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On July 19th, Findorff, Madison Gas & Electric, the Oregon School District, and Slipstream hosted the 2022 Sustainability Forum at Forest Edge Elementary in Fitchburg. The forum, held at the largest verified net zero school in the Midwest, brought together area educators and leaders in renewable energy to discuss the journey to achieving a net zero building. These green subject matter experts shared forward-thinking approaches to planning, designing, and dreaming big on the journey to net zero.

Materials on how to begin the net zero building journey can be found here.

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:

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.

Blog written by Jim Yehle, Findorff President & CEO and Madison Heart Walk Chair, and Jeff Tubbs, Findorff Vice President of Business Development and Madison Heart Walk Executive Challenge Chair

We are excited to announce that Findorff is a proud local sponsor of the 26th annual Madison Heart Walk, taking place on September 22, 2018 at Mallards Stadium (Warner Park).Together with our business and community partners, we are committed to raising $500,000 to help the American Heart Association battle the nation’s #1 and #5 causes of death—cardiovascular disease and stroke—and improve the health of our community. We’d like to extend an invitation to have you join us in supporting the Madison Heart Walk & 5K Run. There are three easy ways to get involved:

  1. Walk or Run – Start a personal or company Heart Walk & 5K Run Team, or join Team Findorff as an individual participant
  2. Sponsorship: Sponsorship for the Heart Walk starts at the $2,500 level and offers companies an opportunity to align their mission and brand with the American Heart Association through fun and interactive ways at the Madison Heart Walk.
  3. Become an Executive Challenge Member – Executive Challenge is an opportunity for the leaders of our community to step up and lead by example. Members set a fundraising goal and are supported by the AHA staff.

This year, we are both serving as Chairs to mobilize the community and support the Madison Heart Walk. Please join our employees, family, and friends on September 22 to support this worthy cause.

Whether you have a personal connection to heart disease and stroke, or like us, you are committed to leading a healthy lifestyle, the Madison Heart Walk is a great opportunity to put your health at the top of your to-do list. Pledge to run or walk today! We hope you will consider joining Findorff and will help us to spread the word about the opportunities to get involved.

To learn more or to make a donation today, please visit madisonwiheartwalk.org.

Blog written by Findorff’s John Feller, Director of Project Management

My family and I are fortunate to help raise awareness of epilepsy, a disorder that has affected friends, families, and coworkers. That responsibility has never been more important to me, my family and friends, as well as to Findorff, than right now.

Several years ago, close friends discovered that their daughter Grace was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. They immediately began working locally to grow awareness of the condition and to raise funds for research. They partnered with Dave and Ann Jiroux, whose daughter Lily was also diagnosed with epilepsy. Together, along with thousands of people, hundreds of employers, and an incredible healthcare research arm of the University of Wisconsin, we are making great strides.To understand the magnitude of those impacted by epilepsy, it is important to learn of some staggering numbers. Over 73 million children and adults worldwide live with the disorder. Epilepsy is also as prevalent and as deadly as breast cancer. However, epilepsy receives only one-fifth of the federal funding for research when compared to breast cancer.

Being an advocate to help raise funds and awareness for research has proved incredibly meaningful. Findorff has greatly supported community efforts to get epilepsy out of the shadows and in front of researchers. For years, the Company has sponsored internal fundraisers, and many employees have attended Lily’s Luau –  an epilepsy fundraising event that my wife Jane and I help host annually. One coworker, an epileptic himself, became active in Lily’s Luau to help provide education and raise awareness internally of the condition. This young man was Jared Kimball. He recently passed away from a major seizure. To honor his memory and those affected by epilepsy, we recently celebrated Purple Day. Originating in 2008, this international grassroots effort is dedicated to bringing awareness to epilepsy worldwide by encouraging people to wear purple on a designated day every March. That said, we proudly wear purple every March for this noteworthy cause.

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!