Inspiring Infrastructure

Carlos Colom (MPM '03) takes pride in his Guatemalan heritage. He boasts about the country's community, culture, Mayan history, and diverse ecosystem.  

When it comes to vehicular traffic, though, his pride disappears. 

Carlos, managing partner at Guatemalan-based asset management company Grupo IDC, sees many challenges with the country's roadway infrastructure. "Currently, a 19-mile stretch of highway (in the southern part of the country) takes between two to four hours to transit," he said. 

Carlos and his company are changing that.  

As leader of Grupo IDC's energy and infrastructure division, Carlos oversees the Xochi Highway Project, a bypass road that connects Guatemala's Central American Highway 2 West. When finished, the toll road will avoid four cities and reduce traffic in some of the country's most congested areas. The drive time will decrease from multiple hours to just 25 minutes.  

The project is privately funded, and earlier this year became the first Latin American project to receive an Envision Verified Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.  

"This road will impact thousands of lives on a daily basis," Carlos said, "and help around 50 percent of our gross domestic product transit in a safer and much more efficient way." 

Carlos directly manages a team of about 100 people, but when including contractors supporting the Xochi project, that number balloons to more than 1,200. He routinely relies on lessons he learned in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Project Management (MPM) program to lead such a disparate team.  

Carlos was a project engineer in Guatemala when he turned to MPM. He wanted to develop more administrative knowledge of project management without removing himself from the design, development, and construction aspects that he loved.  

The most significant takeaway from the MPM program was the need for proper project budgeting, planning, and scheduling. 

"I can't say enough about the importance of professional and realistic planning," Carlos said. "Seeing how projects are structured and constructed in the developed world also helped a lot." 

Carlos' MPM experience was transformational — and not just because of his newfound project management knowledge. He walked to class every day, something he never did at home. He contrasted Chicago's distinct weather seasons to the rainy and dry seasons from his homeland. He also built bonds with classmates and faculty from around the world. 

"I experienced things I never experienced before," he said. "If you add up all the things I learned in my courses and the practical experiences, I can say that it was one of the most life-changing periods of my life." 

Today, he's using his position to change lives back in Guatemala. His company name — Grupo IDC — technically stands for Investment and Development Corporation, but he often defines their work with different descriptors: Innovation, Disruption, and Courage. 

"We have the possibility to make dreams a reality," Carlos said. "I'm able to assemble teams that conceptualize, plan, design, engineer, procure, and build infrastructure projects that impact lives with win-win capital structures and business models."