Western Builder articles from June 2008

Western Builder archives from June 2008

Miller-Bradford Now Offers Blaw-Knox Pavers.
June 2, 2008... Staff Case equipment distributor Miller-Bradford & Risberg now also offers Volvo's line of Blaw-Knox pavers, which are part of the road-machinery division of Ingersoll Rand, which Volvo acquired in April 2007. This product line...

KBS Announces New Hire, Certifications.(KBS Construction, Inc. has appointed Todd Krcma, Klaus Lemke and Derek Rinabarger )(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Staff KBS Construction, Inc. has hired Todd Krcma as a senior estimator in its Madison office. Krcma holds a bachelor's degree in construction administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has extensive experience in both...

Nortrax Promotes Hauert To Parts Manager.
June 2, 2008... Staff John Deere construction and forestry dealer Nortrax Equipment Company has promoted Doug Hauert to parts manager at its Eau Claire, Wis., store. Hauert joined Nortrax in 2000 as a parts specialist. Before joining Nortrax, he...

Moore Construction Services Newly Founded.
June 2, 2008... Staff Moore Construction Services, LLC, Hartland, Wis., is a newly founded company that provides comprehensive professional construction management and consulting services statewide for the commercial construction industry. The...

New Bendable Concrete Focus Of Short Course.(University of Michigan has started environmental engineering cources)(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Staff Inventors say they will demonstrate an improved, more environmentally friendly Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) in 'Understanding and Using Bendable Concrete' during a short course set for June 24-26 at the University of...

Wacker Corp. Officially Renamed Wacker Neuson Corp.
June 2, 2008... Staff Wacker Corporation's name change to Wacker Neuson Corporation is now official, as the name change has been entered in the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Wacker Neuson Corporation, Men-omonee Falls, Wisconsin, is...

Rick Greeno Places 43rd In National Operator Competition.(Rick Greeno, owner of Greeno Excavating, placed 43rd in the Case Rodeo finals held at ConExpo )(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Staff Miller-Bradford & Risberg, the Case distributor, has announced that Rick Greeno, owner of Greeno Excavating, Kenosha, Wis., placed 43rd in the Case Rodeo finals held at ConExpo in Las Vegas this spring. Greeno qualified to...

J. F. Ahern Co. Receives A Top Project Award.
June 2, 2008... Staff Mechanical and fire-protection contractor J. F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, recently received a 'Top Project' Award from Wisconsin Builder magazine for the industrial/process, fire protection and pipe fabrication work the company...

Applied Technologies/Carollo Awarded Madison MSD Project.(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Staff The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has awarded its Solids Handling Facilities Plan project to the Applied Technologies (ATI)/Carollo Engineers team. The plan's primary goal is to provide the district with a...

Wisconsin Parts Manager Named To Kenworth 2008 Council.
June 2, 2008... Staff Mike Oswald of Wisconsin Kenworth, Madison, Wis., is one of just eight Kenworth dealer parts managers from across the U.S. and Canada named to Kenworth Truck Company's parts council for 2008. The, Kirkland, Wash., truck...

Gilgenbach Joins JSD.
June 2, 2008... Staff Thomas A. Gilgenbach, PE, has joined the Waukesha, Wis., office of JSD Professional Services, Inc., as a senior project engineer. Gilgenbach holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Marquette University, Milwaukee, and...

Wisconsin Underground Contractors Ally With OSHA.
June 2, 2008... Story and photos by Mike Larson, editor Two-year agreement will improve mutual understanding, education and safety in Wisconsin's underground industry. This spring, the Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association (WUCA) and the...

Vermeer-Wisconsin Holds Open House.(Vermeer Wisconsin Celebrates becaused they recently held an open house at its branch in Little Chute)(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Story and photos by Mike Larson, editor Little Chute Branch Shows Off Facility, Products. Vermeer-Wisconsin, the state's exclusive dealer for Vermeer construction and landscaping equipment, recently held an open house at its branch in...

Rubblizing And Repaving Revitalize Hwy. 41.(Northeast Asphalt, Inc. received a contract for reconstruct US highway)
June 2, 2008... Story and Photos by Mike Larson, editor Need to keep road open during reconstruction adds challenges. Northeast Asphalt, Inc. (NEA) is the general contractor for a $26-million reconstruction that is revitalizing 6.2 miles of U.S. Hwy....

