finding out how things work and talking to people.Voigt was first introduced to Waterloo when he moved here in sixth grade, but he 'calls this place home.' He attended Hoover Middle School and West High School.He returned to the Cedar Valley after college, in the midst of the 2008 recession.

'Life throws us curveballs, but it's all blessings,' Voigt said.One of those blessings for Voigt is is serving on the board of directors for House of Hope. The organization‘s role is to 'provide a home, a community and a transformation for single mother families in homelessness and women ages 18 to 24 who age out of foster care,' according to the organization's website.He is currently the treasurer, finance committee chair and participated on each task for new programming, his 20 Under 40 nominator Abby Seers said.'He is not only an integral part of the leadership team within the board, but he is known to bring other contractors, funders and volunteers to the table to further the mission of the House of Hope,' Seers said. 'Beyond his service, his personality and constant positivity gets everyone around him excited to be part of the team.Voigt said since he's joined, he's seen a '300% growth' in the organization, and he hopes to reach out to more families and young women.Apart from being involved with the House of Hope, he is involved with the Boys and Girls Club and wraps presents for the organization during the holidays.The biggest inspiration for Voigt is his wife, Elizabeth, who he noted received her doctorate while she was pregnant and working full time in the health industry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.'She pushes me to do my best,' he said.

'Looking at her – if she can do it, so can I.'The couple recently welcomed a baby boy, Campbell, into the family. Voigt said he loves to smile, meet new people – and he 'can tell he is going to be smart.'Voigt loves raising his family in the Cedar Valley and is proud to call Waterloo his home.'The Cedar Valley and Waterloo is an amazing place, and the energy from young and old leaders – it has been special to raise a family here,' he said. 'There's creative business owners, downtown diversity and it's small enough, but big enough that stuff happens.' Edita Begic, a Cedar Valley real estate agent, is one of The Courier's 2022 20 Under 40 honorees.

CHRIS ZOELLER, Courier Staff Photographer Erin Bishop, a vice president at AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising, is one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Ty Burke, of the Accel Group in Waverly, is one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Kingsley Botchway, UnityPoint Health's regional director of human resources, is one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022.  CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Megan Droste, an  education instructor and advisor for Cedar Falls High School's CAPS program, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022.

CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Jordan Dunn, clinical director for Pathways Behavioral Services in Waterloo, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Cordt Holub, a Buckingham farmer, is one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Natalie Hunter, regional director of pharmacy services for UnityPoint Health in Waterloo and Marshalltown, was chosen as one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022.

CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Rebecca McCarty, director of mission engagement at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Mikayla Montgomery, assistant principal at Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 recipients for 2022.

CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Jamekia Sanders, the residential supervisor for the Waterloo Women's Center for Change, is one of The Courier's 20 Under 40 recipients in 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Abbie Schrader, a nurse practitioner at Cedar Valley Medical Specialists' UnityPoint Cardiology, is among recipients for The Courier's 20 Under 40 honor in 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Ty Smith, who started fitness training company Bodied by Ty, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees.

CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Michelle Sweeney, senior project manager for AECOM in Waterloo, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Eashaan Vajpeyi, a Cedar Falls attorney, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees for 2022. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Seth Voigt, who works for TurnKey Associates in Waterloo, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 recipients in 2022.  CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Qulishia Williams, human resources senior manager and consultant for CUNA Mutual Group, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honoreers.

CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Josh Wilson, a senior publicist for Florida-based Otter Public Relations, is among The Courier's 20 Under 40 honorees. CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.