Define The Following

Contractors answer a few trick questions

Millions upon millions of dollars in design/build, construction management and negotiated general contracts appear to hinge on companies' ability to deliver on customer demand. But just ask contractors, "What exactly is a design/build job?", and they're likely to respond, "Whatever we say it is."

The Daily Reporter's Steve Schultz asked leaders of five companies - a dedicated design/builder in La Crosse, a major Pleasant Prairie-based developer, an up-and-coming multiservice company in Menomonee Falls, a mechanical contractor in De Forest that had $30 million in volume last year and an established Oshkosh-based builder - to define each of four innovative delivery systems: design/build, turnkey, construction management and negotiated general contract. Their responses reveal how each innovation continues to evolve in the hands of customers and contractors.

Gary Schettle, director of business development for La Crosse-based TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractor Inc., has been with the firm for eight years. He earned a health-education degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and spent 16 years working for the La Crosse-area United Way, where he became executive director. View Responses
Ken Noel, director of design/build services for TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractors Inc. in La Crosse, holds an architecture degree from Iowa State University. He has nine years in at TCI. He began his career spending seven years at traditional architecture and engineering firms, including a large health care and senior-living center designer.  View Responses
Jerry Franke, president of Pleasant Prairie-based developer Wispark Corp., joined the firm at its founding in 1988 as director of business development. Previously, he was vice president of economic development of Forward Wisconsin, a private organization that promotes economic development. He was named a Wispark vice president in 1989 and a senior vice president in 1999. View Responses
Shawn D. Steinhoff, a professional engineer, is executive vice president of North American Mechanical Inc. in De Forest. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and has been with the firm for nine years. Steinhoff worked in HVAC consulting for five years and is past president of the Madison chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. He also is a member of Health Care Engineers Association and the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials. View Responses
Bill Fuchs, senior project manager and an owner/member of Menomonee Falls-based Creative Constructors L.L.C., has worked for nine years as a project manager and three years in project engineering and computer systems. He has a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering with a structural major from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Fuchs also owned a landscaping company during high school and college, handling projects valued at up to $450,000. He is a director and past treasurer for the American Institute of Constructors Wisconsin Chapter. View Responses
Dave Schultz, vice president of C.R. Meyer & Sons Co. in Oshkosh, holds a degree in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a registered architect. He has worked in the design field for about five years and has worked in the general contracting field for 20 years. View Responses