A Publication of the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin ISSUE 2 • 2011

®

STEVENSCONSTRUCTION CORP.

BUILDING QUALITY THAT LASTS

10 Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011

by Mark Crawford

Founded as an engineering firm in 1952, Stevens Construction Corp. quickly

evolved into a full-service general contractor. Headquartered in Madison, the

company focuses on what it does best—preconstruction, construction, and

project management services.

Stevens Construction Corp. is wellknown for large wood-frame and concrete-frame construction projects for a variety ofmarkets, including multi-family, studenthousing, retail, commercial, industrial,office, hospitality, and senior housing, aswell as specialty projects such as waterparks. Their work has primarily been insouthern Wisconsin, however, they gener-ally have at least one large project out ofstate with key clients or architects.“Our ideal project is a privately devel-

oped, large-structure building,” says MarkRudnicki, CEO of the company. “A key areaof our expertise, and one that few othergeneral contractors can equal, is concreteframing. Post-tension concrete constructionis most practical for large structures five sto-ries or higher, so student housing is ideal.Over the last ten years, we have poured inexcess of two million square feet of con-crete—about 50 percent of our revenuecomes from concrete framed buildings.” Stevens is a construction company to its

very core—the six shareholders have acombined tenure of nearly 75 years in pre-construction, project management, and

finance. “Our depth of experience allows usto run the business in a highly professionaland competitive manner, performing aswell or better than many larger organiza-tions,” says Rudnicki.Rudnicki is proud of the company’s rep-

utation for getting the job done. “We arenever late,” he says. “We do whatever ittakes to catch up if a project falls behindschedule. This is a huge selling point for us.If you are building student housing andstudent move-in is August 15, you had bet-ter be ready to open on August 15. We havegreat people who identify and get issuesresolved quickly so each project is complet-ed according to plan.”It is not just project owners who notice

Stevens’ scheduling savvy. A few years ago,Stevens Construction and several othergeneral contractors were building projectsin Champaign, Illinois and Stevens was theonly one that opened on time. A developernoticed this and shortly afterward contact-ed the company about a potential job inMichigan. Stevens Construction landed thecontract to build a 14-story, privately-owned, student-living building on the edge

STEVENSCONSTRUCTION CORP.

BUILDING QUALITY THAT LASTS

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011 11

of the University of Michigan campus inAnn Arbor. At 235,000 square feet with606 beds, 173 apartments, two levels ofunderground parking, and retail space onthe first floor, it will be one of the largestconstruction projects in the state."We have an immense amount of

experience with student-living projects,but our expertise in post-tension con-crete structures also helped this projectcome to fruition", says Geoffrey Vine,President of Stevens Construction Corp."Brian Wagner, our Vice President of Pre-construction, worked tirelessly with thedevelopment and ownership team formore than 18 months to develop a planthat also worked financially. In the end,our competitive price for self-performedconcrete work made financing for theproject possible."

Integrated Project DeliveryStevens Construction Corp.’s precon-

struction services go beyond traditionalcost estimating to include collaboratingwith the client and design team on keyareas such as cost management, siteanalysis, preliminary cost modeling, con-structability review, sequence planning,and project scheduling. Both the con-struction project manager and superin-tendent participate in the preconstruc-tion stage, which streamlines theconstruction phase and ensures Stevenswill deliver a high-quality project thataccurately reflects the expectations of theclient. Construction services include pro-ject management and coordination, sub-contractor and material procurement,dealing with long lead-time items, safetymanagement, and project closeout andwarranty. Crews self perform demolition,cast-in-place concrete, and rough andfinish carpentry. As demonstrated by the University of

Michigan project, Stevens ConstructionCorp. uses an Integrated Project Delivery(IPD) approach for every job, whereowners, designers, and constructors col-laborate in the earliest design stages (aswell as throughout the project) to findthe best possible ways to achieve maxi-mum constructability at the lowest cost. “It is during the design stage that the

ability to reduce overall project costs ishighest and the cost to make changes islowest,” says Rudnicki. “The majoradvantage of getting Stevens involved

Stevens Construction Corp. is proud of the craftsmanship of their crews.

early is cost savings—the larger and moresophisticated the project, the greater thevalue for the owner.”

Relationships that LastStevens Construction Corp. is also

proud of its long-term relationships. “Our goal is to develop long-term rela-tionships with our clients and our busi-ness partners.”

