2019 News

December 2019

Wolverine Matches Employee Contributions: 80 for 80
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) celebrated 80 years by matching employee donations to nonprofit organizations. Presidents and co-owners, Aaron Jonker and Curt Mulder, wanted to do something for the community in celebration of being in business for 80 years. And they wanted their team to be a part of it.  At an all-company meeting in January of 2019, Jonker and Mulder announced to the company that over the course of the next 12 months, in honor of their 80th year in business, Wolverine would have an ongoing internal campaign called 80 for 80. The goal was simple: they challenged their team to make a total of 80 donations to nonprofit organizations and Wolverine would match the donations dollar for dollar up to $500 per team member. 59 non-profit organizations benefited from the 80 for 80 campaign and over $42,000 in donations were made. Donations ranged between $25.00 to $500.00.

Wolverine Adds Seven New Team Members
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has announced the addition of seven new team members. Cliff Kilboy joined the team as a senior project manager, David de Velder and John Lafrinere as project managers, Timothy Thome as preconstruction manager, and Mitchell Japowicz, Lee Purches, and Timothy Clogg as superintendents. Kilboy has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry having served in various project management and consulting roles. Prior to joining Wolverine, he served as a project director at a general contractor where he oversaw multiple large-scale projects. 

de Velder has 20 years of experience in the real estate development and construction industries. Prior to joining Wolverine, he served at the director of development at the Kent County Land Bank Authority/InnovaLaB where directed real estate development including the acquisition, assessment, development, renovation and resale of 800 tax foreclosed, bank foreclosed, and distressed properties. 

Lafrinere has five years of experience in the construction industry. Prior to joining Wolverine, he worked as a project manager at Kerkstra Precast.
Thome has over 37 years of experience in the construction industry, specifically in pre-construction/estimating roles. Prior to joining Wolverine, he served as a project planning leader at a general contractor where he was responsible for planning/estimating projects between $2.5 million - $150 million.

Japowicz, Purches, and Clogg have over 75 years of combined experience in the construction industry.

KBE Recognized for 2019’s Best Health Care Project
Engineering News-Record (ENR) named KBE Building Corporation’s Seabury Active Life Community (Bloomfield, CT) project as 2019’s Best Health Care project in New England. KBE was Construction Manager at Risk for the 291,150 sf expansion of Seabury Active Life Community. The two-phase project allowed the community to continue providing its commitment to wellness for residents seeking independence, opportunities for growth, and future security. The project was also the site of an OSHA Safety Training Partnership, one of five that KBE has been invited to participate in to date based on the firm’s exceptional safety record. The partnership helps KBE and OSHA provide vital safety training and guidance to trade contractors onsite, helping to improve overall industry safety. Click here to read more.

November 2019

Eckinger Finishes Dave & Busters

Eckinger Construction Company (Canton, OH) recently complete a Dave & Buster’s, which is occupying a portion of the second floor of the Sears’ store at Belden Village Mall. The company began working on the 34,000-square -foot space in April. Eckinger worked closely with Seritage Growth Properties, which did the outside construction. Eckinger has been working with Dave & Buster’s since 2002, doing work all across the United States. Click here to read more.

KBE Receives Several Accolades During 60th Anniversary Year
Capping its 60th year in business, KBE Building Corp (Farmington, CT), has been recognized with several accolades.

Merit Award from ABC of Connecticut
KBE was recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Connecticut Chapter with a Merit Award in its annual Excellence in Construction Awards program. KBE provided Construction Management at Risk services for the City of Waterbury’s Consolidated Public Works Facility and Bureau of Apparatus Maintenance Facility, which included the renovation of 67,000 sf of existing buildings and the construction of 56,000 sf of new buildings. The awards program recognizes outstanding building projects while increasing awareness in local communities regarding the quantity and quality of work being produced by members of the ABC CT chapter.

Safety Director Adam Peters Wins Top Safety Award
Adam Peters, Corporate Safety Director, was named the 2019 Safety Professional of the Year by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Connecticut Chapter. This honor recognizes Mr. Peters’ ongoing and outstanding commitment to improving worker safety throughout the construction industry as well as on KBE’s projects. Mr. Peters has been with KBE since 2000 and has more than 25 years of construction industry experience.

