Your honor

The Legacy Bank renovation project on Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee won the Spirit Award from the Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women for its positive impact in an underutilized area. CG Schmidt Inc., Milwaukee, was the construction manager on the project. … Terry Ramaker, founder and chief executive officer of Ramaker & Associates Inc., Sauk City, won the Industry Leadership Award from the World Waterpark Association for his years of dedication to the industry and his work helping waterparks grow in the hospitality and entertainment sectors. … The partnership of statewide associations that
presents the Wisconsin Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Leadership Awards recently honored six projects for leadership in the design, construction and operation of Wisconsin commercial and other nonresidential buildings and related systems. Hoffman LLC's work on its Appleton headquarters and Cedarburg-based The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc.'s work on The Schlitz Audubon Center in Bayside each won an Award of Excellence. Kubala Washatko's work on the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee and Appleton-based The Boldt Company's work on its Stevens Point offices each won an Award of Merit. Special Citations were presented to IBC Engineering Services Inc., Waukesha, for the mechanical system design for Lynde & Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School in Milwaukee and HGA Inc., Milwaukee, for daylighting controls for the fieldhouse at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. … The U.S. Green Building Council honored the Dorothy K. Vallier Environmental Learning Center at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee with the Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Award. The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. designed the center, and The Jansen Group, Milwaukee, built it. … Vetter Denk Architecture, Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Department of City Development won the 2004 Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Award from the Waterfront Center for redeveloping riverfront property into a mix of housing, recreation and public space in Milwaukee's Beerline Neighborhood. … MasterCraft Builders, Kenosha, won the Best Decorated Model Award for its Avondale model at the 2004 Racine-Kenosha Builders Association Parade of Homes. … Larry Michael, a surety-bonding agent with The Brehmer Agency Inc., Butler, took first place in the Composition and Form Category in the International Photographer of the Year Competition. Michael's Wind-Blown Sugar Maple photo won the award.

Giving back

County Materials Corp., Marathon, recently donated the concrete that will be used in the foundation footings of a Habitat for Humanity home on Milwaukee Avenue in Wausau. County Materials also donated $50,000 to the National Concrete Masonry Association's Education and Research Foundation.

Milestones

Halquist Stone Co., Sussex, is enjoying its 75th year in the stone industry. The company recently celebrated the anniversary by hosting more than 250 people from the United States and Canada for the Allied Stone Industries and Building Stone Institutes Fall Study Tour. … TN & Associates Inc., a woman-owned civil and engineering consulting and construction company based in Wauwatosa, is celebrating its 15th year in business.

Peer Review

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Nemec takes a chance and builds a career

Allyson Nemec

It's a wonder if Allyson Nemec's feet ever touch the ground.

Her long list of responsibilities rarely gives her a chance to get settled before it's time to move on to something else.

"I leave here, I go try to be a soccer mom, I touch base with my husband, I go to a board meeting, and then I come back here for designing," she said.

"Here" is Milwaukee-based Quorum Architects Inc., the architectural firm Nemec started in 1993. Her husband is Todd Badovski, who runs Cream City Construction, which is a design/build residential remodeling company based in the building behind Quorum on Highland Boulevard.

The board meetings could be rela-ted to one of a number of organizations she works with when she's not at Quorum. It could be the Next Act Theatre Board, the Uptown Crossing Business Improvement Board, the Highland Community School Trustees Board, the Wisconsin Architects Foundation or the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Association.

"I have a philosophy of giving back and making the world a better place," Nemec said. "I'm involved in a lot of organizations, and I think architects are good on boards and as leaders in society.

"What we do as architects takes analytical thought and creativity, and I think that makes us effective board members."

If creativity and analytical thought make an architect, than Nemec has the right genes for the job. She was born in Phila-delphia to a mother who is an artist and a father who has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. She was raised in a barn (and, yes, she's heard all the jokes) that her parents converted into a house.

Her mother, her father, the barn and an art teacher, who flipped out when Nemec started considering pre-law when she was a junior in high school, all set her on the path to architecture and planted the seeds for the idea that would grow into Quorum.

She picked up an undergraduate degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia in 1986, added a master's in architecture from UWM in 1990 and then took a job planning space for downtown office buildings for Renner Architects in Milwaukee. That lasted until 1993.

"Then I sort of walked out one day," Nemec said. "It was the early 1990s, and it was rough finding another job. Everybody kept telling me to open my own firm. So I did.

"I was young, and I didn't think much about it. If I had to think much about it, I don't think I would have done it."

When she opened Quorum with a staff of three, Nemec wasn't dreaming of designing tall skyscrapers or, really, any new construction. In a way, her heart was still in the barn.