For example, Stevens Constructionhas maintained a business relationshipwith Johnson Bank for 12 years. “Over thistime we have been impressed by the abil-ity of the company to adapt to marketconditions and client demands, which has

served them well,” indicates Eric A. John-son, Senior Vice President of JohnsonBank. “Stevens Construction has a diverseand thoughtful ownership group thatgives them balance and perspective whenserving clients and making business deci-sions.” Willis of Minnesota has served as

Stevens Construction Corp.’s bondingagent for almost a quarter of a century. “I have represented Stevens Constructionin the surety industry for 22 years,” saysDennis Loots, Senior Vice President ofWillis of Minnesota. “Many constructioncompanies are perpetuated through fam-

12 Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011

ily but Stevens has long had the model ofbeing owned by a collection of construc-tion professionals. This allows the com-pany to expand its core competenciesand geographical reach, along withincreasing single-project capabilities anda total backlog the company can support.Many repeat customers keep comingback as new projects develop becausethey know they will be treated fairly andoffered a real value for their constructiondollar.” Another long-term partner is AGC of

Wisconsin. “AGC is a very valuable orga-nization and we utilize many of theirresources,” notes Rudnicki, who hasserved on the AGC General Board ofDirectors since 2009. “They do a great jobof keeping us informed on OSHAupdates and other governmental policychanges. AGC of Wisconsin is also high-ly effective with their lobbying efforts andwork hard to promote educational andworkforce initiatives —they are a greatpartner to have in this business.”

A Skilled and Safe WorkforceFrom top management, to field crews,

to the front office, Stevens Constructionemployees are highly regarded as pro-ductive team members. “You will not finda ‘not my job’ mentality in the office or thefield,” states Rudnicki. “Everyone is team-oriented and supportive of one another.”Randy Bruce, an architect and managingmember with Knothe & Bruce ArchitectsLLC in Middleton, agrees. “I’ve workedon Stevens Construction’s projects for 20years,” he says. “The Stevens’ personnelare creative problem-solvers who canmake difficult projects successful; bothfinancially and in terms of the projectschedule. They work as a team with thearchitect and owner to create a beautifuland enduring building project that meetsthe budget needs.” Today, Stevens Construction Corp.

employs about 90 workers in the fieldand 30 in the office. Safety is a top prior-ity on the job. Stevens maintains anExperience Modification Rate of 0.63, theresult of a top-down safety culture, inten-sive OSHA training, and a dedicatedsafety department. Extensive safetyresearch and preparation is conductedprior to awarding bids to subcontractors.A member of the safety departmentattends all pre-construction meetings toevaluate the safety plan and mitigate anypossible concerns. All employees arePark Regent Apartments — Madison, WI

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011 13

empowered to make safety decisions onthe work site.“Safety Director Duane Reith is a big

reason we have been so successful,” saysRudnicki. “Duane has earned the respectof our field forces. He has helped createa “can do” safety culture where anyonecan come to him with a potential danger-ous situation and they will figure out thesafe way to get the task accomplished.The most important goal is getting every-one home safely at the end of the day.”

Selected Projects

Park Regent Apartments, Madison This mixed-use development includes

1.5 levels of parking, one level of retail,and five levels of apartments. The struc-ture consists of a post-tensioned concreteframe and a mat foundation. Construction began in late August of

2009 and finished 11 months later. Sincethe foundation walls were built on theproperty line, there was no space to con-ventionally form them. An h-pile/woodlagging earth retention system was uti-lized to temporarily support the excava-tion. Also, because of the tight space con-

straints, materials could not be staged onsite. Instead subcontractors and suppliersscheduled deliveries “just in time” toensure the products were there whenneeded. “Stevens Construction was very help-

ful in suggesting and pricing creativealternatives, which allowed me to makeinformed decisions about how to pro-ceed,” comments owner Tom Degen.“During construction, the project man-agement team impressed me as having athorough understanding of the construc-tion process, and a real desire to doeverything possible to keep my project onschedule.”

The Depot, MadisonThe Depot Apartments are located in

the historic Bassett Neighborhood ofdowntown Madison. Because the projectbegan in October 2009, most of the struc-ture was constructed in the heart of win-ter. By early January 2010 the footings,walls, and columns of the west half of theparking garage were complete, then workcould begin on the post-tensioned roofslab.