ABC Top Performer
ABC Top Performers recognizes contractors across the US who have demonstrated world-class safety performance by implementing ABC’s STEP safety management system, which makes the top-performing contractors up to 680% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average, according to the ABC 2019 Safety Performance Report. KBE is currently ranked #113.

Hartford Courant Top Workplace
KBE was recently ranked 13th among the Hartford Courant’s 2019 Top Workplaces (small employer group). Companies are recognized solely on surveys about the workplace completed by their employees.

ENR Top 400 Contractors
A leading international magazine for the engineering and construction industry, ENR’s annual list, based on construction revenue, has ranked KBE as number 280 among the nation’s top contractors. Among the recent projects keeping KBE in these top rankings are the 78,588 sf, 4-story Wayback Residence Hall at State University of New York, Purchase College in Purchase, NY, the 291,150 sf renovation and expansion of Seabury Active Life Community in Bloomfield, Conn., and the 105,000 renovation and expansion of the City of Waterbury’s Consolidated Department of Public Works.

Kathy Maire, Tri-North, Named an Unsung Hero
Kathy Maire, a teacher at Tri-North Builders ’ (Madison, WI) Little Builders Day School, was honored by The Daily Reporter (Milwaukee) as the 2019 Unsung Hero. This award is giving to an employee at a construction company who does amazing and beneficial work for the industry behind the scenes. Click here to watch the award video.

September 2019 

Prime Retail Services Releases Self-Directed Online Leadership Training
Prime Retail Services has launched in-house leadership training called L.E.A.D. (Leadership Empowerment and Development). Prime is now in the process of developing what they are calling L.E.A.D. 2.0, which will be an online self-directed training program for all employees from field techs to the leadership team. The goal of this training is to equip every employee with the tools they need to be leaders in their job and communities. 
The initial roll-out of the L.E.A.D. Program was focused on their leads in the field. The second phase of the program will be pushed out at the beginning of 2020 with a new batch of young leaders. L.E.A.D. 2.0 is designed to be an online, self-directed, and internally tracked leadership development course that will focus on six KPI’s ranging from professionalism to safety. Click here to read more.

Wolverine Wins Multiple Excellence in Construction Awards
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) received multiple awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors Western Michigan Chapter at its 33rd annual Excellence in Construction Awards. The annual event celebrates the best in West Michigan construction and recognizes the most innovative and high-quality construction projects, safety efforts, and craft professionals. Wolverine was recognized for: Renovation/Addition $1 million-$5 million: Spectrum Health’s Michigan Street Market & Grille; New Construction less than $1 million: 40 Acres Restaurant; New Construction $1 million-$5 million (Tie): Covenant House; Roofing Other: Hemisphere Design Works. Click here to read more.

Benda Named to Most Influential List
For the second consecutive year, Bob Benda, CEO of Westwood Contractors, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX), has been named among Fort Worth’s Top 400 most influential people by Fort Worth, Inc. magazine. Through his civic involvement and business relationships, Benda has worked extensively to build a better, stronger community for all Fort Worth citizens and the company’s employees in particular. In addition to being a founding member and past president of the RCA, he has held positions on the boards of several well-respected non-profit and community service organizations focused in education, healthcare, and industry trade associations. Today, Benda actively lends his expertise to the Mayor’s Kitchen Cabinet, Tarleton State University’s Construction Science and Management Program, and ACH Child and Family Services. He encourages others to become involved as a way of gaining exposure, enhancing one’s personal and professional development, and experiencing a positive way of giving back to the community. Click here to read more.

Allen Named Volunteer of the Year
Tyshaun Allen, who runs the information technology systems at Taylor Brothers Construction Co. (Columbus, IN) was named Volunteer of the Year by the Columbus Young Professionals and the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. The honor was part of the NextGen Awards, an effort to raise the visibility of emerging talent and highlight individual achievement. Allen has served on the Columbus Area Multi-Ethnic Association board of directors for five years and now serves as its president. He also served on the team that led the Welcoming Communities survey and serves as a technology consultant to the African American Fund of Bartholomew County and the Columbus Enrichment Program. Click here to read more.

