Construction on the Sun Prairie Boys & Girls Club is now underway. It’s the first location outside of the immediate Madison area. CEO Michael Johnson says it will give kids in Sun Prairie a place to flourish.
Columbus Community Hospital is planning a $15 million expansion project, including a new clinic building, hoping to keep up with demand and continue providing services for those outside big cities.
This spring marked the completion of two notable facilities built by Findorff. The Claims Building for Sentry Insurance and Headquarters for Summit Credit Union officially opened their doors for business. We are grateful to have been part of such notable work and valuable partnerships.
Findorff’s relationship with Sentry Insurance started almost five decades ago. Nearly 100 guests attended, including Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, as Sentry celebrated its new building, which is adjacent to its main office. Spanning seven stories and 285,000 square feet, the Claims Building reflects the company’s progressive attitude toward the nature of its work and the character of the workplace. The office will also support its growing staff and become a landmark in Central Wisconsin.
The new Headquarters for Summit Credit Union is one of several projects Findorff completed for this member-owned financial cooperative. There was a good deal of celebration with several hundred people in attendance taking in the new building. It features 160,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of underground parking. It has an open design, fitness areas with outdoor walking paths and a sports court, in-house cafeteria, as well as a celebration room, auditorium, full-scale branch with theming, and drive-through tellers. This state-of-the art building is also pursing LEED® Silver Certification.
Make sure to check out Findorff’s corporate experience if you’re interested in learning more about our work.
Virtual and augmented reality have become a useful tool in many industries including construction. Findorff is one of the first companies to implement VR and AR in the project management process as a means to increase communication and understanding.
BMO Tower in downtown Milwaukee is continuing to progress with a completion date approaching in December, 2019.
Three of our finest were recently recognized for the roles they play in the construction industry. Findorff is proud to share this trifecta of recognition.
Senior Project Manager Eric Plautz was recently named part of In Business magazine’s 2019 40 Under 40 class. Having worked 18 years for Findorff, he has led efforts on various high-profile projects, including many unique facilities on the Epic Campus. Of all the projects that Eric has worked on throughout his career, he is most proud of the work he and his team accomplished at Country View Elementary School in Verona following damage from a level-three tornado in 2014. “In my job, I get to build neat things for people all the time,” says Eric. “Although we only put a building back to the way it was for this project, I never have felt such gratitude and received such a heartfelt thank you as I did from the School staff once we completed construction.” Project Manager Dan Weiss recently received recognition as a Rising Young Professional by The Daily Reporter. In the last few years, Dan has been involved with several significant projects including Marquette University’s – The Commons, Mequon-Thiensville School District, and Alverno College. “I enjoy the change of pace from the office to the field, problem solving, and learning new things every day,” explains Dan. “Project management is a rewarding profession. It offers the chance to directly experience a project’s progress from start to finish, work through all the challenges along the way, as well as see happy building owners and occupants at the end of each project.
“Director of Project Management Jim Martin was also recognized by The Daily Reporter. In addition to his many industry successes managing multilocation projects, Jim is proud of his work in the community. He has served on the Ronald McDonald House Madison Board since 2014. In 2018, he received the Red Shoe Award as a member of the community whose actions have positively impacted Ronald McDonald House Charities®. In his role on the Construction Cabinet for the Ronald McDonald House, he helped secure $2 million of in-kind donations that are helping expand the local facility to twice its size. “It’s an honor to be able to represent Findorff in the community,” he says. “I appreciate the ability to exercise my professional expertise to help the lives of sick kids and their families become less burdened.
“Congratulations to Eric, Dan, and Jim on their recent honors!”
Sentry celebrated the completion of the building — construction started in June 2017 — on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours. The 270,000-square-foot building is adjacent to the headquarters.
The beginning of March recognizes and celebrates Women in Construction Week. This exciting week signifies the growing role women play in our industry. Findorff is incredibly proud of its strong female staff and wants to recognize several women from both on and off the jobsite.
- Kallie Anderson: “As a Project Manager, I enjoy how my job is different every day, from creating schedules to coordinating trades onsite with my team that is second to none. I am proud to have a role in teaching Findorff’s younger staff. I love watching them learn.” Outside of work, Kallie is an active member of the American Concrete Institute and an alumni of Leadership AGC. She has also been involved with Special Olympics, Salvation Army, and Rebuilding Greater Milwaukee. Her advice to women in the industry is to do the hard work, keep your nose to the grind, and always do the right thing.
