Your honor

Architect A. James Gersich, the founder and principal of Dimension IV–Madison, won the American Institute of Architects Wisconsin’s 2006 Golden Award for his contributions to architecture, his service in the design and development of ongoing educational programs and his commitment to community. … Faith Technologies Inc., Appleton, won the Associated General Contractors of America’s AGC/Willis Construction Safety Excellence Award for specialty contractors with more than 1 million work hours. … Engineered Construction Inc., Verona, won an Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Award in the $2 million to $10 million historical restoration category for the firm’s work on the Hedberg historical restoration in Maple Bluff. … Great Lakes Roofing Corp., Germantown, won a 2005 Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award from the Wisconsin Council of Safety and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The Boldt Company, Appleton, also won a Corporate Safety Award. … Kevin Schleicher, a student at Southwest Technical College in Fennimore, took first place in the technical school division of the Skills USA masonry competition in Madison and will represent Wisconsin at the national competition in June. Kelly Demeny, a student at Green Bay East High School, took first place in the high school division and also will compete at nationals. … The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc., Cedarburg, won the 2006 Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects Wisconsin for the firm’s work in advancing the architectural profession. …

Kennedy

JJR LLC, Madison, won an Honor Award from the Wisconsin American Society of Landscape Architects for the company’s landscape architecture and waterfront planning on the Oshkosh Riverfront development. … Terrance L. Kennedy, vice president of Mead & Hunt Inc., Madison, won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Construction Club of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his impact on the industry and interest in helping students develop the necessary skills to succeed in the engineering field. … Veridian Homes LLC, Madison, won the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence 2006 Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the firm’s efforts protecting the environment through energy efficiency. … John Hilbrink, associate vice president of marketing at Alby Materials Inc., Waterford, was named Promoter of the Year by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association for his efforts maximizing concrete’s share of the construction material market and supporting the industry’s quality, value and professionalism. … The Northland Pines School District won the Total Project Management: Vision Taken to the Power of Green Award from Hoffman LLC, Appleton, for the district’s commitment to sustainability while planning, designing and constructing the new Northland Pines High School in Eagle River.

Best of the web

The portfolio Web site for Jacquelyn A. Guevarra at www.jguevarra.com uses a flash-based interface to showcase sketches, photos and a biography of the Las Vegas-based interior designer. The site mimics a desktop and is an incredibly unique way for this designer to show off her work.
— Rick Benedict

Peer Review

All in the family

Rose enjoys a lifetime of achievements

Gerv Rose remembers when Roman Electric Co. offered classes demonstrating how to cook on an electric range.

That’s how long Milwaukee-based Roman Electric, founded in 1929 by Gerv Rose’s father Roman Rose, has been around.

“We held the same style of cooking classes when microwaves came out,” said Rose, who is Roman Electric’s CEO and took over the family business in 1963 after Roman Rose died.

Rose was 26 years old when he and his younger brother Greg assumed control of Roman Electric. The company easily could have faded away, but loyalty to the Rose family saved it.

“My mother [Cathryne] and older brother Tom worked with Greg and me, and the four of us pitched together,” said Rose. “[The difficult part] was trying to maintain the customers we had at that time and keep our electrical crew together.

“But we had good, loyal electricians who stayed with us, and we were able to continue the company and slowly grow it.”

And grow it did, from 18 employees in 1963 to 400 in 2001. Roman Electric, which serves industrial, commercial, institutional and residential customers, now has an annual volume of about $30 million.

“When we first took it over, we were just trying to survive,” said Rose. “Then, we tried to reach some specific sales targets, and we did that. We have gone through five periods of recession where we had to rethink our goals.”

The industry certainly changed over the last half century, as tools and controls became more sophisticated.

“When I started with the company, we were drilling holes with a brace and bit,” Rose said. “It was all hand-drilling. Now, of course, it’s an electric drill.

“There is a significant difference in the amount of material one man can put in in an hour compared to then.