Gehl Breaks Ground For Expansion.(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Staff Gehl Company, manufacturer of GehlA[R] and MustangA[R] brand compact equipment for construction and agricultural applications, recently broke ground for its new $20-million corporate headquarters and state-of-the-art research and...

Anderson Brothers & Johnson Has New Facility.(Anderson Brothers & Johnson)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Staff After 83 years at its previous location, stone producer Anderson Brothers & Johnson (AB&J) has moved into a new 125-foot by 50-foot building at T9543 Quarry Road in Wausau. A division of Michels Corp., AB&J has equipped its new...

Miron Expands Corporate Office.(Miron Construction Co. Inc. will soon begin renovation of its corporate headquarters)(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Staff Miron Construction Co., Inc., Neenah, will soon begin a $6-million expansion and renovation of its corporate headquarters. The project, scheduled to break ground in July, will have an impact on the local economy and will support...

R.A. Smith National Provides Site Design For Louisiana Project.
June 9, 2008... Staff R.A. Smith National, Brookfield, is providing site design coordination and sitework engineering for Mayeux Ranch, a 3,000-acre, highly urbanized, mixed-use development that sits on a peninsula in the Mississippi River about an hour...

Case Sponsors "Rockin' For The Troops" Concert.
June 9, 2008... Staff Case Construction Equipment will co-sponsor the "Rockin' for the Troops" concert at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., on July 19. The concert will benefit U.S. troops deployed overseas. The event is being held by Operation Support...

Stebbins Joins Bright Technologies.
June 9, 2008... Staff Bright Technologies, Hopkins, Mich., a division of Sebright Products, Inc., is pleased to announce Tom Stebbins has joined the Specialty Equipment Division as its new operations and process specialist. Stebbins has 19 years of...

Tollefson Joins KL Engineering.(KL Engineering, Inc. has appointed Dave Tollefson )(Brief article)
June 9, 2008... Staff KL Engineering, Inc., Madison, has hired Dave Tollefson as transportation planner. Tollefson has three years of planning and environmental experience, including fostering intergovernmental communication and cooperation; and...

Volvo Adds Compact Equipment Dealer In Milwaukee.
June 16, 2008... Staff Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has added another Volvo compact equipment dealer to its expanding distribution network. The Volvo Construction Equipment & Services (VCES) branch in Milwaukee, Wis., is now representing the...

John Ahern Receives Honorary Doctorate From UW-Madison.(John E. Ahern, Chairman of J. F. Ahern Co., was awarded an honorary doctorate of science degree)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Staff John E. Ahern, Chairman of J. F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac, was awarded an honorary doctorate of science degree from his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He represents the fourth generation of family ownership in J....

JLG Promotes Alton To VP And GM For Cat Alliance Group.
June 16, 2008... Staff JLG Industries, Inc., an Oshkosh Corp. company that manufactures aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, recently promoted Rick Alton to vice president and general manager for JLG's Caterpillar Alliance Group (CAG)....

New Employees Join Mead & Hunt.(Mead and Hunt Inc. has appointed Marcus Januario, Mary Clare Sorenson, Frank Ransley and Alexander Vrtiska )(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Staff Mead & Hunt, an architectural, engineering, and planning consulting firm, has added several new team members. Marcus Januario , Ph.D., P.E., is a traffic engineer on the transportation team. Januario holds a bachelor's degree in...

R.A. Smith National's Michelle Walz Receives Two Awards from Waukesha County Technical College.
June 16, 2008... Staff Michelle Walz, project assistant, land development services division, R.A. Smith National, Brookfield, has received two awards from Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC), where she recently earned an associate's degree in...

Manitowoc Cranes, Inc. To Display Custom Orange County Chopper.
June 16, 2008... Staff During the remainder of 2008, regional events and dealerships throughout North America will be displaying the crane-themed custom motorcycle that Manitowoc Cranes, Inc. commissioned from the nationally renowned Orange County...

Stephan Joins SEH As Project Manager.
June 16, 2008... Staff Matthew Stephan, P.E., recently joined the municipal group of professional consulting services firm Short Elliott Hendrickson's (SEH) Milwaukee and Sheboygan offices as a project manager. Stephan, a Marquette University graduate...