- Carin Benz: As Findorff’s Yard Operations Specialist, Carin is responsible for managing the transfer of equipment and tools from the Yard to Findorff’s various project sites. “I enjoy getting to work not only with my team at the yard, but also the project management staff, and those in the field. Our Yard team is led by a woman, and I feel very lucky to work with her. As a woman in construction, I encourage others to be passionate about their life goals. We are all here to provide leadership, integrity, organization, and professionalism.” Her favorite part about working in construction is witnessing the constant evolution of tools and practices that make the industry a safer and more efficient place to work.
- Jane Braatz: Jane is Findorff’s Controller/Director of Accounting. While she’s as passionate about excellent craftsmanship as those in the field, she measures a project’s success differently. “My role is more focused on assisting the project management team with financial matters including risk mitigation, cost analysis, and accounts receivable. I love seeing a project built by Findorff. The craftsmanship is outstanding! Knowing that I helped with the financial side of a project, I feel as though I was a part of the team.” Jane is the current Madison Chapter President of the Construction Financial Management Association. This offers the chance to mentor those eager to learn about the industry, just as other leaders have done for her.
- Moeko Komoda: Having started as an intern for Findorff, Moeko has been growing in her role ever since. Now a Project Engineer, she works on material procurement, scheduling, budgeting, as well as coordination efforts with field and design teams. She recently passed her Professional Engineering exam, plus is studying for her LEED® Green Associate accreditation and is part of Findorff’s Supervisory Training Program. “As a woman in construction, it means pursuing my interests and challenging myself. I am very proud of every project that I have worked on and am continually amazed by the craftsmanship that goes into construction.” Moeko’s advice to others like her is to own what you don’t know, but also be confident in what you do know and the skills and perspectives you have to offer.
- Lynn Leitner: As a Journeyman Carpenter, Lynn’s work is her passion. However, her career in construction didn’t start right away. She was originally trained and worked as a veterinary technician. Growing up she didn’t realize a career as a female carpenter was possible. Nevertheless, from a young age Lynn loved to create and build things, especially alongside her father who was an electrician. Though it was tough to switch careers, Lynn knew within days of starting her new profession she made the right choice. “Being a carpenter is an opportunity to work with my head, heart, and hands.” She performs a variety of tasks from installing blocking to constructing temporary structures. Lynn is also the Recording Secretary for the Carpenter’s Union 314 and a delegate of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. “My advice for women in construction is to not let challenges of being a female in a male-dominated industry be a roadblock, but rather a hurdle to strengthen yourself for the journey.”
- Crystal White: Being a Laborer for Findorff’s yard operations offers great opportunities every day for Crystal. “I currently specialize in PERI formwork systems inventory and serve as a back-up driver for yard deliveries. I enjoy being in a non-traditional job and taking the path less traveled.” Crystal’s advice for women looking to pursue a career in construction is to get into the industry at an early age and stick with it. Embrace the challenge!
Blog written by Findorff’s Safety Director Nick Femal, CHST
Safety is at the core of everything we do. It is an integral part of our values. To honor this commitment, Findorff recently held its annual Safety, Leadership, and Education Day.
Findorff started Safety, Leadership, and Education Day (SLED) back in 2015 as a fresh approach to foster our safety culture both on and off the site. “As Findorff continues to grow with projects spreading across state lines, it can be difficult to keep everyone on the same page when it comes to safety,” said Findorff Superintendent Mike Novak. “However, SLED makes this possible and is one of the most powerful tools in our safety department’s arsenal.
“Nearly 350 Findorff employees attended SLED this year. From field leaders to executives, each learned how to better keep staff, subcontractors, clients, and the general public safe during construction. Although the hard work and craftsmanship we provide is notable, the most important thing is that folks return home safe at the end of the day.
This year’s SLED had three professional speakers from across the nation. Each provided outside perspectives of safety in the construction industry. This was extremely valuable as we continually enhance our construction practices to make Findorff one of the safest contractors in the Midwest. This year’s educational offerings included:
- The safety-culture issues and events around the collapse of Big Blue at Miller Park in 1999
- Addressing the mentality expressed by feeling 10 feet tall and bulletproof
- The importance of doing the right thing on construction sites even if it is not popular
SLED was also an opportunity to highlight safety successes from the past year. For example, with nearly two million manhours completed in 2018, we had zero OSHA citations and significantly reduced our lost time incident rate by 34 percent and our total incident rate by 13 percent. Additionally, several project teams were recognized for their exemplary safety records. Not only is this is a great way to recognize a job well done by our project teams, but also it emphasizes our efforts to keep Findorff’s safety record nearly 40 percent below the national average.
In a largely ceremonial event, ProHealth Care officially “broke ground” on its $55 million hospital, but that’s not what matters most. For Mukwonago, the significance lies in the impact the 24-bed facility will have on the continued residential, industrial and commercial development of the village, — and, in particular, what it means to families — once it is complete.