MADISON – J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. (Findorff) is excited to announce the recent completion of its expansion, which was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its headquarters in Madison, Wis. The Company is proud to have accomplished this major milestone during its 125th anniversary. Totaling over 22,000 square feet, the addition has nearly doubled the size of Findorff’s office and accommodates over 150 people. As a means to further encourage teamwork, streamline efficiencies, and increase productivity, various state-of-the-art environments were part of the project’s scope, including the construction of new training spaces for both office and field staff, as well as new conference rooms, workout facilities, collaboration areas, plus much more.
The ceremony was comprised of a heartfelt speech from Company owners and the gift of a blue spruce from employees to commemorate the building’s addition. Vice President Mike Dillis spearheaded the expansion and was proud to be part of a new chapter in Findorff’s history. “It has been incredibly exciting to witness our growth over the last few years,” said Dillis. “Since I started at Findorff in 1982, I couldn’t have imagined where we would be today. As we build our talented staff to meet growing industry demands, our addition exemplifies our ongoing commitment to hard work and quality craftsmanship.
”Additionally, this exciting undertaking in the Company’s history would not have been possible without a great team. Much gratitude goes out to the men and women whose craftsmanship continually exemplifies the superior quality Findorff strives for as well as those who helped Findorff’s vision for growth become a reality. Our design team included: Potter Lawson Architects, Pierce Engineers, D’Onofrio Kottke & Associates, and Ken Saiki Design. Additional key members in the construction of Findorff’s addition were: Nickles Electric, General Heating and Air Conditioning, Hooper Corporation, plus several leading subcontractors and suppliers in the area.
###
MADISON – As sustainable design is continually becoming a necessity in construction and is making big differences to protect our surrounding environments, Findorff is proud to announce it has been awarded the Waste Management® 2015 DART® Circle of Excellence Award for 2014 Diversion. This recognition honors top contractors in the industry who consistently achieve significant milestones in sustainability.
Although Findorff has been performing green building practices for decades, the Company’s efforts were put under a microscope in fall 2014 using Waste Management’s DART (Diversion and Recycling Tracking) tool to better track projects and analyze waste-diversion metrics. This innovative system updates information daily to provide accurate recycling totals and reductions in greenhouse gases.
Through DART, all of Findorff’s LEED® certified and major projects since March 2011 were reviewed. The results were astounding and reflect the following savings in resources:
- 19,841,148 kilowatt hours of electricity: Equivalent to powering nearly 20,000 homes per month
- 49,649 mature trees: Equivalent to producing over 615 million sheets of newspaper
- 15,421,802 gallons of water: Equivalent to meeting the fresh water needs of over 200,000 people
- 3,682 barrels of oil: Equivalent to the energy needed to heat and cool over 9,100 homes
- 38,005 cubic yards of landfill airspace: Equivalent to meeting municipal waste disposal needs of nearly 600,000 people per month
Findorff’s focus on sustainability is not only driven by environmental demands as projects grow in size and complexity, but also by the Company’s commitment to making local communities better places to live, work, and play through green building solutions. Such service is exemplified by over 20 projects that are either LEED® certified or pursuing certification by Findorff as well as the various organizations we partner with to support the Company’s sustainable practices. It is with much gratitude that Waste Management recognizes such initiatives and we are proud to have been distinguished as a leader for our diversion and recycling efforts.
###
Blog written by Findorff’s Amalia Flatley, Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist
Findorff’s construction crews have “moved in” to work on Edgewood College’s New Residence Hall. Recently, the College held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate this milestone. Coincidentally, this special event represented a personal benchmark for Findorff’s Superintendent, Greg Sweeney.
Greg, who has been with Findorff for over 24 years, decided to postpone his retirement in order to complete his fifth project on the College’s campus. Edgewood College honored Greg’s commitment and perseverance by allowing him to make the first ceremonial dig at the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are honored to have his talent and commitment as he finishes his career building our new hall,” said Edgewood College President, Dr. Scott Flanagan.
Adding to the groundbreaking excitement and uniqueness, in lieu of traditional groundbreaking shovels, an excavator was used when it came time to break ground. A shout out goes to project intern and Edgewood College student, Trevon Ampe, for not only painting, but also coming up with the idea of adding the College’s seal to the digger bucket.
Findorff is pleased to once again make a lasting impact at Edgewood College and partner with Potter Lawson to provide additional living space for more than 100 students, come fall 2016. The College’s New Residence Hall will not only have an impact on students, but will shape the lives of future leaders and enhance the College’s role in building a just and compassionate world for generations. Additionally, the New Residence Hall will support the school’s Cutting Edge Program, which was developed as an individualized approach to education and inclusion for students with intellectual developmental disabilities.
Congratulations to our friends at Edgewood College!Greg is a Madison native with strong ties to the Edgewood Campus. He began his education in 1953, as a member of the very first kindergarten class. Greg and all of his 34 cousins, graduated from Edgewood High School.
]MADISON – Publishers of TheDaily Reporter recently presented Findorff with two Top Projects awards for UW-Madison’s Signe Skott Cooper Hall and the VA Community Resource & Referral Center. This prestigious recognition honors industry professionals whose projects exceeded expectations in design, engineering, and construction completed throughout Wisconsin during 2014.