Still, we got a lot accomplished back then. People worked hard.”

Rose grew up above his father’s original electrical contracting business in Milwaukee. The Rose family ran an appliance store on the first floor, a contracting office and shop in the basement and took up residence on the second floor.

“I would say that was a privilege because we got to know the business from the ground up and got an appreciation for the hard work it took,” he said. “My brothers and I pretty much heard all the telephone conversations and helped dad in the shop whenever we had free time.”

Rose continued to pitch in at Roman throughout high school and college. After he graduated in 1958 from Marquette University with a degree in electrical engineering, he went to work at Roman full time.

Over the course of his career, he twice served as president of the National Electrical Contractors Association’s Milwaukee Chapter and recently completed four years as vice president of the NECA Midwest Region. On April 7, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in the engineering/ construction industry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Construction Club.

“It’s nice to be recognized for a whole lifetime in this industry,” he said. “It also gives our company some reward because we have good employees here, and everyone in our organization is pulling together to give good service and perform well.”

Roman Electric should remain in the Rose family for years to come as Rose handed over control of the company’s operations to his sons Phil and Gabe in 2003.

“It’s amazing how fast the years have gone,” he said. “I really enjoy the business and the wonderful employees and customers I met along the way.

“This is just a great industry, and you can feel so much satisfaction and accomplishment because you can wire a building, and, 10 years later, you go by and see the lights on, and you feel a lot of pride that you installed the systems, and they are still working.”

- Joe Grundle

On the horizon

BWZ Architects, Middleton, is designing an estimated $2.28 million elevator replacement project at the Medical Science Center and Service Memorial Institute on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. … Engineer Strass-Maguire & Associates, Milwaukee, is working with the Hartford Public Library on plans to either build a new facility or renovate the existing library. … Kehoe-Henry & Associates Inc., Elkhorn, is consulting on an estimated $11.4 million replacement facility for the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program in the Winnebago Mental Health Facility in Oshkosh. … The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee is planning construction of an estimated $500,000 equestrian center at YMCA Camp Minikani in Hubertus. … Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., Madison, is designing a new fire and EMS station in Middleton. … Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services Inc., Fort Smith, Ark., is planning an estimated $10 million nursing home and physical therapy facility in West Bend. … HDR Architecture Inc., Milwaukee, is moving forward with the design of an estimated $80 million outpatient center for Covenant Healthcare Systems Inc. in Franklin. … The University of Wisconsin System and study-phase architect Flad & Associates Inc., Madison, earned state approval to continue planning for the estimated $380.7 million Wisconsin Institute for Discovery on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. … Kahler Slater Architects Inc., Milwaukee, is proceeding with the design of an estimated $25.19 million student union expansion and admissions center on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus in Kenosha. … TDI Associates Inc., Waukesha, is drawing up plans for a new fire station in Lisbon. … Developer General Capital Management, Mequon, is working through the approval process for a 37,000-square-foot shopping center in Brown Deer. … The U.S. Department of Labor is providing $28 million to develop a new Job Corps center on North 60th Street in Milwaukee. … Gorman & Co. Inc., Madison, is planning to combine renovations and new construction to create apartments, offices and retail space on the former Pabst property in Milwaukee. … Ayres Associates Inc., Eau Claire, will provide engineering for a bridge demolition and replacement project in Gordon.

