Twenty-eight pre-apprenticeship students from the Wauwatosa and Elmbrook School Districts visited the Couture construction site Monday morning, Dec. 20, 2021. Programs like Launch in Tosa and Launch in Elmbrook are providing students with an advantage in post-secondary planning. “It’s exciting to have the youth out here because it really is the future of the construction industry,” said Senior Project Manager Eric Sadler. “We can’t get enough people to join the trades and it’s a great, high-rewarding career that pays really well, and it’s about getting people exposed to all the opportunities.” Check out students’ first-hand look at one of Milwaukee’s largest construction projects and the opportunities a career in the trades can provide.
With over 26 years of experience, Jeff Kremel is no stranger to high-rise construction. As one of the region’s top superintendents for concrete structured buildings, Kremel is the site superintendent for the 44-story Couture being built on Milwaukee’s downtown lakefront. Learn more about Kremel’s journey into construction and why he’s been with Findorff for over 24 years.
The historic Public Service Building at We Energies’ downtown Milwaukee headquarters sustained substantial damage caused by a superheated steam release during a storm in May 2020. Temperatures in the underground steam-powered tunnel reached 400 degrees and flooded the basement with water. Damage was sustained on all four floors of the historic building. Findorff provided emergency response services to We Energies and immediately began assessing the damage. According to Marisa Dempsey, facilities design and construction program manager at WEC Energy Group, “We called on our partners in our time of need and they came through for us.” Within 18 months, Findorff completed the restoration and transformation of the facility and worked to create room for more collaborative areas and updates for today’s workplace needs. Read more about this project’s amazing transformation.
Hooper Corporation’s new two-story corporate office building includes a below-grade parking garage and approximately 200,000 square feet of production space. Located near State Highway 19 and U.S. Highway 51, Hooper’s new corporate office includes a state-of-the-art fabrication facility. Read more about Hooper’s recent ribbon cutting and business milestone.
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. (Findorff) is pleased to announce the recent promotion of nine members of the senior leadership team to Company Shareholders. These talented individuals continue to play a vital role in the Company’s commitment to advancing the commercial construction industry. They join the current Findorff ownership team of President and CEO Jim Yehle and Executive Vice Presidents Brian Hornung, Jeff McLean, and Jeff Tubbs in guiding the strategic direction of Findorff. “We are excited to grow our leadership base with these individuals,” says Chairman Rich Lynch. “We look forward to engaging others in the future, as our foundation for ownership expands.”
Matt Breunig has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. Matt joined Findorff in 2006 as a Project Engineer and was promoted to Director of Project Management in 2016. His project portfolio includes University Square, Danisco, Edgerton City Hall, and UW–School of Nursing before he began his focus on projects in the education market sector. During his tenure, he has overseen and supported the construction of over $1 billion in education projects. Matt has been involved with Leadership AGC, Leadership Greater Madison, and was a recipient of In Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. Matt currently serves as the American Red Cross – Southwest WI Chapter Board Chair and is involved with educational organizations including WASBO and the UW–Stout Industry Advisory Committee.
John Feller began his career at Findorff as a Project Manager more than 25 years ago. He now brings his industry experience to the role of Preconstruction Vice President. John is actively involved in the life cycle of projects during the earliest stages including facilities master planning, budgeting, and value engineering. John currently manages the preconstruction efforts for Findorff’s large-scale residential projects located across the United States. He is actively involved in the AGC of Wisconsin, Madison Rotary, the National “W” Club, and serves on the Board of Catholic Charities.
Bob Hougard serves as Project Executive to the Science & Technology market. With 40 years of experience in the industry, Bob contributes his technical expertise in highly regulated markets including industrial, pharma, food & beverage, and advanced manufacturing environments. His knowledge of lean fast-track design and construction methods, expertise on facility scale-up capabilities, and go-to-market strategies are some of the reasons Bob was recognized as The Daily Reporter’s Icon of Construction in 2020. Bob joined Findorff in 2006 and is currently active in the American Heart Association (AHA) Executive Leadership Team and Wisconsin Technology Council.
Luke Hutchins was hired at Findorff nearly 20 years ago as a laborer. Since that time, he has progressed his career through various project management roles and currently leads Findorff’s travel group. As Director of Project Management, his group has successfully completed nearly three dozen major projects across the United States including local student-housing developments such as The James on the UW-Madison campus and The Commons at Marquette University. Luke’s community involvement includes serving as Board Chair of Second Harvest Food Bank, and being active in the AGC of Wisconsin and United Way. The key roles Luke has had earned him recognition with In Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2018.
Jim Martin joined Findorff in 2003 and has been instrumental in the construction of many iconic projects including the Overture Center for the Arts, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, and over 200 retail bank branches throughout the Midwest. Jim was promoted to Vice President of Project Management in 2019. Today, his focus is supporting the project management staff including training and development. Jim served on the Ronald McDonald House of Madison Board and was the 2018 recipient of the Red Shoe award to recognize his contributions to the expansion of the Ronald McDonald House. He is a member of AGC of Wisconsin and North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters Training Fund, volunteers as a coach with Verona Wildcat Youth Hockey, and was honored as a 2019 recipient of The Daily Reporter’s Icon of Construction.
Jason Mattila is a United States Military Academy West Point graduate who began his career at Findorff over 17 years ago. Since 2020 he has served as a Project Executive. Jason is responsible for providing guidance, technical support, and team leadership as part of the “end-to-end” project plan to ensure complex Science & Tech projects are delivered successfully. He is an active AGC of Wisconsin member and a registered State of Wisconsin Professional Engineer. His community involvement includes volunteer work with United Way and the Verona Wildcat Youth Hockey Association. Jason was selected as part of In Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2012.