Signe Skott Cooper Hall is the new, free-standing home for UW–Madison’s School of Nursing, which opened fall 2014. This 166,000-square-foot building resides next to the University’s School of Medicine and Public Health. Major features include a 300-seat auditorium, mile-long indoor walking path, green roof, as well as simulation suites and clinical labs.Now completed and having earned LEED® Silver Certification, Signe Skott Copper Hall offers one of the largest active learning spaces in the country, designed to support best practices in nursing and inter-professional health education. The state-of-the-art facility additionally supports 30% growth in faculty numbers, research programs, and enrollment to support the changing needs for future generations of faculty and student. The building is to “serve the State of Wisconsin for the next century,” said Mark VanderWoude, Assistant Dean for Facilities and Planning.
The VA Community Resource & Referral Center was originally built in 1925 for a cartage company (for horse-drawn carriage delivery services). As this historic, 7,540-square-foot, cream city brick building was renovated for its newest tenant, work included interior demolition to reconfigure the space for a workable office environment. The exposed brick walls and open steel truss structures remained an important design element and are showcased throughout the building. Having an extreme significance to Milwaukee’s Bronzeville District, this historic building was eligible for historic tax credits from the State of Wisconsin and the federal government through the Natural Park Service. This building will continue on as a historic site as part of the VA’s Jobless Initiative. Additionally, the revitalized building has achieved LEED® Silver and is currently pursuing LEED® Gold Certification.
###
Blog written by Findorff’s Senior Advisor, Tim Prince
Hospitals, clinics and health systems are technical places with robust systems and facilities designed and employed to drive healing and health. At the same time, the goal is to make their environments comfortable for patients in the midst of uncertainty, pain and fear, and supportive and efficient for caregivers, clinicians and staff. All of this is aimed at enabling compassionate care at single-moments of time amidst a sometimes chaotic environment.
It’s intricate and complicated. And one size does not fit all!
Success requires dedicated, passionate people
- with the resources, environment and training they need
- being willing and able to address challenges and uncertainty, and
- who are driven to make a difference by what they do.
We at Findorff respect and appreciate the tremendous knowledge, commitment and effort that health care workers give every day to care for patients. And while during National Hospital Week we take one moment to specifically honor and thank all of our past, current and future clients for what they do, during every week we apply our values of character, community, and craftsmanship in bringing knowledge, training, innovation, experience and passion to our projects with you to create the caring environments in which you do your amazing work. We hope by doing that we might in some way provide some small support for you, where you can then make a difference in those single moments in time for your patients. Those are the spaces in which healing and health really happen.
To all our clients, thank you for the opportunity to help you help others.
Happy Hospital Week! from your friends at Findorff!
MADISON – Findorff is excited to announce Senior Project Manager Kyle Loest has been chosen as a “Top 20 Under 40” Winner by Engineering News Record (ENR Midwest). This annual competition recognizes young design and construction professionals from the Midwest who have made lasting contributions to their professions and communities.
Kyle has played a significant role in the construction of two notable Madison healthcare projects since joining Findorff in 2006. His first role as a Project Manager was for the American Family Children’s Hospital. Completed in 2009, the facility continues to set the standards for caring for sick children from across the country.
Shortly after the completion of that facility, as well as an additional expansion of the hospital, Kyle was named Senior Project Manager of UW Health at The American Center healthcare campus. Kyle and his team are approaching the last six months of construction on the new 496,000-square-foot acute care center, clinics, and wellness campus for UW Health.
Throughout the life of these projects, Kyle passionately leads his team of professionals solely dedicated to focusing on the special needs of the healthcare construction industry. Kyle finds most rewarding about his job being a part of building healthcare facilities that will improve the quality of life for so many families.“I am sincerely proud of Kyle for receiving this designation,” said Jim Yehle, Vice President at Findorff. “As the Senior Project Manager on these two substantial, multi-year projects, Kyle has excelled at applying patient-focused care models and lean principles throughout the construction process in his desire to lead his team and all stakeholders through a complex, multi-phased schedule.
”Kyle has received his LEED® accreditation from the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) as well as a healthcare Construction Certificate from the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE). He is also active in Wisconsin Healthcare Engineers Association (WHEA) and Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). Kyle volunteers his time through many community organizations include Downtown Madison, Inc. (DMI), Amigos de las Americas (Board of Directors), United Way of Dane County, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, and as a volunteer for Salvation Army.
MADISON – It is with much excitement that Findorff announces its 125th anniversary. While turning the page on any new year can feel invigorating, 2015 promises to be particularly special.
From 1890 on, Findorff has sustained the test of time to become a leading builder throughout the Midwest. This would not have been possible without our customers, suppliers, subcontractors, employees, and communities. Honoring this major milestone, Findorff has earnestly developed a year-long campaign to celebrate the Company’s time-honored achievements. Our Postcards from the Past provide a glimpse back in time starting with Findorff’s modest beginnings at the cusp of the nineteenth century. A vintage website has been created to honor our evolution in the construction industry and those who have been part of our journey. People even have the opportunity to Celebrate & Share in Findorff’s momentous year on the website and with a commemorative Facebook page.
Upon Findorff’s 125th anniversary, the Company also earned high remarks from select businesses in the Greater Madison area. At the end of 2014, Findorff once again received the Executive Choice Award as the winning Commercial Builder by In Business magazine. Such an accomplishment is not only a testament to Findorff’s work now and in the past, but also to its people.
Interview Opportunities: Having taken a step back in time, it is certain our past has laid the groundwork for the Company’s incredible talent and character it is known for today. As many current employees have humbly been part of Findorff’s progress, we welcome the opportunity to share more about where we have been and what we anticipate for the future. If the media is interested in scheduling an interview, please contact Nancy Mayek per the information above.
Contact
Nancy Mayek
Marketing Manager
608.442.7345
###