Four pours of post-tensioned slabswere completed. The building arrange-ment prohibited the opportunity forcycling the slab-forming system. Stevens’workmen installed slab shoring andforms, placed all rebar and PT cables,poured and finished the concrete, andthen pulled tension on the PT cables. Thefirst PT pour was the largest—40 workersused two large concrete pumps to pour990 yards of concrete in less than sixhours. The site was extremely cramped with

adjacent buildings along the propertylines. Road construction was also beingperformed by the City of Madison andthere was not enough room for mostconstruction activities. To solve this prob-lem Stevens erected a mini-tower cranein the center of the plaza at the rear of thebuildings to bring in materials. The plazadeck portion of the parking garage roofwas shored to accommodate the weightof the tower crane, delivery trucks, andmaterial storage.“Stevens did a tremendous job,” states

David Meier, co-owner of Depot Devel-opment, LLC. It was bitterly cold that

The Depot — Madison, WI

14 Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011

winter. They made good recommenda-tions and were very willing to makechanges. Their guys were friendly to workwith. They helped us through the citypermitting process, came to local meet-ings, and advised on estimates, before wehad signed a contract. They were alreadyvery strong partners, even though wehadn’t signed a contract and could havegone with somebody else.”

Johnson Bank East, MadisonThe highlight of this exquisitely-fin-

ished bank building is the eye-catchinginterior. The lobby and waiting area fea-ture finely-crafted casework blendedwith white stone elements and a series ofcolumns with LED lights within alu-minum shrouds. Colors and action of theLEDs come in thousands of colors andmovement options. Curvilinear shapes ofwall, soffit, and flooring elements areblended together seamlessly. An LED-illuminated textured wall

behind the teller stations is another cre-ative element that transforms the workarea into a point of interest for client andemployee alike. The board room featuresa continuity of finishes with floor-to-ceil-ing walnut pivot entry doors, LED-light-ing wall treatments, and stainless steelceiling panels. The kitchen is a welcom-ing space for employees with plenty ofnatural light, walnut cabinetry, and whitestone countertops. The highly-complexdesign and finishes, combined with atight project delivery schedule, requiredvery fast turnaround on shop-drawingsubmittals and reviews. Electronic sub-mittals and very responsive review timeswere essential. “The quality of work and attention to

detail matched our expectations,” indi-cates Johnson Bank President GregDombrowksi. “Scheduling and budgetwere kept on target. The architecturalfirm had a vision that pushed the limitson the design, as well as the scope ofmaterials used. Some of those materialshad not been used by Stevens before. Theproject manager was proactive in part-nering with the material vendors to fullyunderstand the application of thosematerials. The outcome is spectacular. Wecontinue to receive compliments aboutthe uniqueness of our space—we owethose compliments to the Stevens team

The Depot — Madison, WI

Johnson Bank — Madison, WI

for the outstanding construction job theyperformed.”

University Avenue Mixed Use,Madison This 200,000-square-foot mixed-use

property, developed by HUM West Wil-son LP, consists of 130 apartments, eighttownhouses, three flats, and six commer-cial spaces. A post-tensioned concreteframe supports the two-level parkingstructure, apartments and flats, andcommercial spaces (the townhouses arewood-framed). The apartments featurewood floors, granite countertops, customcabinetry, expansive windows, andunderground secured parking. A largeprivate green roof deck is located abovethe parking structure.“The bids from contractors came in

substantially over budget,” says BradMullins, a partner with HUM West Wil-son LP. “We asked the bidders to pro-pose value-enhancement suggestions.Stevens rolled up their sleeves and founda way to save $2.5 million dollars withoutdiminishing the quality or the architec-

Stevens Construction Corp. has been a memberof the AGC of Wisconsin since 2003.

Wisconsin Constructor® / Issue 2 • 2011 15

ture of the project. The size of the savingsis a credit to Stevens’ experience, exper-tise, and ability to come up with creativewin-win solutions.” Construction is on schedule to be

completed in July 2012.

Moving ForwardStevens Construction Corp. is well-

positioned to take advantage of therecovering economy. Its backlog of pro-jects is impressive—“as solid as it wasfour to five years ago,” comments Rudnic-ki. “Fortunately we have a lot of strengthin those project types that can get financ-ing more easily—market-rate multipleresidential units, student housing, andsubsidized, low-income housing. Hospi-tality is another market segment startingto make a comeback. As the economyimproves we will also keep an eye onother market opportunities, such ashealth care.”Rudnicki is proud of the fact the

company has stayed profitable in thechallenging economic environment.“Although there was some downsizing inour office and field staff during the down-

turn, we were able to keep 100 percent ofour field superintendents. They are ahuge asset for us and by retaining themwe felt we would be in a great position tohit the ground running when the econo-my turned around. I am also very pleasedto say we have hired back all of the fieldworkers we were forced to lay off, andhave hired over 30 new employees aswell.” “Before the recession our average

annual revenues were about $90 million,”says Rudnicki. “This year we will be about$60 million and 2012 is forecast in excessof $100 million. The recession was toughon everyone in the industry. Now, thechallenge is strategizing how to get allour projects built, instead of wonderingwhere the work will come from—that is anice change.” �

University Avenue Mixed Use — Madison, WI