Christin Mlsna has over two decades of industry experience and leads Findorff’s K-12 and higher education initiatives as Director of Education Market & Communication Services. She brings strategic communications, engagement, facilitation, and marketing services to corporate, education, and non-profit clients during the planning, design, and construction phases of a project. Her creative work and drive for excellence have set new standards in the industry and have helped achieve success on over $2 billion in school referendum projects. Christin speaks locally, regionally, and nationally, sharing best practices for engaging internal and external stakeholders. She is actively involved in many industry and community boards, receiving several awards for her efforts.
Ben Pechan graduated from UW-Whitewater with a master’s degree in accounting before finding his niche in the construction industry 15 years ago. Ben joined Findorff in 2018 as CFO and as a member of the board of directors. He oversees finance, accounting, business technology, and corporate risk at Findorff. He is an active member of the Agrace Finance Committee, UW Whitewater Accounting Advisory Board, and Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Madison Chapter. Ben is a recent In Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 and CFMA honoree, as well as a Wisconsin Institute of CPAs Business and Management award winner. He currently serves on the executive committee of the American Heart Association Heart Walk. Ben is heavily involved in driving the Company’s corporate governance, strategic planning and execution, and overall corporate risk management strategies.
Eric Plautz began his career at Findorff over 20 years ago as an intern on the Overture Center for the Arts project. In 2020, he was promoted to Project Executive. During his tenure at the Company, he has enjoyed the challenges of helping construct unique and complex environments including MMoCA’s glass stair and gallery spaces, local restaurants, education, and office facilities, such as Epic’s Farm and Storybook Campuses. Eric is a member of the AGC of Wisconsin and the MMoCA Board. He is a volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, United Way of Dane County, Meals on Wheels, and mentors UW-Madison Civil Engineering students. He is a Class of 2019 recipient of In Business’ 40 Under 40 recognition.
Currently under construction, Marquette’s newest $60 million project is the largest fully donor-funded construction initiative in university history. The 100,000-square-foot facility will feature collaborative spaces, wrap-around student support, and Marquette’s expanded Excellence in Leadership (E-Lead) program. Take a look at the College of Business Administration’s current construction efforts.
Every year, in late October, it is our honor to recognize Health Care Facilities and Engineering Week. As we think of the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE)’s theme, “Engineered to make a difference,” we recognize what a tremendous difference health care facility professionals have made in the last year and a half. Though providing exceptional care is not a new concept for them, their contributions have been critical in a time like no other.
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, facilities teams made sure all COVID-related measures and the buildings that support them were at the ready. Now, as we move through the continued impacts of the virus and its variants, their role is still significant. Ensuring that the facilities can operate at full capacity, dealing with increased patient volume, and striving to meet the revenue expectations needed to recover from COVID’s effect have been of utmost importance. Even under normal circumstances, providing for the proper environment of care is hard work. But for health care facility teams, rising to the occasion is the norm, no matter what the climate.
Working side by side with health care facility personnel inspires us every day to create quality healing environments. To learn more and how we can support your health care facility needs, please contact Findorff’s Business Development and Health Care Consultant Jeff Eckstein, AIA.
Kevin Tebrinke has over 40 years of experience with pharmaceutical and consumer products companies with expertise in strategic manufacturing and facility planning. His understanding of owner-side management, engineering, and operations makes him a valuable partner from project conception to completion. Kevin will facilitate communication between owners, architects, engineers, and regulatory consultants to develop an early understanding of the requirements and client objectives of a project.
Kevin serves as President of the International Society of Lyophilization and holds eight patents in continuous processing.Kevin enjoys many hobbies including sailing, traveling, brewing beer, and roasting coffee. Please join us in welcoming Kevin to Findorff!
Since 2014, Madison Children’s Museum has been reimagining its structurally unusable, two-floor parking lot. In 2021, they brought their reimagination into reality. Madison Children’s Museum’s latest addition, the Wonderground has provides a safe space for kids to explore and play. Learn more here.
Findorff team members play a significant role in the Company’s success, both on the job and in the community. Join us in congratulating three of our team members who were recently promoted to Senior Project Manager.
Mike Luther: Mike brings 14 years of industry experience to his new role as Senior Project Manager. He began his career as an intern, joining Findorff after graduating from UW-Madison with a Civil Engineering degree. During his career at Findorff, Mike has been involved in the building and renovations of 30 ORs with various health systems including UW Health at The American Center and the American Family Children’s Hospital. He is currently working on the SSM Health South Madison Campus project. Mike lives in Stoughton with his wife, Jennifer, son, Brecken, and red lab, Arie.
Mike Stern: Mike started as an intern with Findorff while attending Marquette University and joined the Company as a Project Engineer after earning his degree in Civil Engineering. He has managed several prominent Milwaukee-area projects including The Moderne, the ProHealth Mukwonago Hospital expansion, The Commons at Marquette University, as well as Marquette’s new College of Business Administration—his alma mater. He has been on the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee (AGC-GM) Board of Directors since 2018 and currently serves as the AGC-GM’s president. Mike lives in Pewaukee with his wife, Kari, and three kids, Madison, Mackenzie, and Elliot.
Peter Saindon: Peter earned his degree in Civil Engineering from UW-Madison while serving in the U.S. Army as a crew chief/gunner on Blackhawk helicopters. While his focus for the last four years has been on the construction of K-12 education projects, Peter started in Findorff’s Special Projects Group and then held key roles on projects including Hub on Campus Madison and Genesis Medical Center in Iowa. He has also been a LEED professional with the U.S. Green Building Council since 2010. Peter lives in Marshall with his wife, Kasey, and four children, Sofie, Evelyn, Mila, and Jack. Outside of work and family, Peter is involved with local recovery groups that help guide men struggling with addiction.