PWI Part of Sheraton Renovation
PWI Construction (Las Vegas, NV) will serve as the general contractor for the public spaces of the $80 million renovation of the Sheraton Denver Downtown. The hotel is one of the Sheraton brand’s flagship properties. Click here to read more.

August 2019

Menards Expands Outside of Midwest With Help from Immel
Immel Construction (Green Bay, WI) is working with Menards on constructing a new 246,000 square-foot store in Paducah, KY. The space will contain a new store, warehouse building, and ample parking. The new store will be one of the first few Menards in Kentucky as well as one of the first few to stretch outside the Midwest. Construction began in June and will be completed at the end of 2019. Immel Construction has taken on 30 new Menards stores since 2000 alone, contributing to over 100 projects Immel has completed with Menards in the last 19 years.

Go Green Construction is now GGC National Contractors
Following the successful completion of a flagship project on the Las Vegas Strip and numerous large-scale projects in New York City and California, it became apparent to the leadership at Go Green Construction, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) that it was time to streamline the company’s identity to most clearly represent its work. Going forward, Go Green Construction, Inc. will be known as GGC National Contractors. The new moniker reflects the company’s national reach and energy conscious projects both large and small.

KBE’s Eric Brown Retires, John Davies Takes Over Leadership of Mid-Atlantic Office
Eric C. Brown, LEED AP, long-time principal and senior leader of KBE Building Corporation has announced plans to retire at the end of 2019. John Davies has joined the firm and will take over as Managing Director of KBE’s Mid-Atlantic office.

Brown joined KBE in 1991 as Chief Estimator. Over the years, he advanced in his positions, eventually becoming Senior Vice President of Operations. In 2011, he took over leadership of KBE’s Mid-Atlantic office, located in Columbia, MD. Davies took over leadership of the KBE-MidAtlantic office as Managing Director on July 1, 2019. He joined KBE in late 2018 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry, including working for general contractors in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Click here to read more.

Wolverine Building Group Announces Key Leadership Changes
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) recently announced a re-organization at a leadership level to not only manage their existing business, but also to provide opportunities for growth for their team. Jamerson M. Ries has been promoted to Vice President of Operations and Paul McGuire has been promoted to Vice President of Field Operations.

Ries has been with Wolverine since 2012. An engineer by education, Ries joined the Wolverine team as a Project Manager and was promoted to a Vice President in 2017. In his new role, Ries will oversee the entire project management team for all market segments. McGuire joined the Wolverine team in August 2018 as a Senior Project Manager. Prior to joining Wolverine, McGuire was a Senior Project Executive with the Gilbane Building Company. In his new role, McGuire will be responsible for Wolverine’s superintendents, field, general trades and steel crews.

In addition to Ries and McGuire, Wolverine has promoted Michael Beuschel, Scott Linder, and Randy Baker to Directors of Construction. Steve Achram and Adam Tuffs have been promoted to Directors of Sales and Pre-Construction.

Command Center is now HireQuest
RCA Platinum Sponsor Command Center has merged with Trojan Labor to create HireQuest, Inc., which is now one of the largest temporary staffing companies in the U.S. The company operates 160 branch locations throughout 33 states and is aggressively looking for new market opportunities to service clients at a broader, national level. This expanded footprint provides a greater opportunity to supply the quality help RCA members need.

HireQuest provides a range of staff, from basic laborers to higher-skilled employees. They understand that many contractors have projects coast to coast and have focused on recruiting a number of workers in each region that have experience with construction, installation, and merchandising projects. Dwight Enget, formerly with Command Center National Accounts, has transitioned to the HireQuest National Accounts Team. Enget has been in the staffing industry for more than 25 years and understands the importance of delivering quality workers for the progression of your project. You can contact him at [email protected] to learn how you can benefit by partnering with HireQuest. Click here to view HireQuest’s directory of locations.