"When I first got into architecture, coming out of the ground scared me," she said. "I came out in the 1980s when we were making very unfortunate marks on the land. I didn't have a lot of interest in creating new buildings that were crap.

"I saw an opportunity with existing buildings."

She made the most of that opportunity, employing a business concept aimed at making buildings more marketable and the built environment more livable and watching her staff grow to 12 as the opportunities continued to appear.

"People look at a building and say, 'Oh my gosh, that's beyond saving,'" she said. "I don't. I can pretty much come up with a design concept or business plan for any building.

"And I'm surrounded by people with the same guided optimism. We're all friends and co-workers, and we all value the same things."

- Chris Thompson

On the horizon

Schroeder & Holt Architects Ltd., Milwaukee, and general contractor Tri-North Builders Inc., Madison, are preparing to build a 16-screen theater for Marcus Corp.-Theater Division, Milwaukee, in the Renaissance Business Park in Sturtevant. … The Brown County Board has approved a $12.8 million plan to renovate the Brown County Mental Health Center in Green Bay. … DSI Marketing Inc., Cedarburg, is working on a $1.2 million plan to purchase and renovate a Saukville building for its operations. … Waukesha County Technical College is developing a $3.9 million plan to build a new printing facility on its Pewaukee campus. … Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., Chippewa Falls, is working on plans for a 5,000-square-foot library in Strum. … Kahler Slater Architects Inc., Milwaukee, is leading the design of the new Clinical Education Center at the University of Iowa College of Nursing in Iowa City, Iowa. … The village of Belgium is working through a list of capital-improvement projects that should total about $3.3 million over the next six years. … HDR Architecture Inc., Chicago, and J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, are nearing the bidding phase for construction of the estimated 400,000-square-foot American Family Children's Hospital at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. … Strand Associates Inc., Madison, has received approval from the state Department of Natural Resources to finalize design plans for a $45 million upgrade to Fond du Lac's wastewater-treatment facility. … Developer Arlington Development LLC, Arlington Heights, Ill., is waiting on approval from West Bend of an estimated $30 million mixed-use development in the city's downtown. … Delavan Resort Holdings, Delavan, is planning an expansion project at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan that should exceed $100 million. … The city of Fort Atkinson is considering a $1.2 million addition to the Hoard Historical Museum in the city. The city is also raising funds for an estimated $405,000 restoration of the city's historic 1901 water tower. … Robert E. Lee & Associates Inc., Oneida, is working toward a January bidding date for an estimated $1.7 million upgrade to the wastewater-treatment plant in Omro. … Horizon Construction Group LLC, Verona, and Eppstein Uhen Architects Inc., Milwaukee, have earned approval for an estimated $28 million senior-housing project in Menomonee Falls. … SDS Architects Inc. in association with Perkins & Will, Eau Claire, has signed on as a consultant for an estimated $14.5 million addition and remodeling of the University Center in Stevens Point. … The Kenosha County Board of Supervisors is considering a $1 million to $1.6 million upgrade and remodeling of its public safety building on 55th Street in Kenosha. … MEP Associates, Eau Claire, will handle architecture and engineering services for an estimated $2.5 million chiller and tower replacement project at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie. … Hoffman LLC, Greenville, signed on to provide architecture and engineering services for an estimated $1.1 million locker room addition at Wessman Arena in Superior.