Dotted Line

Vinton Construction Co., Manitowoc, won a $1.46 million contract for utility construction and concrete paving work in Little Chute. Vinton also won a $1.47 million contract for concrete paving and road reconstruction work in Manitowoc. Vinton also won a $1.50 million contract for the George Street reconstruction in De Pere. … LaLonde Contractors Inc., Milwaukee, took home a $1.41 million contract for street and utility work in West Allis. LaLonde also won a $2.69 million contract for airport improvements at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay. … Milwaukee General Construction Co. Inc., Milwaukee, landed a $1.29 million contract to reconstruct Chicory Road in Racine. … TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractors, La Crosse, will build the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy at Fort McCoy after winning a $12 million contract for the job. … American Sewer Services Inc., Hartford, won a $1.33 million contract to construct a sanitary-sewer relay project in Whitefish Bay. … Underground Pipeline Inc., New Berlin, will construct a sanitary-sewer relay in Whitefish Bay after winning a $1.26 million contract for the job. … C.D. Smith Construction Co., Fond du Lac, landed a $10.22 million contract to expand and modify a water-treatment facility in Menasha. … J.F. Brennan Co. Inc., La Crosse, took home a $1.93 million contract to construct new bulkhead recesses for Lock and Dam 9 in Prairie du Chien. … Rule Construction Ltd., Dodgeville, landed a $1.06 million contract to reconstruct Lincoln Avenue in Lancaster. … MSI General Corp., Oconomowoc, was selected to design and build an addition and remodel of Messiah Lutheran Church and School in Hales Corners. … Buteyn-Peterson Construction, Sheboygan, won a $3.69 million contract for a concrete paving and detention pond expansion project in Sheboygan. … Creative Constructors LLC, Menomonee Falls, won a $3.43 million contract for the Harry V. Quadracci Printing Education and Technology Center on the Waukesha County Technical College campus in Pewaukee. … Lunda Construction Co., Black River Falls, landed a $1.80 million contract to rehabilitate the Georgia-Pacific dock on the Fox River in Green Bay. … Oudenhoven Construction Inc., Kaukauna, won a $2.67 million general contract to construct water-treatment facilities in Peshtigo. August Winter & Sons Inc., Appleton, won a $1.79 million mechanical contract for the job. … A-1 Excavating Inc., Bloomer, took home a $1.52 million contract to construct a wastewater-collection system in Dekorra. A-1 also won a $1.15 million contract for road and utility work in Lake Delton. A-1 also won a $1.47 million contract to construct a water main in Melvina. … J&L Excavating LLC, Merrill, will construct water-system improvements in Glidden after winning a $1.33 million contract for the job. … R.T. Fox Contractors Inc., Edgerton, secured a $1.17 million contract for sewer and water work in Janesville. … Frank Brothers Inc., Janesville, landed a $1.54 million contract for street construction work in Janesville. … Advance Construction Inc., Green Bay, won a $1.09 million contract for utility and street construction work in West Bend. … Dresel Construction Ltd., Chippewa Falls, will construct improvements to L.O. Simenstad Municipal Airport in Osceola after winning a $1.49 million contract for the job. … Van Straten Construction, Green Bay, took home a $1.33 million contract for sewer and water reconstruction work in Appleton. … Capitol Pavers Inc., New Berlin, secured a $1.20 million contract for landscaping and sidewalk work in Menomonee Falls. … Altmann Construction Co. Inc., Wisconsin Rapids, will build a new public safety building in Rib Mountain after winning a $1.29 million contract for the job. … Kautza Excavating LLC, Antigo, won a $1.11 million contract to construct utility improvements in Antigo. … Northeast Asphalt Inc., Greenville, landed a $2.19 million contract for a road- resurfacing project in Sheboygan. … Monarch Paving Co., Turtle Lake, secured a $1.21 million contract for airport improvements at Rice Lake Regional Airport in Rice Lake. … Pember Companies Inc., Menomonie, landed a $1.57 million contract for water and wastewater projects in Zumbro Falls, Minn. … Switlick & Sons Inc., Athens, will construct street and utility improvements in Phillips after winning a $1.10 million contract for the work. … F&K Trucking & Excavating, River Falls, won a $2.56 million contract for street and utility work in Mondovi. … Parisi Construction Co. Inc., Verona, landed a $3.25 million contract for highway reconstruction work in Mount Horeb. … Badger Environmental & Earthworks Inc., Westby, took home a $1.92 million contract to construct a sewage force main in Cashton. Olympic Builder General Contractors, Holmen, won a $2.13 million contract to construct an oxidation ditch for the same project in Cashton. … Scherrer Construction Co., Burlington, will expand and alter the headquarters and distribution facility of the Oak Creek Water Utility after winning a $2.23 million contract for the job. … Wanasek Corp., Burlington, won a $1.31 million contract for street and sidewalk work in Burlington. … Rock Road Companies Inc., Janesville, landed a $1.24 million contract for street resurfacing in Janesville.

