Blog written by Findorff Safety Director, Nick Femal
Recently, Findorff’s first Safety Director Sonny Femal retired after dedicating her professional career to what she called “the best Company around.” Although it is my privilege to fill her shoes at Findorff, I am honored to call that former Safety Director my mom.
Over 30 years ago, my mother brought home a slide projector to study construction safety and prepare herself to lead Findorff’s safety department. Those jobsite images projected on our kitchen wall made a huge impression on me. Even at five years old, I was in awe that my mother worked in such an unusual field. On the flip side, my father was an accountant and I knew I didn’t want the “pencil neck” title to follow me! It’s funny what you remember.
Through the years, I became familiar with the industry, Findorff, and safety through my mother’s involvement. At home, we spent hours discussing safety hazards and corrective actions long before I knew it would become my professional passion as well. And to the dismay of our immediate family members that are forced to listen, these discussions have continued for over three decades!
Construction safety has evolved as new technologies emerged. Controlled access zones, fall-protection plans, and roofing monitors that allow employees to work in elevated positions without fall-protection are things of the past. New fall-protection technologies, anchor points, and horizontal lifeline systems, allow employees to maintain 100% fall-protection in areas not previously feasible. Findorff and its field employees are greatly benefiting from these new technologies as we work to continuously improve safety in the field.
Construction companies have moved past basic compliance to improve employee behaviors and safety cultures. Behavior-based safety (BBS) came on strong in the mid-2000s as companies saw their safety improvements plateau and incident rates were difficult to lower. BBS focuses on the science of behavior change instead of additional work practice controls, such as more personal protective equipment. Proper coaching and mentoring of behaviors have positive lasting effects on employees, who will be more likely to make safe decisions in the future.
These ideas all fuel a positive safety culture. Proactive companies striving for constant improvement, positive changes in behaviors, as well as care and compassion for employees have healthy safety cultures that benefit staff, families, clients and the Company itself. This is where the rubber meets the road for construction safety. This was not the focus of construction companies in 1984 when my mom started her safety career. Findorff’s safety efforts have constantly evolved since then. I will continue to work with the safety team to enhance practices and make Findorff the safest contractor in the Midwest. Because of this passion, I am very grateful for Findorff’s first Safety Director Sonny Femal. Thanks, Mom!
Blog written by Findorff Senior Advisor Tim Prince, MHA, FACHE
In celebrating National Hospital Week, we at Findorff offer our appreciation and respect for the incredible work that health care professionals do every day in caring for patients. It takes a tremendous amount of knowledge, teamwork, dedication, and commitment for hospital and health care staff to bring their expertise to bear on moments of compassion. Those actions truly make a profound difference in the experience of and impact on patients.
Designing and constructing health care facilities takes a lot of coordination, planning, and technical expertise too. To keep these facilities running smoothly is even more complex. Yet, while hospitals are intricate facilities with complicated systems, they also must be comfortable for patients in times of uncertainty, as well as supportive and efficient for caregivers. And complicating it all is declining reimbursement, increasing regulation demands, advances in technology, and escalating costs. Finding balance among these forces, while also bringing a focus and compassion to patient experience, is an incredible challenge. We hope that our small part in creating effective environments give all staff the foundational support they need: whether it is never giving a second thought to the fact that the lighting works as needed, having a sound, sustainable infrastructure that can be effectively maintained, appreciating the craftsmanship in the clinical care spaces, or getting that extra boost from a comforting space of respite.
Every day, we apply our values of character, community, and craftsmanship to help create caring environments. And while we respect the great work that goes on inside those facilities every day, during hospital week we take one moment to specifically honor and thank all our past, current and future clients for what you do. To all our clients, thank you for the opportunity to help you help others.
Blog written by Findorff Project Manager Ben Austin, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador
At Findorff, we are passionate about sustainability. As such, we eagerly celebrated Earth Day on April 22. In Madison and Milwaukee, we had a beautiful day to enjoy the change of seasons while volunteering for various events supporting the environment and local communities. This year we were lucky enough to share our efforts with some of our clients including American Family Insurance, Scientific Protein Labs (SPL), and Waunakee Community School District in the Madison Area. In Milwaukee, we took part in the annual Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Clean-up.
While Earth Day is a great time to refocus our attention on the natural assets surrounding us, it is also important that this focus extends beyond this one day each year. My role as Project Manager at Findorff has been deeply intertwined with my personal passion for environmental sustainability. As a LEED® Accredited Professional, I have had the privilege to be involved on many projects guided by sustainable building practices. Such undertakings allowed me to witness the positive impact a sustainable approach can have on facilities and its occupants. With that in mind, I enrolled in Edgewood College’s Social Innovation and Sustainability Leadership Master’s Program in July 2016. With a goal of “wellbeing for all, forever,” this program looks to develop leaders who can approach sustainability broadly and can create solutions through a social, economic, and ecological lens.
