In their research paper, Urban density and child health and wellbeing: A scoping review of the literature in Health & Place published in January this year, Luy Dau, Paula Barros, et al report that in Central and North America, Asia, and Europe, nutrition and growth in young children were negatively linked with urban density. Exposure to fresh air, outdoor activity, microbes through soil contact, and natural plant nutrition provide children with stronger immunity. And as healthy families mean healthy communities, the need for children to grow up as close to nature as possible is a significant point of consideration for urban planners looking to build more sustainably and with a greater sense of social and environmental responsibility.

This is by no means a new conversation. As cities the world over begin to realize the future value nature has to offer in protecting human health, infrastructure, and the environment, a growing number of initiatives are seeing the light. One such project in Sheffield, United Kingdom, has refined its game plan to solve major stormwater challenges with its Grey to Green plan. This has led to one road in the city being dubbed “the UK’s longest green street.” The plan harnesses the wisdom and mechanisms of natural ecology by breaking the speed of stormwater and diverting it in ways that draw guidance from nature in its flow and filtering systems.

While there are many examples of similar projects being implemented globally, superstructure greenbelts in urban landscapes recently became a point of interest while writing on the importance of and need for harnessing design to create better social cohesion. Presently, most urban green belts appear to serve as points of passage for wildlife whose movement across their habitat is otherwise impaired by highways. If we consider that humans are as much a part of nature as the rest of the planet’s species, would it not make sense to create superstructures serving human well-being in high-density urban areas lacking the space to build big gardens?

After all, there is more than enough proof that reintroducing nature into urbanized areas holds the key to much happier communities and even lower crime rates, as professors Shackleton, Breetzke, et al from Rhodes University in South Africa found in their research. While other researchers point out that the reduced crime effect is dependent on the type of green space versus the type and existing level of crime, experts note that crime reduction is paramount to creating lasting social cohesion, defined as people’s motivations for remaining within a certain community.

There are currently few true examples available of designers using creative ways of developing such green urban superstructures to their full potential in areas where space is at a premium. Architect Rolando Cedeño de la Cruz is one designer who has taken this concept to the next level. Imagining futuristic cities designed on the premise of incorporating nature to enhance human well-being, the thought leader uses the design elements of modular concrete structures combined with street furniture, softened and enhanced with swathes of greenery and floral accents, to achieve his visions of urban paradise.

The designs promise great efficacy as they invite citizens to interact with one another and the elements. De la Cruz is quoted by Parametric Architecture as saying, “Citizens will be given the chance to tend these gardens and keep them well, building a sense of teamwork and ownership.” Such interactive green spaces are not only beautiful but functional in their crossing over from one part of a city to another, acting as walkways but also as gathering places where people can connect, bridging the gaps in perception, culture, and ideas that exist between them. Cities could begin to see the young shoots of reestablishing genuine community in its original sense. By creating spaces where old and young gather to interact with one another in meaningful ways around the town squares and patios of large homes, multiple generations can share space, tend exquisite gardens to help ease the heat, and escape the grind of everyday life.

While Barcelona successfully reintroduced an aspect of this idea by creating superblocks where traffic is rerouted around large areas of “pacified” city neighborhoods adorned with trees and space for gathering, the concept could also be achieved by incorporating green bridges that offer communities the enjoyment of fully-fledged garden spaces in otherwise hard urban areas.

This bridge garden idea is by no means new. Similar to the New York Highline, a former elevated railway track now turned public park, Seoul implemented its plan to turn a decommissioned overpass highway that had fallen into disrepair into Seoullo 7017, the Seoul Skygarden, in 2017. When the nearly half-century-old road was declared unfit for use in 2006, city planners set about to create a 1-kilometer garden where citizens can spend some valuable time among soul-soothing greenery.

If city planners are to achieve much improved human well-being and return the romance of living to its rightful owners in high-density urban areas by using this concept, they would likely need more to work with than is available at present. To this end, in another range of futuristic superstructure garden bridge designs, Rolando Cedeño de la Cruz again creates an ideal that stands head and shoulders above most existing structures. Holding phenomenal potential for truly elevating high-density living in ways city planning is yet to begin really exploring, bridging the urban garden—and perception—gaps may well become the key to genuine wellness for the city dwellers of the future.

The post Bridging the Garden Gap<p class="company">The Greening of Public Spaces</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

But over the past 50 years, the role of downtowns has been repeatedly challenged by the rise of suburban development, the dominance of car culture, and the rapid expansion of large-scale retail. Now, in a post-COVID era marked by digital convenience and renewed interest in local living, the question resurfaces: do downtowns and central gathering spaces still have a place in our cities, and if so, how can we design them to thrive?

