Environmentalist of the Year

Findorff takes leadership role in environmental causes

By Vicky Wedig Farence

The ownership team of J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison and Milwaukee

J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. takes conservation and recycling to heart.

It’s a commitment that places the Madison and Milwaukee contractor at the industry’s forefront of environmental causes. It’s also the reasoning behind Wisconsin Builder’s decision to name Findorff Environmentalist of the Year.

“They’ve definitely been out ahead,” said Sonya Newenhouse, president of Madison Environmental Group. “They’re the first major firm we’ve worked with.”

Newenhouse, whose nonprofit organization has served as Findorff’s consulting firm for four years, said that while other companies are showing concern about the environment and are beginning to recycle, Findorff just takes the ball and runs with it.

“What we find is that many people are interested, but some people just jump in,” she said. “Findorff just has a real can-do attitude about it.”

Three major Findorff projects in which recycling is a significant part are the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, the first phase of the Epic Systems headquarters in Verona and Capital West in Madison, Newenhouse said.

Over the course of the Overture project, Findorff will recycle 5,395 tons of material, including fixtures, steel, concrete, stone, carpeting and ceiling tiles that otherwise would have been dumped in local landfills. Likewise, the Capital West project, which involves demolishing an entire city block of buildings and redeveloping it with condominiums, will result in a large amount of materials being recycled rather than dumped, Newenhouse said.

But Susan Buchanan, executive director of WasteCap Wisconsin, said the real proof of Findorff’s commitment can be seen at the Epic Systems project. Construction firms, she said, are accustomed to recycling at demolition projects, but the Epic Systems job required Findorff to recycle construction materials that include scraps of drywall, concrete, wood, metal and cardboard.

Buchanan said Findorff achieved a 66 percent recycling rate on the Epic project. She said construction companies that recycle but have no formal program that includes worker training might achieve a recycling rate in the 40 percent range. At one point, 75 percent of construction waste on the Epic project had been recycled, but the rate dropped as the project wound down, Buchanan said.

WasteCap does more than simply tally Findorff’s recycling rates. The Milwaukee-based organization trained many Findorff employees for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Buchanan and Newenhouse said the employees’ attitudes contribute to the company’s environmental success.

“It’s just wonderful to find clients where they’re interested, and there’s a personal motivation there as well,” said Newenhouse.

Buchanan said John Rodell, vice president of Findorff’s Milwaukee operations, has a personal interest in preserving the environment regardless of cost savings.

“He’s very committed to recycling,” she said. “He thinks they ought to be doing that on all projects. Certainly they’ve been a leader in this area.”

And there’s a monetary reward for Findorff’s commitment to the environment. Buchanan said the contractor avoided $46,000 in disposal costs by recycling on the Epic project.