As part of Findorff’s ongoing innovative initiatives, a dedicated group of sustainability leaders launched Findorff Footprint. This in-house resource tracks the implementation of various sustainability goals within the walls of our own buildings, on the projects we work on, and throughout the communities we serve. Additionally, the Findorff Footprint team regularly works with the U.S. Green Building Council, vendors, subcontractors, and other organizations to stay current on third-party certification processes and the latest sustainability trends. For example, Findorff is currently working towards our first WELL Certified project. This performance-based standard is the first to focus primarily on features of the built environment that impact occupant health and wellbeing.
Over the next year, Findorff will also take part in Sustain Dane’s MPower Business Champions Program for 2017. This cohort-based program is focused around designing, implementing, measuring, and communicating five distinct sustainability goals within an organization. The cohort-based model allows for organizations to connect, learn, and share their journeys along the way. We are looking forward to working with our clients and each other to build a greater focus on sustainability for the future. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the year, specifically related to our initiatives as part of the MPower program. By partnering with each other, we can celebrate Earth Day, every day!
Blog written by Findorff’s Project Engineer Carolyn Reno
This week we celebrate National Women in Construction Week. I believe this is such an opportune time to raise awareness, as well as increase the support of and encourage women in the construction industry. It’s a field I love!
After completing graduate school at the Harrington Institute of Design, I was fortunate enough to work for several extraordinary interior design firms. I honed my AutoCAD and Revit skills while also spending a great deal of time at Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart. I took these opportunities to soak in as much industry knowledge as possible.
Before long, I pursued a career in Milwaukee working as a design consultant for a million-dollar-plus home builder. As my career progressed, I later worked as an interior designer for an architectural firm. I continued to build my skillset helping with construction documents, code review, and compliance.
After a move to Madison, I worked as a project manager for a European design company and later became the lead designer for a design/build firm where I managed various projects. My interest and experience clearly became interior design, construction processes, and architectural documentation. Eventually, I decided to make the leap into the construction field full time and have been working for J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. (Findorff) for the last six years.
At Findorff, I have had the chance to work on projects of various sizes and scopes. One of the most exciting opportunities pertains to my current responsibilities as a Project Engineer. Because of my unique background, I was offered an opportunity to help manage interior construction efforts at the Epic Storybook Campus. This project is one of Findorff’s latest corporate campus endeavors and truly is a dream job for a woman in construction. I get to work closely with other designers and Epic staff to help make their visions come to life. The pace is challenging and I often find myself researching innovative concepts to support the project’s storybook theme such as giant gum-drop installations, rabbit hole slides, and teapot chandeliers. My favorite part is seeing a project come together after months of research, design, and procurement. Working on the Epic Storybook Campus is a once-in-a-lifetime project and I’m fortunate to do work on such creative undertakings every day!
Blog written by Findorff Senior Advisor Tim Prince, MHA, FACHESeek first to understand. Then assess, cooperate, communicate, question, plan, revise, inform, advance.
At Findorff, we focus on the things that matter to our projects’ success – purpose, value, quality, scope and price. To do this successfully, we continuously advance the way we work, by blending the processes of planning, constructing, and completing projects skillfully (Engineer) with our intelligence, resourcefulness, and inventiveness (Ingenuity).That’s Findorff Enginuity. It’s not really what we do, it’s how we do things.
With a vision to be the premier provider of construction services for our clients while providing opportunities for our people, Findorff is constantly probing at the edges of our industry. It’s in the way we partner with clients, developers, architects and engineers. And it’s in the way we support our field workers, our project leaders and our business professionals.
We are committed to the growth of Findorff Enginuity through advanced tools, methods, approaches, skills, and products. Examples include:
- A prefabrication shop where project components are constructed in a controlled environment, increasing safety and compressing schedules
- Unique laser-scanning capabilities that can reveal potential mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues and provide project team with site-specific intel
- Prefabrication and modular construction practices
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) that delivers a 3-D model of the physical and functional characteristics of the facility
- Semi-Automated Masonry (SAM) technologies
- BubbleDeck® for sustainable concrete deck options
That’s Findorff Enginuity. Talk to us to learn more or to share your ideas.
Blog written by Macy Wasson, Findorff Project Engineer Co-op and UW-Platteville Student
From the field to the office and from site safety to project management, my time at Findorff as a Project Manager Co-Op has offered me both hands-on experience and much career direction. Prior to this opportunity, I had little familiarity in project management. However, through the help of my team and everyone at Findorff, I was able to develop many skills to guide my future in the construction industry.