Creative Constructors Awarded Contract.(Creative Constructors, LLC)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Staff Creative Constructors, LLC, Menomonee Falls, was recently awarded the contract to construct a one-story, 19,456-square-foot police station for the village of Saukville. The department is now housed in the village hall and has...

NORTRAX Now Sakai Dealer In Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.(NORTRAX has appointed Sakai, Adairsville)(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Staff Sakai, Adairsville, Ga., has appointed NORTRAX as an authorized dealer in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Sakai offers a full line of vibratory soil compactors; seven 4,000-vpm vibratory asphalt rollers designed for Superpave...

ATI Lands Project From Rice Lake.
June 16, 2008... Staff Applied Technologies, Inc. (ATI), Brookfield, was recently awarded the project of upgrading the city of Rice Lake's wastewater treatment facility. The project will entail ATI designing infrastructure improvements for some of...

UPPCO to Repair McClure Penstock.
June 16, 2008... Staff Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) is a step closer to repairing the McClure penstock. The facility has been off-line since November 2007 due to an expansion-joint failure. UPPCO dewatered the penstock at that time and has been...

Case Donates Equipment To Support Earthquake Relief In China.
June 16, 2008... Staff Case Construction Equipment donated a Case 695 four-wheel-drive loader/backhoe and hydraulic hammer to help emergency teams in relief efforts for the devastating earthquake that hit central China on May 12. To help speed recovery...

Unemployment Down In April.
June 16, 2008... Staff According to the Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development (DWD), Wisconsin's unemployment rate for April was 4.4 percent, down 1.2 percent from the March rate of 5.6 percent and down nearly a full percent from the rate in April of...

Becker Named Executive Director Of Local Government Institute.(Brief article)
June 16, 2008... Staff Gary Becker, CEcD, of Vierbicher Associates, Madison, has been named executive director of the Local Government Institute of Wisconsin (LGI), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization created to conduct research, foster collaboration,...

BioSolar Is Replacing Plastic With Plant Material In Solar Cells.
June 16, 2008... Staff BioSolar, Inc., a California company, says it is driving down the cost of solar energy and helping production become more environmentally friendly by using bio-based plant materials rather than petroleum-based plastic components to...

USGBC Revising LEED Scoring System.
June 16, 2008... By Mike Larson The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is in the process of revising the Green Building Rating Scoring System used to determine Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The USGBC is accepting...

Concrete And Asphalt Work Together In Rome.(Wisconsin Department of Transportation Redesigned State highway)
June 16, 2008... By Mike Larson, Editor Redesigned and concrete-paved intersection important part of Hwy. 13 improvement. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is adding turning lanes, medians, a traffic light, and new paving on 3.3 miles...

Paving Tight-Radius Curb.
June 16, 2008... Edited by Mike Larson Black Diamond Finds Island Hopping Easy With GT-3600. Ever since Black Diamond Group, Inc., Oak Creek, Wis., started in the construction industry in 1959, the company has maintained its vision of being the easiest...

Concrete At Heart Of Eco-friendly Buildings.
June 16, 2008... By Jerry Rhoden Concrete adds to LEED ratings and energy efficiency. Edited by Mike Larson Aldo Leopold would be proud. The name of the late environmentalist, often called the father of American conservation, now graces the...

PSC OKs Construction Of $133-Million Power Line.
June 23, 2008... Staff After a year of review, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has given American Transmission Co. verbal approval to construct the Paddock-Rockdale project, a new high-voltage electric transmission line in south-central...

Deadline For PCA's Sustainable Leadership Nominations Is June 30.(Portland Cement Association' Sustainable Leadership Awards)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Staff The Portland Cement Association has extended the nomination deadline to June 30 for its Sustainable Leadership Awards, which honor government leaders who advance sustainable development in their communities through the use of...

PSC Seeks Comment On Cassville Power Plant Until June 30.
June 23, 2008... Staff The Public Service Commission (PSC), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are seeking public comment until June 30 on their draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed...

