“I've done my share, but I've supported my people both in their success in their jobs and their contributions to the industry.”

Peer Review

What's luck got to do with it?

Bentley controls his own fate

In the summer of 2000, Thomas H. Bentley III took down a 500-pound black bear with a single bow shot in Canada's remote northern wilderness of Saskatchewan.

"I got lucky," he said.

Maybe he's lucky when it comes to hunting, but the achievements, awards, leadership roles and community activism that characterize Bentley's career and personal life speak more to commitment, hard work and business savvy then they do to luck.

Luck didn't get Bentley the membership, presidential and board of director positions on 15 community and business organizations and committees, ranging from the Milwaukee World Trade Association to Safe & Sound Milwaukee to the Greater Milwaukee Committee.

Luck didn't earn Bentley a lifetime's worth of community and construction industry awards, including the Associated General Contractors' Pioneer Award and the World Citizen Award from the International Institute of Milwaukee in 2003.

And luck certainly didn't instigate Bentley's role in helping to grow The Bentley Company, of which he is owner and CEO, from a $2 million general contractor in 1970 to a $40 million firm and major player in its hometown of Milwaukee.

For Bentley, when it comes to construction, luck can't even enter an equation that relies on thinking ahead and meeting challenges.

"It's been great fun and a great challenge, but it's a very difficult business, and I think most of my peers would agree with me," he said.

Whether it was choosing to work for the family company instead of striking off on his own after graduating from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania or demanding complete autonomy before accepting the role of president from his father in 1983, Bentley has relied on his instincts. They've guided him to a level of comfort within the industry and community apart from his role as the fifth generation of Bentleys to run the company since its 1848 founding.

"I don't think I felt a terrible obligation to the family; I was just more excited about overcoming the obstacles," he said. "It's pride rather than obligation. If I felt I had a chain around my leg, it wouldn't be fun."

That's not to say that Bentley doesn't have a healthy respect for the history of his company. It just means he's used his own style to meld the past with the company's future.

"I had the family inertia that had to be overcome," he said. "We were very conservative about growing the company when it came to things like computers or marketing people."

Bentley has taken marketing to new levels with the company. He joined former Gov. Tommy Thompson's trade missions to India, China, Australia, New Zealand and Jordan.

And he's parlayed his heavy community involvement into invaluable business contacts for the firm.

"I did this for 10 or 15 years because my core values demand it," Bentley said. "Only when we got bigger was there a corporate correlation. But those kinds of involvements and connections are needed to work in the urban environment."

With all of his world travels and community leadership, Bentley still looks closer to home to identify his biggest impact on the construction industry.

"I've done my share, but I've supported my people both in their success in their jobs and their contributions to the industry," he said.

- Chris Thompson

Dotted Line

Platt Construction Inc., Franklin, landed a $1.7 million contract to build a pump station in Franklin for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. ... Zenith Tech Inc., Waukesha, will build the $1.1 million North Avenue Dam Pedestrian Bridge for the city of Milwaukee. ...Dietz Construction Inc., Rhinelander, won a $1.1 million bid to build the Three Sisters Head Start Facility for the Oneida Nation in Oneida. ... J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc., Janesville, will handle pumping station construction, treatment plant modifications and sewer point repairs for the city of Janesville after winning a $2.3 million bid. ... Reuben Johnson & Son Inc., Superior, will cross the state line into Thomson, Minn., to construct a $1.4 million water-main improvement project. ... River View Con-struction Inc., Wausau, won a $1.1 million bid to handle road and intersection reconstruction in Wausau. ... General contractor Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah, and subs Zimmerman Plumbing Inc., Portage, Downey Inc., Milwaukee, United States Fire Protection Wisconsin, New Berlin, and McGrath Electric Inc., Madison, won bids totaling $7.1 million to construct a new crew house for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ...