Historically, Canadian town squares drew inspiration from British and European models. They were often the site of local government buildings, churches, farmers markets, and monuments. These were not spaces to pass through, but spaces to gather. Designed with human scale in mind, they encouraged walking, social interaction, and small-scale commerce. The Grand Parade in Halifax, laid out in 1749, was one of Canada’s earliest public spaces, while Kingston’s Springer Market Square has served as a civic and commercial centre for nearly two centuries. These areas were walkable by necessity, with compact grids, mixed-use buildings, and accessible public institutions within close reach.

In early urban planning, aesthetics and practicality were intertwined. Streetscapes were designed with attention to proportion and material. Stone and brick buildings framed public plazas and the integration of civic buildings, such as courthouses or city halls, added dignity and permanence. The quality of the built environment communicated the values of the community.

The post-World War II era saw a dramatic transformation of Canada’s urban landscape. Fueled by economic growth, federal highway investment, and rising car ownership, planning shifted toward automobile accessibility. Zoning laws segregated commercial, residential, and industrial uses, leading to low-density development patterns that favoured malls, parking lots, and freeways over traditional, walkable cores.

In the 1980s and 1990s, big box stores and power centres proliferated on the outskirts of towns and cities. Developers were incentivized to build large retail complexes where land was cheap and infrastructure subsidies supported expansion. Downtown storefronts, meanwhile, struggled to compete. Anchor tenants relocated to suburban centres, foot traffic decreased, and many small businesses shuttered. The economics of land use also changed. Property taxes and insurance costs in downtowns often exceeded those in suburban commercial zones, further disadvantaging legacy business districts.

From a construction and planning perspective, this era was marked by a pivot away from human-centred design. Road widths increased, sidewalks narrowed, and building frontages were set back behind parking lots rather than engaging with the street. Infrastructure investments prioritized vehicular throughput rather than livability. Public spaces deteriorated or were lost altogether.

This shift wasn’t just aesthetic or nostalgic; it had significant economic and social consequences. As downtowns declined, so did community cohesion, civic pride, and local economic resilience. Where once the town square had provided a shared experience, suburban design increasingly privatized public life, moving it behind car doors and shopping silos.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked another major disruption in the way people interacted with cities. Lockdowns and health concerns forced people to stay closer to home, reducing long commutes and prompting many to rediscover their local parks, sidewalks, and neighbourhoods. The explosion of e-commerce and home delivery services decoupled retail convenience from physical location. In many cases, this worked against large-scale commercial developments that relied on car traffic. At the same time, the emotional and psychological toll of isolation underscored the value of physical community spaces.

Downtown areas, once dismissed as outdated or inefficient, began to show their value anew. Their compactness, mixed uses, and existing infrastructure made them ripe for reactivation. Restaurants pivoted to patios and street dining; vacant storefronts hosted pop-up markets; and municipal governments experimented with car-free zones and “open streets” initiatives. These were not just temporary adaptations; they were signals of a larger reawakening in urban thinking.

Crucially, many Canadian cities began reinvesting in their cores. Projects like the redevelopment of Winnipeg’s downtown Exchange District, the renewal of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, and the pedestrian transformation of Ottawa’s Sparks Street have all sought to position the downtown as not just a commercial hub, but a cultural and social one as well.

As Canadian municipalities look to the future, a new paradigm for downtown development is emerging, one that prioritizes walkability, sustainability, and economic resilience. For city planners, the challenge lies in undoing decades of car-centric design and replacing it with infrastructure that supports a more livable, human-scale urban fabric. This means rethinking zoning laws to encourage mixed-use development where residential, commercial, and cultural uses coexist in the same area. It means investing in public transportation and cycling infrastructure so that people can access downtowns without relying on private vehicles. It also means reimagining public spaces not just as thoroughfares or vacant land, but as active, programmed areas where community life can unfold.

From a construction standpoint, this calls for strategic retrofitting of existing buildings, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and infill development that maintains architectural continuity while adding density. Brownfield redevelopment projects can help transform underused sites into thriving urban blocks, while public-private partnerships can accelerate investment and reduce risk.

An excellent example of this is the transformation of Kitchener’s city centre, which saw the conversion of former industrial lands into a tech hub anchored by companies like Google and supported by investments in light rail, walkable streets, and residential development. Similarly, Calgary’s East Village has undergone a remarkable rebirth through master planning, infrastructure renewal, and public art installations that reinvigorate the urban core.