Safety Meeting Outlines Launches New Website
Safety Meetings Outlines has launched a new website that is easier to navigate and streamlines the ordering process. RCA members are given a membership to Safety Meeting Outlines as part of their benefit package. Each organization is assigned one representative to receive the monthly Safety Meeting Outlines emails. To access your online Safety Meeting Outlines benefits, click on the Account button on the top right of their home page. Your company rep’s email address is the username. You can recover the password using the Forgot Password? link. Once you have accessed your account, you can use the quick access button to access the Library portal, where you will find a variety of safety resources and materials.

July 2019

Wolverine Building Group Expands Team 
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has announced the addition of two new team members. Patrick Schrauben and Bryan Richardson joined the team as project managers. Schrauben has over 23 years of combined experience as an engineer and project manager in the construction industry. He specializes in the construction of educational, health care, capital improvement, and municipal projects and will work alongside Wolverine’s construction management team. Richardson has over 18 years of combined experience as a field supervisor, superintendent, and project manager in the construction industry. He specializes in the construction of multi-unit residential projects and will work alongside Wolverine’s multi-family team.

Wolverine Building Group is Safety Finalist
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has been named a general contractor finalist for the ABC Western Michigan 2019 Safety Award of Excellence. The Associated Builders and Contractors Western Michigan Chapter will present the award to organizations that exhibit a continued commitment to job-site safety and have exemplary safety performance and programs. The winner will be announced at the Excellence in Construction Awards in September. Click here to read more.

David A. Nice Completes Library
David A. Nice Builders (Williamsburg, VA) recently completed work on the Charles City Library. Charles City County was previously Virginia’s only county without its own library. The new, 8,200-square-foot facility replaces a 2,000-square-foot space that was open inside the county’s courthouse. Click here to read more.

Schimenti Completes McDonald’s Times Square Flagship
At 11,200 square feet, McDonald’s new flagship restaurant in Times Square it takes up a lot of space on 45th and Broadway. Schimenti Construction (New York, NY) transformed the space previously occupied by Toys R Us. It offers three floors of seating–including an expanded second floor which juts out 12 feet over the street and an added mezzanine above. Schimenti also installed three dumbwaiters, 18 self-ordering kiosks and a 50-foot high curtain wall—an entirely glass-paneled wall allowing an expansive view of the street below and the entirety of Times Square. Click here to read more.

May 2019

Eckinger Continues Work With Dave & Busters
Eckinger Construction Co. (Canton, OH) has been working with Dave & Buster’s since 2002. The company recently started work on a Dave & Buster’s in Belden Village Mall. Eckinger Construction has handled more than 860 projects for Dave & Buster’s, ranging from building new stores to building cabinetry and completing small remodels. Click here to read more.

Rockford Construction Expands Leadership
Rockford Construction (Grand Rapids, MI) has elevated Kurt Hassberger, previously Rockford’s president of real estate development, to the newly created role of chief counsel, leading overall company initiatives and directly supporting Rockford founder and CEO Mike VanGessel. Click here to read more.

Rockford Breaks Ground on Meijer Location
Rockford Construction (Grand Rapids, MI) began construction on a Meijer store that will open in 2020. The 160,000-square-foot store will sit on a 16-acre site in Sycamore, MI. Meijer is a grocery, pharmacy, electronics, home, and style retailer. Click here to read more.

Gray Acquires SPEC Engineering
Gray, Inc., an engineering, architecture and construction firm, has fully acquired SPEC Engineering, a Plainfield, IL-based process engineering and equipment fabrication company. Gray has been in the construction business for 60 years, and SPEC for 40. SPEC specializes in bakery, confectionary, ingredients and nutritional product manufacturing facilities. Click here to read more.

Fred Olivieri Transforms Space for Quonset Hut
Fred Olivieri Construction Company (North Canton, OH) transformed a dry cleaner and laundromat into a retail store for Quonset Hut. The new space doubles the retailer’s floor space. Click here to read more.

Tom Harmon Gives Commencement Address
Tom Harmon (Columbus, OH), who simultaneously serves as the CEO of Taylor Bros. Construction Co., president of Harmon Construction, and CEO of Harmon Steel, was the keynote speaker at the Indiana University—Purdue University Columbus graduation ceremony earlier this month. The school honored 297 graduates at its 49th annual commencement. Click here to read more.