Dotted line

J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, won an $8.7 million contract to construct a new Cereal Crops Research Unit in Madison for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. … Ray Stadler Construction Co., Wauwatosa, secured a $1.2 million general construction and HVAC contract to build a new fire station in Wales for the Wales-Genesee Joint Fire Board. … McCabe Construction Inc., Eau Claire, landed a $2.9 million contract for street construction work on Commercial Boulevard in Lake Hallie. … Merrill Gravel & Construction Co., Merrill, won a $1.2 million contract for infrastructure improvements in Valdres Springs in Weston. … Jim Pankow Inc., Plymouth, was chosen as general contractor for the 15,500-square-foot Andy's Convenience Center development on North 76th Street in Milwaukee. … TN & Associates Inc., Wauwatosa, won a $380 million contract to provide environmental engineering, remediation work and waste-management services for the U.S. Department of Energy at a number of nationwide sites. TN also won a $60 million contract to perform environmental engineering and construction services for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the southwest part of the country. … CG Schmidt Construction Inc., Milwaukee, won the contract to build a new place of worship for Redeemer United Church of Christ in Sussex. … Super Excavators Inc., Menomonee Falls, landed a $14.5 million contract for the Canal Street reconstruction and Hank Aaron State Trail project in Milwaukee. … J.W. Peters & Sons Inc., Burlington, won a $7.1 million precast- concrete contract for the redevelopment of Bayshore Mall in Glendale. … Earth Inc., Arpin, secured a $3.1 million contract for road, utility and landscape work at the Cross Pointe Corporate Park in Weston. Earth also won a $3.3 million contract for an airport pavement reconstruction project at the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee. … Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah, landed a $40.1 million contract offer for addition and remodeling work at the mechanical engineering building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Miron also will construct a new fire station on Nelson Road in Madison after winning a $2.2 million contract for the project. Miron also won an $11.6 million general construction contract for a new veterinary diagnostic labora-tory in Madison for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. In addition to Miron's contract for the job, Monona Plumbing & Fire Protection, Madison, won a $1.4 million plumbing and fire-protection contract; J.F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, won a $2.8 million HVAC contract; and Electri-Tec Electrical Construction Inc., Arena, won a $1.6 million electrical contract. … William Beaudoin & Sons Inc., Brookfield, landed a $1.5 million contract for streetscape work on East Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. … Payne & Dolan Inc., Waukesha, won a $1.1 million contract for road rehabilitation work at the Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex in Wauwatosa. … Ellis Stone Construction Co., Stevens Point, will renovate the Hi-Rise Manor apartment building in Stevens Point after winning a $1.3 million contract for the work. … Carl Bowers & Sons Construction Co. Inc., Kaukauna, won a $1.4 million contract and a $1 million contract for sanitary interceptor sewer construction work in Calumet and Outagamie counties. … Raab Mechanical Inc., Waukesha, will replace boilers and chillers for the Milwaukee County Department of Human Services in Milwaukee after winning a $1 million contract for the work. … James Cape & Sons Co., Racine, secured a $1.7 million general construction contract for the renovation of the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens feline building in Milwaukee. … F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co. Inc., Milwaukee, will replace the roof at the Milwaukee County Courthouse after winning a $1.8 million contract for the job. … RJS Construction Group LLC, Superior, will travel to Duluth, Minn., to construct a fire station at the Duluth International Airport after winning a $2.5 million contract for the work. … Pitlik & Wick Inc., Eagle River, won a $1.2 million contract for grading and drainage improvements at the Eagle River Union Airport in Eagle River. … Seater Construction Co. Inc., Racine, will construct the Highway 20 Water Booster Station in Racine after winning a $1 million contract for the job. … Advance Mechanical Contractors Inc., Racine, secured a $2.5 million contract to construct a water-treatment facility in Union Grove.

Off the clock

The original Three Chefs are (from left) Paul Swanson, Ben Ganther and Bob Petak.

Bon appétit

For a group of 12, the meal runs anywhere from $2,000 to $4,200.

It starts with a wilted arugula salad with hot goat cheese fondue dressing and toasted walnuts. It continues with a made-from-scratch roasted red-pepper soup and hits its stride with racks of lamb crusted with peach mango salsa and nestled in Dijon mustard and Parmesan Reggiano. For dessert: a rum cake doused with dense chocolate.

Ben Ganther, the chief executive officer of Ganther Construction Inc. in Oshkosh, and his two cooking partners have been serving up these elegant meals at Ganther's home, a converted private club on the shore of Lake Winnebago, to lucky bidders since around 1997. That's the year Bob Petak, who ran second-generation delis in New York, moved to Oshkosh and met Ganther. That's also the year that Ganther and Paul Swanson, a neighbor on Lake Winnebago, found a shared hobby.

"We all liked to cook, so we started getting together to cook," Ganther said.

It evolved into something bigger. Eventually, the three chefs decided to call themselves the Three Chefs and open Ganther's doors to outsiders. They put their services up for auction for charities ranging from Lourdes High School in Oshkosh to the Christine Ann Center in Oshkosh to events for the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin.

The hobby is a long way from Ganther's day job, but he takes cooking just as seriously as construction. He has a commercial food sealer in his kitchen, a 1,500-bottle wine cellar and loads of cigars.

Petak moved to Florida, leaving the Three Chefs with a mystery chef at every event, but the upside is that Ganther now can get shrimp less than 48 hours after it leaves the boat in Florida. He's also got some nice connections for prime beef, New Zealand racks of lamb, 10-pound bars of swordfish and Chilean sea bass.

And putting it all together, Ganther said, isn't that tough.

"It's like reading blueprints in construction," he said. "If you follow the directions, you probably won't screw up. But it's lousy hours, worse than construction, and the prep work is a killer."

So what could motivate a man who admits to a favorite meal of "red wine — anything in a '97 Napa cabernet — and a double corona-sized cigar" to take on a hobby that, at times, resembles a second full-time job? The answer, Ganther said, is simple.

"Women appreciate a man who can cook."

- Chris Thompson

© 2004 Daily Reporter Publishing Co., All Rights Reserved.