While aesthetics and livability are critical, the revival of downtowns also depends on sound business strategy. Small, independent businesses are often the lifeblood of successful downtowns. They offer unique experiences that can’t be replicated in big box environments, and they contribute to a diversified local economy. However, they also face high costs, tight margins, and stiff competition.

Municipalities can support downtown business ecosystems by providing grants, tax incentives, and flexible regulations that encourage entrepreneurship and adaptive reuse. Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), which pool resources from local merchants to fund beautification, marketing, and events, have proven effective across Canada, from Toronto’s Queen Street West to Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant.

But beyond policy, the long-term viability of downtown businesses depends on creating an environment that attracts people. Walkability, safety, cleanliness, and a mix of uses are all essential. Daytime workers, evening diners, weekend shoppers, and tourists alike must all find reasons to come downtown and to stay.

Successful downtowns offer more than retail; they provide culture, connection, and a sense of discovery. Farmers markets, art festivals, food truck rallies, live music events, and holiday celebrations can transform a simple plaza into a dynamic public realm. These experiences help forge emotional connections with place, turning occasional visitors into loyal patrons and residents.

At their best, downtowns are more than business districts; they are the physical expression of a community’s identity and aspirations. They showcase its history, its culture, and its values. They are where parades march, protests gather, and strangers become neighbours. That’s why aesthetics matter. Architecture, public art, landscaping, and street furniture all contribute to how a space is perceived and used.

Canadian cities are increasingly recognizing that investment in placemaking is not frivolous, but foundational. A well-designed downtown invites participation, supports mental health, reduces social isolation, and builds social capital. It reflects who we are and who we hope to be.

The future of Canadian downtowns is not about nostalgia; it is about reinvention. It’s about recognizing the mistakes of car-centric planning and suburban sprawl and choosing a different path—one rooted in accessibility, community, and sustainability. Construction, city planning, and business development all have a role to play in this transformation. It requires bold vision, long-term investment, and public engagement. But the rewards are substantial. A vibrant downtown is not just a gathering place; it’s a living engine of economic, social, and cultural vitality.

As we emerge from the disruptions of the past decade, there is an opportunity to re-centre urban life around the human experience. If we seize it, downtowns across Canada could once again become the places where people meet, belong, and thrive.

The post From Vacancy to Vibrancy<p class="company">The New Economics of Canadian Downtowns</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“We have a reputation for being able to get our homes into unique pieces of property. It’s kind of fun for us,” says Kirsten Miller, President of the Delafield, Wisconsin-based design/build firm.

To make this particular site feasible, “we literally had to build a bridge from the garage to the house,” adds Chris Miller, owner, licensed contractor, and Kirsten’s husband.

Everything worked out in the end, and the project enhanced Miller Marriott’s reputation for taking on daunting tasks and building homes according to customer specifications.

Customized for the client
This company offers a wide array of services, with its design options falling into three main categories: custom, semi-custom, and classic. Custom projects are based on never-done-before, unique designs, while semi-custom projects involve some degree of modification to existing company plans, Kirsten explains. The classic category consists of homes based on one of the company’s existing plans.

“We started as just a custom builder, and we added semi-custom and classic to our product lines,” says Chris, who tells us around 80 percent of the company’s current workload falls into the custom category. Among such homes are the Lonestar, featuring five bedrooms and six bathrooms at 5,428 square feet, and the Grand Haven, which is an open-concept floor plan with a cedar shake exterior, lime wash fireplace, four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 2,844 square feet of space.

In addition to offering fine craftsmanship and aesthetics, Miller Marriott prides itself on being customer friendly. Potential customers are connected to a client experience person who “makes sure they’re a good fit for us and we’re a good fit for them,” Chris says. “It’s important [that it is] mutually beneficial for both parties.”

If the fit works, detailed discussions can begin regarding aspects such as budget, costs, and project scope. Should the client want to build their home on land they already own, Chris, Kirsten and/or another company representative will visit the property to get a feel for the space. If the clients lack a building site, the company can guide them through the land selection and purchase process.

“Once the property has been identified and secured, the client enters into a design contract with us. Then, we’ll design the house and customize the interior selections,” says Chris. “We will truly listen to the client, understand their design goals, create a floor plan based on their lifestyle, and give a voice to their aesthetic style,” he states of custom work.

The design process can include the use of software to generate three-dimensional images of what the completed home will look like. If all goes to plan, the client signs a construction contract and their home gets built. The construction is led by Miller Marriott construction managers and completed by a cadre of trusted subcontractors, but Miller Marriott can take care of permits, surveys, paperwork, and other administrative duties. From start to finish, custom home construction takes about 18 months on average.

