Peer Review

The IT factor

Koenig builds on his father’s interests

Age: Turned 50 last year. “I’ve never been one for birthdays, but when you hit 50, you kind of acknowledge you’ve at least reached the halfway point.” Home: Shorewood Family: Married with two teen-age children Hobby: Occasionally plays bass in a band with Milwaukee blues musician Steve Cohen Current musician of choice: James Hunter, a British blues singer. “He’s great, if you like that kind of music.” Claim to fame: Co-authored a sales book called “ROI Selling: Increased Revenue, Profit and Customer Loyalty through the 360 Sales Cycle”

Kurt Koenig comes from a construction family with a modern twist.

Koenig and his brother, Karl, run Brookfield-based Penta Technologies Inc., a computer software provider to the construction industry. Their father, grandfather and uncle all worked in construction.

But Koenig’s dad, William, had other ideas. Once a lawyer and then a painter, William Koenig left his painting business in 1968 to start a computer software company called System Five, which would later become Penta.

“Running an industrial painting firm is labor intensive and controlling and managing labor costs are very important for that kind of operation,” said Kurt Koenig. “He had IBM Service Bureau Corp. process his payrolls in part because they could provide him with labor-cost reports that broke down where his labor was going on jobs.

“In the ’60s, he got interested in other applications and ended up starting what is now this company.”

And Kurt Koenig is taking the company to the next level. In November, he was named chairman of the Construction Financial Management Association’s newly formed IT Council.

“One of the areas we are exploring of particular interest to me is that IT and software are by their nature highly intangible,” Kurt Koenig said. “We’re in the business of getting companies to buy software, so helping them understand what tangible payback they are going to get from the application of IT is an important ability.”

When Kurt Koenig was a child, his family moved from St. Francis to Milwaukee’s North Shore suburbs for the schools, but after a couple of years at Nicolet High School, he transferred to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire.

“There was a need for a more academic environment given the variety of interests I had at that time,” he said. “I was never very fond of school. It’s ironic, perhaps, in the light of why we moved to the North Shore.”

The Brewster location on a lake in a small town in New England was the perfect catalyst.

“Brewster was a very good experience for me,” he said. “I was exposed to a different part of the country and got to visit Boston a number of times.

“Also, there were a couple teachers there who really sparked my interest in language and communications, which has impacted my career in a roundabout way.”

Kurt Koenig attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, graduating from the latter in 1981 with degrees in English and philosophy. Despite his majors, he returned to the family business and the IT world.

“Nothing else ever seemed as interesting,” he said. “And it offered a lot — travel, exposure to different things and no end of challenges because technology is always evolving, and a tech company has to evolve with it.”

Although he deals in software, Kurt Koenig should never be confused for a computer programmer. He’s more a businessman like his father.

“One of my dad’s first pieces of advice to me was to focus on the business aspect and not the technology aspect,” he said. “His specific advice was to learn enough about the technology to communicate with the technologists, but focus on what our customers need and how to get it done. The technology is just a component of that.”

— Joe Grundle

Your honor

A recently completed office addition that Ayres Associates Inc, Eau Claire, designed for Bush Brothers & Co. won the 2006 Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Leadership Award Special Citation for Innovative Heat Recovery. Heat from the production of baked beans in Bush Brothers’ adjacent plant is used to heat the 25,300-square-foot addition in Augusta. … The Wisconsin Department of Transportation honored several contractors with outstanding highway construction awards. Hoffman Construction Co., Black River Falls, won an Excellence in Grading Award for its work on Highway 35 in Burnett County. MCC Inc., Appleton, won an Excellence in Asphalt Paving Award for its work on Highway 45 in Waupaca County. Michels Corp., Brownsville, won an Excellence in Concrete Paving Award for its work on Highway 141 in Marinette County. Edward Kraemer and Sons Inc., Plain, won an Excellence in Small Structures Award for its work on the North Bridge over the Root River in Racine County. Lunda Construction Co., Black River Falls, won an Excellence in Large Structures Award for its work on the Fox River Bridge in Neenah. Monarch Paving Co., Amery, won an Excellence in Airport Construction Award for its work reconstructing, widening and extending the primary runway and parallel taxiway at the Rice Lake Airport. … Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc., Milwaukee and Madison, won a 2007 AIA Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design from the American Institute of Architects for the firm’s work on the Historic Third Ward Riverwalk in Milwaukee. … William M. Babcock, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Wisconsin, and Carol Godiksen, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin, were honored with Excellence in Service awards from Gov. Jim Doyle for their work on a public-private partnership between the Division of State Facilities and the architects and engineers who work on state building projects. Doyle also honored Eppstein Uhen Architects, Milwaukee, with an Excellence in Architectural Design Award for its work on the Reuter Residence Hall at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. … J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, won a Construction Futures Award from the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin for the company’s education outreach initiatives. Findorff’s Construction Careers Initiative lets grade school, middle school and high school students participate in informational presentations and hands-on clinics hosted by Findorff professionals. … The Milwaukee Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry named the regional winners in the 2007 Contractor of the Year Award competition. Bartelt Filo Design Build, Menomonee Falls, won in the Residential Addition Over $250,000 and Residential Universal Design categories. Brillo Home Improvements Inc., Milwaukee, won in the Residential Addition $100,000 to $250,000 category. Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling, Milwaukee, won in the Residential Historical Renovation/Restoration category. KD Poolscapes, Franksville, won in the Residential Exterior Specialty category. Kerzner Inc., Oconomowoc, won in the Home Theater & Media Rooms Under $150,000 category. E. Miller and Associates Inc., Cedarburg, won in the Residential Kitchen $60,001 to $100,000 category.