As a Building Construction Safety Management Major at UW-Platteville, my Co-Op and involvement with the DeForest Area School District has helped to broaden my construction terminology and knowledge. Additionally, I was able to further enhance my understanding of how to create phasing plans for project take-offs, punch lists, and owner manuals.
Most significantly, my mentor and Project Manager Aaron Zutz, kept me challenged. I was able to work with Findorff’s estimating department and shadow Findorff’s Safety Supervisor while touring various jobsites. Although my experience at Findorff has been very educational, I can’t say my time has been all work and no play. Some of my favorite activities were participating in a Mock Bid Day, as well as touring Findorff’s field operations and numerous projects with fellow Co-Ops.
Through my Co-Op at Findorff, I was able to further determine that project management and safety are both avenues I want to continue in my career. Additionally, I learned more about how and why Findorff is one of the Midwest’s leading builders!
Blog written by: Evan Hoerl, Madison Country Day School student
What started as an idea and a concrete foundation in my junior year of high school has become a full-fledged building in my senior year. While I was away working on college essays and summer homework, Findorff worked tirelessly to ensure I would have a better school in which to return. With the addition of more classrooms, collaboration spaces, and labs, the new wing of Madison Country Day School that Findorff built has been more than just a way to expand to fit our growing numbers.
Over just the last few weeks, the new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) wing has been integral to igniting STEM education and expanding our ever growing music and art programs. But, it has done more than expand the programs individually, it has tied them together so they all grow together. From the window of the new chemistry lab and the biology lab, you can see the art students on the deck painting the prairie which we are studying in our Group 4 project. In this project, biology and chemistry students work together in the new collaboration spaces to create an experiment to study an aspect of the prairie that interests them. In addition, the new wing has brought technology to the music department in the form of a new recording studio as well as an outdoor performance area which can be seen from the STEM and Art classrooms. But what I am most excited about is the most drastic change to MCDS: the Makerspace. This gives students access to 3D printers, laser cutters, and other shop tools and has opened doors for a new curriculum I am excited to see develop.
I can’t wait to see how the new building will continue to help my brother and me to ignite our interests in STEM, Art, and Music, and can’t thank Findorff enough for the incredible job they have done for my classmates and me.
Blog written by Findorff’s Jeff Eckstein, Business Development Healthcare
My recent schedule had me crisscrossing the upper Midwest, and checking out the beautiful landscapes as I drove past large academic medical centers, community hospitals and critical access hospitals. I spent some time thinking about the challenges in facility management in healthcare. None of these challenges are new to you, because, regardless of the scale or location of the facility, you are responsible for providing the environment of care from the beginning of life to life’s end – and all the healthcare events that take place in between.
Day in and day out, you face issues around staffing, doing more with less and an ever increasing level of new regulations – from the new NFPA 101, 99 and their reference standards to the upcoming new Wisconsin Hospital Code. And it doesn’t end there, as reimbursements continue to decline, government-provided insurance programs become more uncertain and the care model transition from sick care to well care is unclear at best.
Even with these challenges, I’m confident you will be a part of maintaining the extraordinary environments that help provide exceptional care in your community. Take a moment this week to reflect on all you do for your patients, care givers, staff and administrators. It’s truly inspirational.
MADISON, WI – For over 125 years, Findorff has maintained a focus on exemplary character, community involvement, and quality craftsmanship. In the office and on the jobsite, Findorff is comprised of incredibly talented professionals and trades people, many of whom have been with the Company since they started in the industry. We know it’s truly our people that make the difference and we are privileged to share some exciting news.
Findorff is excited to announce that Jim Yehle has been promoted to Executive Vice President. This promotion acknowledges Jim’s incredible success during his 18-year career at Findorff and sets in motion a transition plan supporting the Company’s long-term vision to provide seamless leadership. Jim and President Dave Beck-Engel will continue to work together to position the company for future success.
During his career at Findorff, Jim has worked on many projects such as Edgewood College, Overture Center for the Arts, and The American Family Children’s Hospital. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Project Management with a concentration in healthcare and was fortunate to work with clients such as Meriter Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, UW Hospital, Stoughton Hospital, ProHealth Care, St. Clare, Grant Regional Health Center, Genesis Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System and many more. Jim says, “I look forward to continuing the tradition of providing excellent opportunities for our employees, while we continue to serve our clients at the highest possible level.”
Jim enjoys being very active in the community and is the past-president of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Board of Trustees, Chairman of the University of Wisconsin Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Advisory Board, Vice President of the Madison Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, and has coached Madison Magic Soccer Club for seven years. Jim, his wife Jessica and their kids reside in Madison.
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