Something clicked

By Jeremy Harrell

The construction industry is taking the plunge into cyberspace, and contractors have realized they can use the Internet as tool for all facets of their businesses.

"I think it's a good vehicle for getting our name and message out there," Kevin O'Toole, Hunzinger Construction Co., of Brookfield, vice president, said. "We wanted the site to tell a concise story of the company, refer to our quality program and highlight the different kinds of projects we can do."

Using a Web site as a marketing tool is the most obvious benefit the Internet can offer, and some companies have taken an innovative approach to making their names and businesses more appealing. Logging on to Janesville's J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc. Web site introduces the reader to a project slide show, while Milwaukee's C.G. Schmidt Inc. site allows visitors to view a Webcam broadcast of the company's work at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

"The Webcam has been a real boon for our company," Todd Wiedemann, Schmidt's operations systems administrator, said. "Our site has been mentioned on local TV news broadcasts."

The "technology question"

O'Toole said Hunzinger uses the Web site in client presentations as a way of proving the company is up to speed with the pace of electronic innovation.

"I'm seeing more and more owners asking the technology question," he said.

But contractors have discovered they can use Web sites for more than making their company look good to potential clients and the surfing public.

Wiedemann said C.G. Schmidt uses project-specific Web sites as an informational clearinghouse for engineers, architects and subs working on a project. There they can scan plans, peruse minutes from recent production meetings and look at still photographs of a project's development - as long as they're plugged in.

"In order for project-specific sites to work, there has to be 100 percent commitment from all parties," he said. "Every sub has to be CAD-familiar and -equipped."

Like C.G. Schmidt, J.P. Cullen plans to use their site as a one-stop source for all phases of project management, Kevin Hickman, the company's marketing coordinator, said. This would benefit not only the people working on the jobs, but the owners, too.

"It will make the project process far more enjoyable and easier to understand for clients," he said. In the future, Web sites can encompass all aspects of the industry - from posting plans and bidding information to providing a spot for subcontractors to list their qualifications to hiring trained laborers. "We want our site out there, but more than that we want to make it grow as the industry grows more comfortable with technology," Wiedemann said.

In the meantime, O'Toole said, contractors have to tinker with all the possibilities the Internet offers and settle on a format that works best for them.

"It involves constant rethinking and testing," he said. "The demand for more instantaneous information is growing."

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