Dotted line

TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractors, La Crosse, landed an $11.92 million contract to design/build a 100-member Army Reserve center in Fort McCoy. … Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah, will renovate the interior of the South Hall science laboratory on the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County campus in Wausau after winning a $2.51 million contract for the job. Miron also won a $3.71 million general, plumbing and HVAC contract for the expansion and remodeling of a union on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. Miron also won a $1.31 million general contract to construct a fuel- and ash-handling facility in Madison. Miron also won a $2.95 million contract for remodeling and expansion work at Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander. … Olympic Builders General Contractors, Holmen, took home a $2.27 million contract to construct a radium-removal plant in La Crescent, Minn. … Hooper Corp., Madison, won a $2.13 million mechanical contract in the construction of the fuel-and ash-handling facility in Madison. … R.G. Huston Co. Inc., Cottage Grove, won a $1.85 million contract to reconstruct Lien Road in Madison. … T.V. John & Son Inc., Butler, took home a $1.73 million contract to expand the hydraulics at a wastewater-treatment plant in Stoughton. … Hammersley Stone Co. Inc., Verona, won a $1.57 million contract to reconstruct three roads in Madison. … Klobucar Construction Co. Inc., Beloit, landed a $1.55 million contract for construction, renovation and repair work on three Blackhawk Technical College campuses in Janesville and Monroe. … C.W. Purpero Inc., Milwaukee, secured a $1.53 million contract for underground construction work in Milwaukee. … Fahrner Asphalt Sealers Inc., Plover, will cross the border to Michigan for a road construction project after landing a $1.39 million contract for the job. … Mainline Sewer & Water Inc., Wauwatosa, will construct a water-main project in Caledonia after winning a $1.32 million contract for the job. … Advance Construction Inc., Green Bay, secured a $1.26 million contract to construct an interceptor sewer in Appleton.

By design

Rendering courtesy of La Macchia Group LLC

Shoreline Credit Union is growing. And with growth comes new construction. It’s that basic philosophy that’s at the heart of the plans for a new Shoreline Credit Union professional building on an outlot of a Lowe’s development in Manitowoc. La Macchia Group LLC, Milwaukee, is handling both the design and construction of the estimated $4.5 million project. Once complete, the new building, which will sit on an 8,000-square-foot footprint with one level underground and two above, will offer 50 percent of the first floor and 50 percent of the lower level for Shoreline, with the rest of the space available for professional tenants. Construction should start in March, and La Macchia is targeting the end of the year for completion.

Giving back

Colleen Horner (left) of Colleen Horner Kitchen.Bath.Tile.Stone and Metropolitan Builders Association President Bruce Johnson (right) of BDC Building Design & Construction Inc. join scholarship winners (left to right) Kevin Rode, Luke Nabak, Nicholas Zukauskas and Ryan Sambs. Photo courtesy of the MBA

The Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee announced the winners of the Bruce Horner Memorial Scholarship Design Contest. Nicholas Zukauskas of Waukesha West High School won a $1,000 scholarship for his first-place entry in the 3-D Home Design Category. Kevin Rode of Waukesha West won a $500 scholarship for placing second in the 3-D Home Design Category. Luke Nabak of Waukesha North High School won a $1,000 scholarship for his first-place entry in the One-Dimensional Blue-print Design Category. Ryan Sambs of Waukesha West won a $500 scholarship for placing second in the One-Dimensional Blueprint Design Category. The MBA also gave back to the community at its 18th annual Home Builders Expo. Attendees were offered $1 off admission when they contributed two nonperishable food items to the Hunger Task Force. The promotion brought in 2,702 pounds of food and $264 in cash donations.

Best of the web

The Harley Davidson Museum Construction Camera Web site at www.h-dmuseum.oxblue.com offers a stationary camera pointed directly at the site of the under-construction Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. The camera snaps a shot of the site every 15 minutes and uploads the image to the Web site. The transition from one shot to the next is a great feature.
— Rick Benedict

Milestones

Eppstein Uhen Architects’ sixth floor office in Madison achieves LEED certification. Photo courtesy of Eppstein Uhen Architects

The Wisconsin Electrical Employees Benefit Fund’s new 12,000-square-foot office building in Madison was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design certification status by the U.S. Green Building Council. The building was designed and built by The Renschler Co. Inc., Madison. … Eppstein Uhen Architects, which is based in Milwaukee, earned LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the firm’s sixth floor office at 222 W. Washington Ave., Madison. … Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc., Green Bay, reached 3 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident. The achievement occurred in January and spans a 55-month period starting in June 2003.