Mueller Pipeliners Inc., New Berlin, will handle $1.3 million worth of diversion pipeline repairs in Shell Lake. ... C.D. Smith Construction Co., Fond du Lac, Westra Construction Inc., Waupun, Prime Mechanical of Wisconsin, Poynette, and Specht Electric Co. Inc., Fond du Lac, secured $4.3 million in bids for various renovation work at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution. ...With a $1.1 million winning bid, Vinton Construction Co., Manitowoc, will perform gravel and grading work for the city of Manitowoc. ... Zignego Co. Inc., Waukesha, secured a street construction job on West Lapham Street in West Allis with a $1.1 million bid. ... Super Excavators Inc., Menomonee Falls, scored with a $1.3 million bid to construct the Silver Spring Water-Main Extension in Menomonee Falls. ... Dorner Inc., Luxemburg, landed a sewer, water-main and grading job in Green Bay with two bids, totaling $1.1 million. ...Town & Country Electric Inc., Sun Prairie, will replace the fire-alarm system at UW-Madison following submittal of a winning $2.1 million bid. ... J.A. Campbell Construction LLC, Elm Grove, won a $1.7 million bid to build the North Shore Fire Department Station No. 5 for the village of Bayside on Brown Deer Road. ... C.W. Purpero Inc., Milwaukee, will handle $1.2 million worth of river-widening and restoration work on the Pike River for the town of Mount Pleasant. ... Seater Construction Co. Inc., Racine, secured the municipal garage expansion project on Sentry Drive for the city of Waukesha with a $3.1 million bid. ... Roen Salvage Co., Sturgeon Bay, will handle the maintenance dredging duties in Green Bay harbor after submitting a $1.8 million bid to the city. ... Musson Brothers Inc., Rhinelander, won a $1.2 million contract for improvement work at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport in Rhinelander.

GIVING BACK

Berghammer Construction Corp., Milwaukee, Trane Co., West Allis, J.F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, Roman Electric Co., Milwaukee, and Thermo Dynamic Systems Inc., Menomonee Falls, joined various Milwaukee-area volunteers Sept. 16 for the inaugural golf outing in support of HeartLove Place, a central-city social services organization dedicated to helping develop strong families in Milwaukee. Proceeds from the outing at Bristlecone Pines Golf Club in Hartland went to support programs at HeartLove. ...

The Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee's Education and Research Foundation is doing its part for construction students in the Milwaukee area by developing the renewable $5,000 Skill, Integrity and Responsibility Scholarship with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University for civil engineering students. AGC also awarded a $5,000 grant to the Milwaukee School of Engineering endowment fund for construction management and architectural engineering students.

BY DESIGN

The Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater needs a facelift and a new entrance kiosk (below). The grand old centerpiece of the city of Menomonie is on the National Register of Historic Places and houses an active and vibrant theater community even after more than 100 years. But times change and buildings get old, so Cedar Corp., Menomonie, and architect Courtney Nystuen have come to the rescue with a 10,000-square-foot theater remodeling and rehabilitation plan. With Market & Johnson, Eau Claire, signed on as construction manager, the designers hope to improve accessibility, renovate theater space and construct the new kiosk. Subcontractor bids for the project should go out by early next summer.

Off the Clock

Into every busy construction season a little golf must fall.

Such was the thinking of the 220 duffers who showed up at the Mequon Country Club on Aug. 18 for the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee's summer golf outing. The weather was unseasonably pleasant, and for a few hours on a summer afternoon, it was possible for construction types to forget about the backhoes and blueprints back at the office.

There was an air of healthy, friendly competition, as the foursomes vied to outshoot each other in a scramble. Two teams set impressive marks, tying with a low score of 59.

The first, Meyer Material Co., Kenosha, surely took home the company prize with four of its employees -- Ritch Dembinsky, Scott Jiroch, Doug Dobson and Justin Kratochvil -- hitting the round's best score.

But with a 13-birdie, bogey-free round, it was the group of Matt Bratzke and Mike Vergamini, both from Opus North Corp., Milwaukee, Terry Geszvain of the Brehmer Agency, Butler, and Mike Henke of Construction Supply and Erection Inc., Germantown, that won the day through a scorecard playoff.