Wolverine Gives Back to Camp Blodgett
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has made a connection with Camp Blodgett, a local organization providing educational and recreational opportunities to underprivileged children. The organization needed construction work done for the summer retreat center at its West Olive camp. The facility also is often rented out for weddings and other events. The retreat center had a main deck that was in dire need of repair and was becoming a safety hazard for guests. Wolverine donated approximately $25,000 in labor to Camp Blodgett by finishing the deck. The company’s strategic plan includes “doing good by doing well.” Click here to read more.

March 2019

New Ownership for Acme
Jeff Lomber, long time employee of Acme Enterprises, Inc. (Roseville, MI), has purchased the company from founder and owner Robert Russell. Lomber has been with Acme for 23 years, starting his tenure as a carpenter and fixture installer, and quickly moving to a superintendent position on ground up and tenant fit outs. After 10 years, he was promoted to Director of Field Operations and Qualifying Agent, securing the required licensing as the company grew and expanded. In preparation for the purchase of Acme, Lomber moved to a full-time interior position with a promotion to Vice President, responsible for the company’s day to day operations.  

Fortney & Weygandt, Inc. Announces Leadership Changes
Fortney & Weygandt, Inc. (North Olmsted, OH) has promoted Mitch Lapin to President and Greg Freeh to CEO. Lapin will be responsible for continuing to drive the growth of Fortney & Weygandt’s general contracting service nationwide. In his new role, Freeh will focus on long term strategic planning, developing the next generation of senior management and streamlining internal business processes. Freeh will continue with his active role in business development and project estimating. During his career, Lapin has progressed in various leadership roles. He began his career at Fortney & Weygandt in 1994 as a Project Manager overseeing the construction of numerous and varied projects. He became Vice President of Fortney & Weygandt, in 2014 with responsibilities that included supervising project managers, evaluating bids with the estimating department, working with the accounting department on corporate and job-specific financial matters, and participating in efforts to generate new business. Click here to read more.

Fred Olivieri Construction Celebrates 60 Years
Fred Olivieri Construction Company, a family-run business in Canton, OH is celebrating 60 years in business. After working several years in his father’s concrete business, Fred Olivieri wanted to strike out on his own as a general contractor. In 1959 he built some houses on speculation. Soon after, the housing market dropped. Not wanting to build anything else on speculation, Olivieri talked with a friend who worked as an accountant at Standard Oil and landed a job building gasoline stations for Sohio (now known as BP stations). Dean Olivieri joined the family business in 1980 after graduating college. Today, the company is licensed as a contractor in 36 states and works with some of the country’s largest retail and restaurant chains, including McDonald’s, Chipotle, L Brands, and Disney. Click here to read more.

Wolverine Adds VP of HR
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has hired Deborah Guyton as its first VP of human resources. Guyton is the second woman who Aaron Jonker and Curt Mulder have named to their leadership team since becoming co-owners in January 2018. Jonker and Mulder have said they are making an intentional effort to diversify their leadership team since becoming the new owners. Click here to read more.

Engineered Structures Breaks Ground on Fire Department
Engineered Structures, Inc. (Meridian, ID), is providing construction management services for the construction of the City of Meridian’s Fire Station #6. The new station is a 10,229-square-foot, $5.4 million project, expected to be finished in March 2020. Click here to read more.

Tri-North Leading Construction Alliance
Holly Hawkins, president of Tri-North Builders’ Milwaukee office is the chair of the Construction Executive Council of the Waukesha County Business Alliance. In an effort to address construction industry issues, such as the labor shortage, as well as to share ideas and encourage innovation, the Waukesha County Business Alliance, originally the Construction Alliance to address the labor shortage the industry was experiencing, but has grown to encompass other industry needs, such as human resources roundtable discussions and other best practice sharing sessions, in addition to targeting new talent for the industry. Click here to read more.