By design

The Pres House wants to capitalize on its prime location in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The Presbyterian ministry figures the more revenue it can generate, the better equipped it will be to continue its programs. With that in mind, the organization turned to architectural firms BWZ Architects, Middleton, and Sue Associates, Oakland, Calif., to design a plan for a new, seven-story, 81,000-square-foot student housing facility with 176 student bedrooms next to the ministry's building at the intersection of State and Murray streets. The second half of the project calls for the renovation of the historic, two-story Pres House and construction of a second courtyard. The estimated $12 million project should start in June, with completion scheduled for July 2007. General contractor Stevens Construction Corp., Madison, should continue to release subcontractor bids as the project progresses.

On the move

J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. recently moved from its offices at 1122 N. Edison St. in Milwaukee to a new Milwaukee headquarters at 1600 N. Sixth St. The phone number for the Milwaukee office remains 414-272-8788. … Wickwire Gavin PC, a construction and government contracts law firm, recently moved its Madison office to 222 W. Washington Ave. The firm's phone number is 608-257-5335.

Name change

MERO Structures Inc., a glazed-structures design, engineering and installation company in Menomonee Falls, recently changed its name to Novum Structures LLC.

Off the clock

Power play

Johnson hits the gym about four times a week to stay in shape and work on her power lifting. Photos courtesy of Royal Johnson

Something wasn’t right.

Royal Johnson was stuck sweeping floors while her male colleagues went out to job sites. She was a Steamfitters pre-apprentice in the first few months at her first job in the early 1990s, and she wondered why she couldn’t rate the same responsibilities as the guys who were at the same apprenticeship level.

“A sympathetic journeyman told me the reason was they didn’t think I was strong enough,” said Johnson, who is now the Madison branch general manager for Bassett Mechanical Inc.

So the next day, Johnson brought in a national power-lifting magazine that showed she held the Wisconsin power-lifting records for her age and weight class.

“The next week, I was out on a job,” she said. “There was nothing they could do that I couldn’t do.”

Johnson can bench press 150 pounds. Photos courtesy of Royal Johnson

In fact, there’s probably quite a bit that Johnson can do that her male colleagues can’t. Johnson can dead lift 300 pounds, bench press 150 pounds and complete a 250-pound squat.

She used numbers like that to enter four pure — or drug-free — power-lifting competitions. She took second place in her weight class at her first competition in Mukwonago in 1991. In 1994, she took first place in the Wisconsin Masters age group in Madison.

But despite her success, she never really planned to get involved in power lifting, which combines squats, dead lifts and bench presses.

“About 17 years ago, I was interested in changing jobs to the Madison Police Department, and it was physically demanding,” she said. “You had to bench half your body weight 10 times in a minute.”

So she went to a gym to get in shape.

Johnson credits the other lifters at her gym for getting her involved in power-lifting competitions. Photos courtesy of Royal Johnson

“The first day I went, the recommended exercise was the squat,” she said. “I did six or seven of those without a bar, and the next day, I couldn’t walk. Within a couple of years, I could do a couple hundred pounds.”

The Police Department job never panned out, but Johnson still power lifts.

“I like the progress of it and keeping track of the numbers,” she said. “In a lot of ways, it’s very cognitive.”

It also comes in handy when a friend needs someone to lend a little muscle to a chore.

“Just the other day, I helped someone push a tractor out of a barn, and I know I did my part,” Johnson said. “I just stay strong. I am able to do a lot of things most women don’t even consider.”

- Chris Thompson