On occasion, Miller Marriott builds entire neighborhoods. As of late, these bigger projects have started to include infill neighborhoods where new homes are added to vacant or underused land. The company also offers full home remodeling.

The team has also completed apartment developments and select non-residential projects, such as a church rectory and a golf course clubhouse. Private homes, however, remain the company’s forte. Right now, the team is simply too busy to do much else, says Chris.

All told, the company has constructed more than 300 homes since it was founded. Approximately 90 percent of these residences are located within 15 miles of company headquarters. Many of its houses are built along the lakes that dot this part of the state and lakefront homes are a particular company sub-specialty.

Doing it better
Chris was motivated to launch the company in the late 1990s following a negative experience with a contractor. He hired the contractor to build him a home, but things quickly went sideways. The process “was a nightmare,” he recalls. “I just felt like, ‘Man, this could be done better.’”

A business owner himself at the time, Chris had an engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a background in construction. Annoyed by the difficulties he encountered with the contractor, he started building speculative homes—for resale without a specific buyer—in his time away from his day job, completing his first such house in 2004. “I started building spec homes, and people really liked what I was doing,” he says. “Then it morphed into who we are now.”

Miller Marriott Construction Co. continued to grow and in 2016, Chris left his corporate job to work at the firm full-time. Kirsten, whose résumé included experience with General Motors and General Electric, among other companies, joined full-time a year or so later.

Coming from corporate backgrounds, the couple understood the importance of “truly implementing a repeatable process that allows transparency with the client [and gives them] an early indication of what costs will be,” she notes.

As part of this mission to be transparent, architects take part in meetings where costs are discussed with custom-build clients. If the client has questions about how much a particular feature or material might cost, the architect is on hand to give an informed answer, explains Chris. Architects are responsible for selecting the materials for a build and making decisions on everything from the type of flooring to the thickness of insulation, and at all times, the customer needs to be on board with such choices and approve of the costs.

In addition to transparency, Miller Marriott offers a one-stop shop model. Clients do not need to seek out multiple different professionals, from architects to land developers to construction contractors, to build their dream home. And customers appreciate that Miller Marriott takes charge of the entire design/build process, says Kirsten. “I think for people that are considering building, who may have never built before, it can be intimidating, and they’re not necessarily sure where to start,” she says. “And we can help make it a little less intimidating.”

A team approach
The company currently employs 24 people. To join, one must possess the right technical skills for the sought-after position and be a good team player. A unified and strong team has been essential to the company’s success. A good team player might disagree on certain points with their colleagues but can express their views in a respectful manner while still working in a collaborative manner, says Chris.

“One thing we’ve learned in this business is no one person succeeds independently. It really takes a team rowing in the same direction to have a great experience for our client and build a quality home,” adds Kirsten.

The entire team prioritizes the client through the effort and care they put into their individual roles. Regular communication, listening to the client, and professional behavior is what is expected from the team.

To become part of the sub-contractor pool, a construction company must demonstrate capability, loyalty, a strong work ethic, and quality craftsmanship. Miller Marriott follows what are called preferred quality and build standards—verifiable construction benchmarks used industry-wide. These standards encompass everything from materials and construction methods to building codes, consistence in quality, and measures for energy efficiency. The company inspects its projects during construction and reports any issues back to the client.

This emphasis on clear communication is not only helpful for would-be homeowners; it is beneficial to the company’s bottom line. While Miller Marriott has a comprehensive website and robust social media presence, disseminating newsletters and occasionally hosting events at model homes, its promotion largely hinges on word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied clients.

“I truly believe this is a referral business, and we relentlessly focus on making customers happy,” notes Chris.

Building community
The company is also determined to give back to its local community, which is why it launched the Miller Marriott Charitable Foundation. The foundation spearheaded a recent initiative to build a charity home. “Kirsten and I donated land and our design and construction services to create a home that we could sell and donate the profits from,” says Chris, with proceeds from the sale of the home going to specifically help mental health organizations.

Going forward, Chris and Kirsten are considering increasing the amount of remodeling work the firm does. They are also open to expanding the company’s market reach into new locations—but only if demand justifies such a move.

One thing that will not change is Miller Marriott’s reputation for designing and building beautiful homes in all manner of settings. “We’re truly custom—our processes, our homes, and our neighborhoods,” says Chris. “We can take very unique lots and land conditions and competitively design a beautiful neighborhood or home for someone.”

The post A Bold Approach to Custom Homes<p class="company">Miller Marriott Construction Co.</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Remodeling is still an integral part of the business today, and after scaling up its operations again around 2020, the company has continued forward on its initial path.