On the move

Beyer Construction in April will move its operations to 3080 S. Calhoun Road, New Berlin. Beyer will occupy about 20,100 square feet on the south end of a multitenant industrial building. The remainder of the building is leased to five other businesses. Beyer is moving from 3200 S. 166th St., New Berlin, its location since 1992. … Bloom Consultants LLC will move in the fall from 5420 S. Westridge Drive, New Berlin, to a new headquarters at 10601 W. Research Drive, Wauwatosa. Bloom is a civil engineering consulting firm.

On the horizon

JJR LLC, Madison, is consulting on the proposed construction of a marina and safe harbor in Gill’s Rock. … Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc., Milwaukee, is designing an interior-improvement project for the Sequoya Branch Library in Madison. … Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., Sheboygan, is working with the village of Elkhart Lake on plans for a new fire station. … The Sheboygan Development Corp. is raising money for construction of the estimated $17 million Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center in Sheboygan. … Asphalt Contractors Inc., Union Grove, is proposing construction of an estimated $70 million ethanol plant in Dover. … Merrill Hills Country Club, Waukesha, intends to construct a new swimming pool and tennis courts at an estimated cost of $2.1 million. … Thomas Design Inc., Fond du Lac, is designing a new manufacturing plant for Hy-Tech Forward LLC in West Bend. … Angus-Young Associates Inc., Janesville, is working with the Watertown Public Works Department on plans for a new $6 million to $7 million public works facility in Watertown. … Taylor Dynamometer, New Berlin, is targeting Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley as the site for an estimated $4 million new plant and offices. … Galileo Consulting Group LLC, La Crosse, is designing an estimated $2.23 million plumbing system replacement project for two buildings on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. … Frisbie Architects Inc., River Falls, is working with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on an estimated $2.04 million remodel of the Davee Library’s ground floor on campus. … Henneman Engineering Inc., Madison, is designing an estimated $1.76 million renovation of the plant sciences reclaim system in the Horticulture-Moore Hall-Plant Sciences Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

Off the clock

Brunner hits the dusty trail

Brunner and his wife, Beth, enjoy a picture-perfect day at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in 2001. Photos courtesy of Steve Brunner

Steve Brunner has a small favor to ask of the federal government.

If it’s not too much trouble, he’d really appreciate it if the powers that be could just hold off a little on designating new national parks.

It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy the parks. In fact, as a landscape architect who designs parks for Ruekert/Mielke, Waukesha, he probably can appreciate a national park as much as, if not more than, anyone.

It’s just that about 10 years ago, he set a goal to visit every national park, and if the federal government keeps up its current pace — four national parks were added to the register since 1999 — Brunner’s going to be playing catch-up for a long time.

“There are 58 national parks, and I’ve been to 25 parks in 13 states,” he said. “But they keep adding more, and that’s what’s making it more difficult for me.”

Brunner (left) and Bill Kussmann enjoy the solitude of Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior in 1998. The park receives fewer visitors in a year than Yellowstone National Park gets in a day.

Brunner, 31, first caught the national park bug in 1996 during a trip with a friend to visit family in Colorado. During the visit, he and his friend took a side trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

“By the time I was 20, I had only been to Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota,” he said. “It was the first time I saw the mountains, and I kind of fell in love with it.

“I got home and thought, ‘Wow, I’m missing out. Going up north is great, but I’m missing out on a lot of cool stuff.’”

From that point on, Brunner started planning trips to national parks.

“I decided I’d have a personal quest to see all the parks, and I’ve been chipping away at it ever since,” he said.

Brunner takes a break during a hike through the mountains at Zion National Park in Utah in 1999.

For a while, he managed to make it to five or six parks a year. As life got busier and he got married, the trip count dropped to about one or two parks a year.

“My wife isn’t into hiking, fishing and backpacking, so we try to go someplace near a national park but within striking distance of a hotel,” he said.

While his favorite remains Glacier National Park in Montana, Brunner said the experience that really stands out was a 10-day trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas. And he can thank the pigs and their attraction to bratwurst for the memories.

“It’s pretty remote, and it’s on the border with Mexico about eight hours away from anything,” he said. “One day, we had a small herd of about 25 wild pigs come into our camp. We had to throw rocks at them for about 20 minutes before they gave up. We tried to stand our ground.”

Pig incident aside, Brunner said he’s still motivated to visit the parks by the sense that he’s missing out on something, and it’s that feeling that keeps him looking at the map and charting his next adventure.
“I just have to find out for myself,” he said.

- Chris Thompson