ARDEX Introduces FLEXBONE® HEAT In-Floor Heating Systems
ARDEX Americas recently announced the launch of FLEXBONE® HEAT In-Floor Heating Systems. A comprehensive, single-source, in-floor radiant heat system, ARDEX FLEXBONE HEAT combines precision German engineering with inspired design. It delivers customizable heat faster, and more efficiently, than any other electric in-floor heating system available. The system includes three major components. The ARDEX FLEXBONE HEAT membrane is a 3-in-1 solution for heating, uncoupling and waterproofing. It has 81% less air space under the membrane for faster, and more efficient heating. The ARDEX FLEXBONE HEAT cables are manufactured to the highest safety and quality standards with aluminum tubing and FEP cable insulation. The cold/hot junction is self-contained in the cable. There are 34 cable sizes available in both 120V or 240V. Finally, there are three options available in the ARDEX FLEXBONE® HEAT thermostats, including a Wi-Fi enabled option. Each system includes 2 floor sensors, one with the thermostat and one with the heat cable.

ARDEX FLEXBONE HEAT In-Floor Heating Systems are ideal for all types of tile, stone and other manufacturer-approved floor coverings. “The FLEXBONE HEAT system is an adaptable, energy-efficient solution ideal for any room in your house,” said Russ Gaetano, ARDEX Senior Marketing Manager, Tile & Stone Installation Systems. When installing the system, you can also qualify for the industry’s most comprehensive, single-source, 10-Year complete system warranty. “ARDEX stands behind all of our products, and we’re proud to offer a warranty with the FLEXBONE HEAT system that will leave you feeling as comfortable as your installation will,” Russ continued. Click here to read more.

January 2019

Schimenti Completes Bank of America
Schimenti Construction Company (New York City) recently completed work on Bank of America’s new location in Times Square. The new 6,275 square foot location, which is open to the public, features several unique design elements including two wood panels and a Filzfelt mural wall above the bank’s ATMs to enhance the consumer experience. The property received a LEED Volume Certification for the space. Click here to read more.

National Contractors Completes Five Below, Coach & Origins
National Contractors, Inc. (Excelsior, MN) recently completed its first Five Below store in Nashville, TN in the Opry Mills Mall. The store features a bright blue entry portal made with aluminum composite panels, a polished concrete floor and new mechanical and electrical. The company also recently completed a remodel of the Coach store in Minnetonka, MN. The three-week remodel gave the store a fresh look. The storefront metal on the exterior and interior of the store, along with the cabinets, were painted with an automotive paint to provide a long-lasting finish. The signage in the store was also replaced to reflect the rebranding of the Coach logo. The existing floor tile was also deep cleaned to provide a like new finish. National Contractors was also involved with building the new Origins concept store for Estee Lauder at Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, CA. The store features a tall storefront opening the inside of the space to the mall and is surrounded by an eco-friendly stucco. The inside of the store features a progressive fixture package that includes digital displays and modern branding. The space also features the iconic Origins living wall. 

Fulcrum’s Eveland Named to CenterBuild’s 40 Under 40
Aaron Eveland of Fulcrum Construction, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) received an honorable mention on the CenterBuild Leaders Under 40 list. The awards aim to establish a competitive program that identifies, inspires, and galvanizes the next generation of influential thought leaders in design, retail, construction and development. 

Wolverine Executives Named Top Newsmakers
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) executives Aaron Jonker and Curt Mulder, were nominated for 2018 2018 Newsmaker of the Year honors, by Grand Rapids Business Journal. Jonker and Mulder were featured in the Real Estate/Construction category. Newsmakers are the people, projects, plans, and products that make West Michigan a popular place to do business. Click here to read more.

RCA Members Named as Best Companies to Work For
Schimenti Construction Company (New York City) was named one of the 2019 Best Places to Work in both New York and Connecticut by the New York State Society for Human Resource Management and the Hartford Business Journal. The awards program recognizes the best companies that benefit the states' economies, workforces and businesses. Click here to read more.

Rockford Construction (Grand Rapids, MI) was named by the National Association of Business Resources as one of the 2018 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation. The awards program honors organizations that display exceptional human resource practices and an impressive commitment to their employees. Companies are assessed based on metrics such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. Click here to read more.