On the Horizon

Plunkett Raysich Architects, Milwaukee, and construction manager J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc., Brookfield, are working through the design of an estimated $38 million hospital addition and renovation for Fort HealthCare in Fort Atkinson. Plunkett Raysich is also developing plans for either a $5.4 million renovation or $6.4 million replacement of the Waukesha Fire Department's fire station on St. Paul Avenue. Plunkett Raysich is also moving forward with an estimated $16.4 million project to replace the Lakeland Nursing Home in Elkhorn. … Frye, Gillan & Molinaro Architects Ltd., Chicago, is planning an estimated $3.4 million renovation and addition to the Edgerton Public Library. … Zimmerman Design Group, Milwaukee, is handling initial planning for an estimated 50,000-square-foot research building for Chr. Hansen Inc. in West Allis. … Angus-Young Associates Inc., Janesville, is working on plans for a 6,000-square-foot manufacturing and office building for Brunk Industries Inc. in Janesville. … Eppstein Uhen Architects Inc., Milwaukee, and Voss-Jorgensen-Schueler Co. Inc., Waukesha, are working with the Oak Creek-Franklin School District on plans for an estimated $8 million elementary school. … McMahon Associates Inc., Neenah, is providing design services for an estimated $28.9 million upgrade to the Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District's wastewater treatment plant and interceptor sewer system in Kaukauna. … Architect Arris Corp., Williams Bay, has joined the team that is developing plans for a new police station in Delavan. … Keybridge Development Inc., Waukesha, is planning a $15 million condominium development on the corner of North Jackson Street and East Ogden Avenue in Milwaukee. … OMNNI Associates, Appleton, has signed on to handle consultant services for planned improvements at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. … Lakeside Development Co., Mequon, is planning a five-story condominium project on Pier Street in Port Washington. … Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik & Associates Inc., Mequon, is working with the town of Cedarburg on plans for a new satellite fire station.

By Design An old residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is past its prime. Today's students need more from their campus housing than the old hall could offer, so the UW-La Crosse turned to Eppstein Uhen Architects Inc., Milwaukee, for help. Eppstein Uhen, in turn, designed a five-story, 141,000-square-foot building with 89 apartment-style living units and 356 beds. Located among numerous existing residence halls, the new structure, with an estimated cost of $22.3 million, was designed with a precast plank and masonry bearing wall and a brick exterior to match the surrounding environment. Eppstein Uhen anticipates a construction start in January with completion in July 2006. Bids for the project should hit the streets in November or December.

Your Honor

Riley Construction Co., Kenosha, won the Partnership Award from the All Saints Healthcare Foundation. Riley won the award for its support of initiatives for women and children, cardiac care and the Center for Addiction Recovery. … Craig Coursin, vice president and project principal at CG Schmidt Construction Inc., Milwaukee, won a Preservation Award from the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum for his leadership in negotiating the costs of museum renovations with Waukesha County officials. … Cardinal Environmental Services, a Sheboygan consulting firm, won the 2004 John E. Brogan Environmental Achievement Award from the state Department of Natural Resources for the firm's accomplishments in environmental protection. … Kahler Slater Architects Inc., Milwaukee and Madison, was named one of the Top 25 Best Companies to Work for in America by the Society for Human Resource Management based on a randomly distributed employee-opinion survey. … S.J. Janis Co., Wauwatosa, won the Best of Show Award from the Milwaukee/National Association of the Remodeling Industry during the association's annual Spring Home Improvement Showcase. … Donald P. Gallo, a shareholder in the Environmental Department of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren SC, Milwaukee, won the Chairman of the Year Award from the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee for his direction and leadership of the association's Environmental Committee. … Bill Bassett of Bassett Mechanical, Kaukauna, and Andy Meier of Hydro-Flo Co., Brookfield, won the MCAW Meritorious Service Award from the Mechanical Contractors Association of Wisconsin for their leadership and dedication to the advancement of the mechanical contracting industry. … Selzer-Ornst Co., Wauwatosa, won the Certificate of Commendation from the Associated General Contractors of America for the company's excellent safety record in 2003.

In Memoriam

Robert H. Nagy, Hartland, died June 6 of an undisclosed cause. Nagy, 66, was the chairman of the board since 1986 of The Spancrete Group Inc., a family owned precast company with offices throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. … F. John Barlow, Appleton, died June 5 of an undisclosed cause. Barlow, 89, founded AZCO Inc., Appleton, as a piping contractor in 1949. In the following years, he was the majority shareholder, chairman and CEO of AZCO and watched the company grow into an industrial constructor and fabricator before he sold the firm to his employees in 1998.

Peer Review

SOLID FOUNDATIONS

Elsen builds a career out of concrete

Paul Elsen measures success in feet and friends.