"Every person had a shot count on every hole," Henke said.

As is unfortunately true for golf outings, one team did have to post the highest score. In this case, a foursome from the law firm of Hurtado SC, Brookfield, won a trophy after shooting an 88.

"Our short game was a little off," said the firm's Diane Wolf.

But the real winner was the AGC itself. The post-round raffle and various other competitions raised more than $15,000 for the AGC's Research and Education Foundation, which helps send future project managers through Milwaukee-area university construction programs.

- Jeremy Harrell

Sprinkler Fitters Union Local 183, Milwaukee, and design/builder Wahlgren-Schwenn Inc., Menomonee Falls, are considering a 9,696-square-foot office and training facility for the union on Technology Drive in Menomonee Falls. ... With State Building Commission approval in hand, the state Department of Administration and architect Continuum Architects & Planners SC, Milwaukee, are ready to move forward with a $10.3 million renovation to the north wing of Lapham Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. ... The state Department of Veterans Affairs and engineer Grumman-Butkus Associates, Wauwatosa, are preparing for a $2.4 million chilled-water-system project for the Southern Wisconsin Center in Union Grove. ... Howard Design Inc. and the UW-Madison are nearing the bidding phase for a $971,000 warehouse remodeling for a glass lab and sculpture foundry on West Mifflin Street in Madison. ... Construction of a health services building, designed by Venture Architects, Milwaukee, for the Oakhill Correctional Institution in Oregon, has a green light from the state. ... The next phase of the UW-Madison BioStar Program, a $104.1 million microbial sciences building designed by Plunkett Raysich Architects, Milwaukee, is ready to roll. ...

In Memoriam Zebedke Richardson, Milwaukee, died Aug. 4 following a 30-foot fall from scaffolding set up at a wastewater storage tank construction project for the Racine Wastewater Utility. Richardson, 55, had worked for the project's general contractor, C.D. Smith Construction Co., Fond du Lac, since 1991. ... Scott Worby, Hustisford, died Aug. 14 from suffocation in a 15-foot manhole at a DF Tomasini Contractors Inc. construction site on Highway K in Hartland. Worby, 44, had worked for Tomasini, Waukesha, for three years. ... Israel Sandoval, Milwaukee, died Aug. 7 after falling about 20 feet from the roof of the Vulcan Power Plant in Appleton during an A&A Environmental asbestos-removal job. Sandoval, 29, had worked for A&A, Poynette, for three months.

SDS Architects Inc., Eau Claire, and the UW-Menomonie are set for construction of a $16.7 million residence hall on the Dunn County campus. ... St. Joseph's parish, school and gym is considering a move to a new Fort Atkinson location, designed by Zimmerman Design Group, Wauwatosa. ... Isthmus Architecture Inc., Madi-son, is working out a design for the second-floor lobby restoration at the UW-Madison Memorial Union. ... The city of Pewaukee and engineer and architect Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik & Associates Inc., Mequon, are kicking around plans to put an addition onto city hall and expand the Police Department for about $2.1 million. ... Developer ESV LLC, Milwaukee, secured a city loan to help fund its plans for a 6,000-square-foot, $1.4 million veterinary clinic on Newhall Street in Milwaukee. ... The village of Waterford, with the help of Uihlein Wilson Architects Inc., Milwaukee, is laying out plans for a renovation of its village hall. ... General Capital Management, Mequon, is getting closer to developing an estimated $14 million shopping center on North Port Washington Road in Glendale. ... The Printing Industries of America, Brookfield, and the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, Sewickley, Penn., are searching for a site to build a $5 million to $7 million home near Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee. ... C&S Design & Engineering Inc., Ashland, is developing plans for an addition and remodeling to the Apostle Islands Marina Service Center and an addition to the Port Superior Marina Service Building, both in Bayfield.

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