Strand Adding Space For 100 More Employees At Madison Headquarters.
June 23, 2008... Staff Strand Associates, Inc. is expanding its Madison office from 53,700 square feet to more than 80,000 square feet in a project that will include several green/sustainable design features. This expansion continues Strand's steady...

Michels Corp. Rises In Ranks Of Top Contractors.
June 23, 2008... Staff Michels Corporation, Brownsville, Wis., has leapt up 29 spots, reaching number 64 in Engineering News-Record's ranking of the United States' top 400 contractors for 2007, based on construction revenue. The year saw Michels reach...

R.A. Smith National Judged Best Place to Work in Southeastern Wisconsin.
June 23, 2008... Staff R.A. Smith National, Brookfield, WI, has been named among the "Best Places to Work in Southeastern Wisconsin 2008" by Milwaukee Magazine and MRA -- The Management Association. R.A. Smith National ranked No. 11 among medium-size...

STS Recognized For Two Top Projects.(STS work on two projects in the Wisconsin Top Projects competition of 2007)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Staff STS was recently recognized for work on two projects in the Wisconsin Top Projects competition of 2007. The first project is the Manpower Global Headquarters in downtown Milwaukee, which included an office building, seven-level...

AED Aims To Build Numbers Of Trained Service Technicians.(Associated Equipment Distributors)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Staff The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation, Oak Brook, IL, has now accredited 20 technical colleges across the nation in its effort to increase the number of technically trained equipment service people in the industry....

Wildeck Names Berns CFO.(Wildeck Inc. has appointed Michael J. Berns)(Brief article)
June 23, 2008... Staff Wildeck, Inc., Waukesha, Wis., the largest manufacturer of mezzanines, material lifts, and safety-guarding products in North America, has promoted Michael J. Berns, CPA, to chief financial officer. Berns began his association...

Gundlach Champion Opens Fond du Lac Office.(Gundlach Champion, Inc.)(Brief article)
June 30, 2008... Staff Construction services provider Gundlach Champion, Inc., has opened a new office in Fond du Lac. The new location joins the company's other offices in Houghton and Iron Mountain, MI; Minneapolis, MN; and Eau Claire and Marshfield, WI....

Applied Technologies To Upgrade Town of Lyons Wastewater Plant.
June 30, 2008... Staff The Town of Lyons Sanitary District No. 2 has awarded its Wastewater Facility Upgrade and Expansion project to Applied Technologies, Inc. (ATI), Brookfield, WI. The existing facility had been constructed in 1980, and a...

WD-40 Cans Get Permanent Straw.(WD-40 Smart Straw)(Brief article)
June 30, 2008... Staff The most popular-sized cans of WD-40 can now do something new -- hold onto the little red straw that always had gotten lost before. All new 8-, 11- and 12-ounce WD-40 aerosol cans sold in the U.S. will now come with the...

ABC Honors Graduating Construction Apprentices.
June 30, 2008... Staff The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin (ABC of WI) recently honored its apprenticeship graduates at its annual graduation banquet at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The 183 graduates represented 114...

NCCER Announces Careers in Construction Week.
June 30, 2008... Staff The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), Gainesville, FL, has set the annual national Careers in Construction Week for Oct. 13-17, 2008. Careers in Construction Week is designed to increase public...

Wisconsin Company 100th New NUCA Member Of 2008.(National Utility Contractors Association)(TRC MidValley Utilities is join the National Utility Contractors Association )(Brief article)
June 30, 2008... Staff TRC MidValley Utilities (TRC) of Kaukauna, WI, is the 100th new member to join the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) in 2008. A division of 45-year-old James J. Calmes and Sons Inc. Construction, TRC MidValley...

Subcontractor Association Elects Directors And Officers.
June 30, 2008... Staff The American Subcontractors Association of Wisconsin (ASA-WI) recently elected officers and directors. Elected to three-year terms as directors (2008-2011): Glen Borchardt, L & S Insulation Co., Milwaukee. Jeff Hintze,...

Groth Leads Cedar Creek Cleanup Day.(Groth Design Group helped Cedar Creek River Cleanup)(Brief article)
June 30, 2008... Staff Armed with gloves and garbage bags, more than 60 participants led by Groth Design Group helped to pick up debris along the banks of Cedarburg's Cedar Creek earlier this spring. Cedarburg was one of 36 locations participating in...