Every day that the concrete foreman for Westra Construction Inc. in Waupun steps onto a job site, he's responsible for meeting a tight goal for square footage put in place based on the number of people in his crew and the number of hours they work. He can't do it alone, and that's where his friends come in.

"More than anything, I love the people I work with," Elsen said. "I've never been great at making friends, and a job-site foreman is not the best place to make friends.

But at the end of the day, we can shake hands and knock the dust off our boots because it was just that day."

Days, for Elsen and his crew, start out anywhere from 4:30 to 6 in the morning. Elsen floats from task to task on a site, sometimes helping to set up forms and other times helping to tie rebar. He's a working foreman, splitting his time 80 percent to 20 percent between fieldwork and paperwork.

But it's that 20 percent in the office that can cause the most stress. As the economy gets tougher, contractors get hungrier, lining up seven to 15 deep on bid day instead of the two or three that used to vie for jobs. That creates a squeeze for foremen, who are working within the confines of smaller and smaller profit margins.

"We set daily goals for how many feet we need to beat that day, and as the employees increase in skill, so do the wages, which increase the footage per man-hour," Elsen said. "At times, it's stressful, but I work with a dynamite crew. I don't have to measure everything."

And no measure of stress could keep Elsen from working a job that he has grown to love.

"One of the worst things I hear people say is, 'I used to do concrete, but then I got smart,'" he said. "I'll never say that. I want to retire and say I was the smart one.

And I do intend to retire from here."

It could be argued that love and a newspaper brought him to the place where he intends to stay. Elsen, who grew up on a dairy farm in Nekoosa with 10 kids, had completed a four-year carpentry apprenticeship through the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin and was plying the trade for Altmann Construction Co. Inc. in Wisconsin Rapids when he met his future wife.

Pam was in Milwaukee at the time, and the two decided to find a spot in the middle to settle down. That took Elsen to Oshkosh, where he saw the newspaper ad for a carpenter at Westra.

"Carpentry involves a lot of concrete work, and a year and a half later, Westra opened its concrete division," he said. "I could see more opportunity in concrete, so I joined the division. Within four months, I became a foreman."

Spending 10 hours a day working a physical job that requires a lot of heavy lifting can be tough on anybody. But Elsen said he he's happy with the work and credits his wife and two children, Isaac, 7, and Gabriel, 5, for giving him the support he needs to keep at it.

"I wouldn't have been able to have the success I've had without my wife and family," he said.

And if his children decide to follow in his footsteps, Elsen said he'd return that support.

"If there's an opportunity for them to work in construction, that's fine with me," he said. "It's been more than sufficient to provide for a family."

- Chris Thompson

Dotted Line

Best of the Web The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce represents 2,500 businesses in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. That's a lot of business issues to keep track of, but the MMAC's Web site at www.mmac.org makes it easy. The site contains information for business people in and out of Milwaukee. It includes economic data, legislation affecting business owners, networking opportunities and more.

