By DENNIS MIKULA, JR., CEO, National LICA
Ten years ago, I got involved with LICA because I believed in what it stood for. Not as a title, not as a résumé builder, and not because I needed another commitment, as I already had plenty. I got involved because I grew up in this industry, and deep down I knew I owed it something back.
That year, I was asked to serve as Vice President of NJLICA. I didn’t take it lightly. I saw it as both an honor and a responsibility. And looking back now, I realize that was the moment my journey toward national leadership truly began, not because I knew where it would lead, but because I said yes to service.
Land improvement isn’t just work to me. It’s the world I was raised in. It’s early mornings and late nights. It’s dirt under your boots, responsibility on your shoulders, and pride in what you build when no one is watching. It’s the people who show up in all kinds of weather, take on real risk, and still take ownership of the outcome. In this industry, your word matters. Your effort matters. Your reputation matters. And the work you do becomes part of the foundation that everything else is built on.
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Executive Board of NJLICA, six years as Vice President, and the last two as President. That experience shaped me, challenged me, and reminded me of something that I think is easy to forget when schedules get packed and pressure builds.
LICA isn’t just an organization. LICA is people. Contractors. Chapter leaders. Executive directors. Members who don’t ask what’s in it for them first; they ask how they can help. People who care enough to protect an industry for the next generation, even when they’re already carrying a full load themselves.
As proud as I have always been to be part of LICA, I also began to see something clearly: the industry that has given so many of us our livelihoods needs help. Real help.
We’re facing a declining workforce. Fewer young people are entering the trades. More regulations, more complexity, and more pressure on the contractors who do the work. Rising costs and tighter timelines. And too many people outside our world still don’t understand what land improvement truly is, or how essential it is to every road, building, community, and project that comes after it.
That is the real reason I said yes to becoming CEO of National LICA. I want to make a difference in the industry I’ve grown up in; an industry that deserves more support, more unity, and more strength than it has right now.
If I’m being honest, my journey to this point wasn’t all planned out. It unfolded. It deepened over time. A few moments in my life changed the way I look at leadership, responsibility, and purpose.
One of the most defining moments for me was losing my parents four years ago.There are some events that don’t just change your life; they change you. Losing them brought everything into sharper focus. It reminded me how quickly time moves, how fragile “someday” really is, and how important it is to live in a way that honors the people who shaped you.
Grief has a way of stripping away the noise and leaving you with the truth. And the truth for me was this: I didn’t want to be someone who benefited from this industry and only focused inward. I wanted to honor where I came from by giving back to the very industry that gave my family everything.Not because it’s easy. Not because it’s convenient. But because it matters.
Another major turning point for me this year: Mikula Contracting reached its 80th year in business. Eighty years is more than a milestone. It’s a responsibility.
It represents generations of work, relationships, and trust, which is earned through decades of showing up, keeping your word, and delivering quality work the right way. Most people don’t understand how much it takes to survive eight decades as a contractor, let alone remain respected and relevant through every economy, every cycle, and every challenge.
As that milestone arrived, I felt something I didn’t expect: gratitude mixed with urgency. Gratitude for the legacy I get to be part of.And urgency because I know that legacy isn’t guaranteed, not for any company, and not for our industry.
The future belongs to those who fight for it, invest in it, and lead it forward. That’s when I knew I wanted my contribution to be bigger than my own four walls. Bigger than one company. Bigger than one state.
The third turning point was the most practical and direct: National LICA needs leadership that will drive membership and strengthen partnerships.
Not because people haven’t worked hard. They have. But because the world has changed. If we want LICA to thrive in this next chapter, we have to grow membership, strengthen engagement, create meaningful value, and build partnerships that deliver real advantages for contractors and chapters. We need to deepen alignment between the national organization and the states, and we need to operate with the discipline and standards of a top-tier trade organization.That doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens through leadership, focus, and shared commitment.As CEO, my approach is simple but powerful: listen first.Before we make decisions, launch new programs, or announce big ideas, we have to understand what members and state leaders truly need. We have to hear what’s working, what’s not, and where the greatest opportunities are. Listening isn’t passive; it’s how trust is built, and how organizations move forward with unity instead of noise.
That mindset connects deeply to one of the greatest influences in my life outside of construction: coaching football.For more than 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching football at both the high school and college levels. Coaching taught me lessons that translate directly to leadership today. It taught me that teamwork isn’t something you talk about; it’s something you build. Culture isn’t what you say; it’s what you allow. Standards matter. Accountability matters. And every successful team needs a clear mission and aligned execution.
Most importantly, coaching taught me this:You don’t win because you have one great player; you win because you have alignment.That’s what I want for National LICA.
Not a collection of chapters operating in silos. Not leadership trying to solve everything alone. I want a unified organization with shared goals, strong state partnerships, and a clear national purpose; one that helps contractors succeed, strengthens chapters, and elevates the land improvement industry as a whole.
I’m honored to serve as CEO of National LICA, and I don’t take it lightly. This role isn’t about status. It’s about responsibility. It’s about service. It’s about building something worthy of the people who built this industry.
This is my journey to becoming a CEO, but more importantly, it’s the beginning of what we can build together.