MSI General Corp., Oconomowoc, will expand and remodel the Hartford Fire and Rescue after winning a design/build contract for the project. … J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc., Janesville, won a $9 million contract to build the new Vernon County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center in Viroqua. Cullen also won a $2.3 million contract to construct a pumping station for the city of Janesville. … Angelo Luppino Inc., Iron Belt, landed a $1.4 million contract to build a new aquaculture facility on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Superior on the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indian Reservation in Bayfield County. … Mathy Construction Co., Onalaska, will cross over into Gogebic County, Mich., for a road construction job after winning a $1 million contract for the work. … T.V. John & Son Inc., Butler, won a $1.6 million contract to perform work on the Unit Well 29 Reservoir and pump station on Thompson Drive and Mesta Lane in Madison. … James Cape & Sons Co., Racine, landed a $4.5 million contract to construct the state Highway 20 interceptor sewer in Mount Pleasant. James Cape also won a $2.1 million contract to construct the General Mitchell International Airport rail-passenger stop terminal building in Milwaukee. … Creative Constructors LLC, Menomonee Falls, will construct the General Mitchell International Airport D Concourse security checkpoint expansion after winning a $2.6 million contract for the job. … Thomas & Egenhoefer Inc., Menomonee Falls, won an $8.9 million contract to work on the C Concourse expansion at General Mitchell International Airport. … Madsen Johnson Corp., Hudson, scored a $3.2 million contract to construct phase one of improvements to a wastewater-treatment plant in River Falls. … Badger Environmental & Earthworks Inc., Westby, will construct water main and sanitary sewer projects in Merrillan after winning a $1.1 million contract for the work. … Wanasek Corp., Burlington, won a $2.5 million contract to construct the state Highway 20 water-transmission main in Racine. … Oscar J. Boldt Construction Co., Madison, will handle the commuter terminal building expansion at Dane County Regional Airport after winning a $15.9 million contract for the job. … Capitol Pavers Inc., New Berlin, won a $1.7 million contract from Milwaukee County to construct median improvements on various streets in Greenfield and Greendale. … Downey Inc., Milwaukee, landed a $1.4 million contract to construct an HVAC retrofit at Mitchell Park Domes Horticultural Conservatory in Milwaukee. … Feaker & Sons Co. Inc., De Pere, will handle the 2004 summer utility construction for the village of Bellevue after winning a $1.1 million contract for the work. … C.D. Smith Construction Co., Fond du Lac, won a $10.8 million contract to construct improvements to Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay. … Vogel Bros. Building Co., Madison, secured a $1.4 million contract to build a health services building at the Oakhill Correctional Institution in Oregon. … River View Construction Inc., Wausau, will handle the 20th Avenue construction project in Wausau after winning a $4 million contract for the job. … B&K Builders Inc., Marshfield, won a $4.3 million contract to construct a public-housing project in Ho-Chunk Village in Delton. … American Sewer Services Inc., Hartford, landed a $5.7 million contract to construct combined-sewer linings, relays and water mains in Milwaukee. … E&N Hughes Co. Inc., Monroe, will construct the Willowbrook Road extension project in Beloit after winning a $1.8 million contract for the job. … Hoffman Construction Co., Black River Falls, won a $1.9 million contract to construct a storm-sewer interceptor and water-quality basin in Superior. … Northeast Asphalt Inc., Greenville, secured a $1.1 million contract to handle street construction work in Menasha. … Michels Pipeline Construction Inc., New Berlin, brought home a $2.6 million contract to construct the East Tower Drive interceptor-sewer connection in Green Bay. … Burkhart Construction Corp., Butler, will construct new porches and walkways at the Westlawn Housing Development in Milwaukee after winning a $1.1 million contract for the work. … Selzer-Ornst Co., Wauwatosa, signed on to construct Linden Grove, a 13,000-square-foot, community-based residential facility in Waukesha. Selzer-Ornst also will complete the expansion and renovation of the Boelter Co. Food Service warehouse in Pewaukee.

Off the clock

Jim Rasche (right) salutes the sea gods and landlubbers as he, George Meyer and Jill Morin, the three chief executive officers of Kahler Slater Architects Inc., prepare to christen the firm's new boat.

Sail on, O Ship of Slater

There comes a point in the life of every architecture firm, particularly for one headquartered on the Milwaukee River, when the question must be asked: Where are we headed, and what kind of boat do we need to get there?

For Kahler Slater Architects Inc. in Milwaukee, a pontoon boat was not the answer. The firm had one of those and used it well as a floating conference room and showpiece for prospective clients.

But the pontoon boat wasn't sturdy enough to ply the waves of Lake Michigan. Kahler Slater needed something more lakeworthy, a craft that could, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, buffet Lake Michigan's waters with lusty sinews — or at least be assured of returning to port.

"The problem with the pontoon boat on the lake was that there wasn't any guarantee that it would come back," explained Jill Morin, one of Kahler Slater's 3EOs.

Hence, the Kahler Slater Experience, which the firm christened at a June 22 ceremony/island party outside the company's office on Milwaukee's Riverwalk. With its sturdier construction, the KS Experience can now ferry clients out into the deep and, conveniently, show off the city's crown jewel, the Milwaukee Art Museum addition, for which Kahler Slater was the architect of record.

Known as The Bonus Round until its rechristening, the KS Experience is a 1966 Uniflite, one of the first Fiberglas cabin cruisers. These boats were once made of wood, and back in 1966 when the designers made the switch to Fiberglas, they didn't know how much of the synthetic material to use. Too much, it turns out.

Unlike its pontoon boat predecessor the Kahler Slater Experience, seen here coasting serenely on the Milwaukee River, has the strength to test the mighty waters of Lake Michigan.

"It's probably overdesigned," Morin said. "Our structural engineer friends love it."

At the party, where the dulcet sounds of a steel drum echoed off the tall buildings lining the Milwaukee River, Kahler Slater welcomed clients and friends and took revelers on tours of the surrounding waters. But true to this high-seas tale, the firm also had to ward off the threat of a pirate captain, a role played that evening by Gregory Theiss, president and owner of Theiss Interior Design Ltd.

Theiss' company also boasts an office on the riverfront and its own boat, The Bombay Sapphire. He had promised to menace Kahler Slater's party and sink the Experience, but Morin said her firm was prepared.

"He fancies himself a pirate," she said. "He's really a big fat chicken."

For his part, Theiss said his aims were grand, but the moment overcame him.

"I came here to ravage their women and steal as much of their rum as I could get my hands on," he said. "But I couldn't get the lampshade off my head and put on my seafaring hat."

Kahler Slater 1, Pirates 0. May the waters always be this tranquil.

- Jeremy Harrell