Co-owner and Chief Operations Officer Luke Kolbeck, as well as Chief Marketing Officer and fellow co-owner Andrew Kolbeck, have been with the company for the past three years, coming to the team from the land development space. The two first became involved with JDH after teaming up with the company in 2021 for a product to benefit the custom home building market. Andrew explains that JDH has kept a lean staff since the 2008 recession and now focuses primarily on the custom home building aspect of its offerings, building around 10 to 12 homes annually. The company’s growth trajectory is nearing the 20-home-per-year mark, but largely all of these are custom floor plans, meaning that a lot of the company’s business is based on delivering what its clients want most out of a project.

The customer is in the driver’s seat
Being a custom home building business by nature, JDH has amassed a portfolio that acts as the starting point for some customers but does not at all limit what can be built. Luke estimates that 75 to 80 percent of the company’s builds are purely custom homes that are not based on an existing model. And he tells us that, more than being a custom home builder, JDH is a company that is about relationships.

“We put the customer in the driver’s seat with their budget,” he says, which means that they are given all the information about their project upfront. This includes 3D CAD tours through the prospective home so that clients can interact with the space and direct what the home will look like. These offerings all come together into what the company refers to as a boutique experience for its customers.

As the design phase continues, the budget for a boutique project can be allocated to what the customer wants to spend and how they want the home to come together, which Luke says sets JDH apart from other home builders in the area. Andrew says that, in home building, the customer works with the entire organization, and this is especially true at JDH. A client doesn’t simply deal with one salesperson but has communication with the whole office, from architects and interior designers to selection coordinators and more. “We provide a hands-on experience in giving clients what they are looking for,” says Andrew, an approach the team has held fast to since the 1990s.

As a result of its client-focused approach, JDH has had the opportunity to work on a breadth of engaging home and development projects. One of the company’s most notable projects so far has been the Sanctuary at Good Hope conservation development, consisting of 41 single-family lots across 150 acres of land located 20 minutes away from downtown Milwaukee, around the Menomonee Falls area. This development also features over 70 acres of natural conservancy land. JDH built 15 of the residences ranging in size from 3000 to 11,000 square feet, and land parcels in the area range from one to eight acres. Andrew says that getting land of that size in proximity to amenities is unheard of and the company is proud to have been a part of the groundbreaking development in that area and others like it.

On top of technology
While its home building is still number one, in recent years, the company has been investing in its digital side in both marketing and customer experience. Research has shown that JDH’s clients first interact with the business over the phone and/or the internet, so the company wants to provide a best-in-class digital experience for that segment and wants to educate future prospects on both the home building and remodeling processes.

To support this effort, JDH launched its new website in April and has also stayed consistent with social media updates on mediums like Facebook and Instagram, even establishing relationships with social media influencers to gain more eyes on its capabilities. The company is not content to rely on the old ways of advertising and communication and distinguishes itself in its field by embracing newer methods in a market that values innovation.

Thanks to its approach of continuous improvement, Luke says that demand for JDH’s services remains extremely strong, especially in light of the general housing shortage in the United States. Despite experiencing headwinds around costs, the current interest rate environment, and ongoing talk of tariffs, JDH is seeing relatively high demand, especially in homes valued at $800,000 and above. Luke says that the middle market of home building is also experiencing a comeback. When interest rates in the industry spiked in recent years, the middle market felt a bit pinched; but now, clients in this space are getting more comfortable with both the interest rate environment and moving into construction, which would not have been the case even a year ago.

Luke says that JDH will continue to optimize its digital experience going forward to keep enticing prospective clients. For the remainder of 2025, the team plans to execute well on its home builds, now with 20 homes in production. JDH is looking to grow its intake to around 25 homes a year and aims to bring a boutique development, each comprising its own community, to market on an annual to semi-annual basis.

Looking ahead
As available land in its home area of southeast Wisconsin gets scarcer, JDH will likely look to move further north and west into areas like New Berlin. JDH is also looking to enter the duplex condominium space thanks to a condominium project that will come to fruition in the fourth quarter of this year. The Cove at Custer, a new Wisconsin community development, will comprise 20 duplex condos likely to house working professionals and clients who are looking to downsize to a smaller space, like retirees. This boutique development will be close to Milwaukee and promises to be another feather in the cap for the company’s considerable portfolio of developments in Wisconsin.

Above all, JDH wants to give its clients a quality building experience through its team-based approach, educating the client and allocating their investments to what is most important to them. “Construction is a bumpy journey for anyone,” Luke says, “and we try to take the best care of our clients throughout the process.”

Construction and home building does not have to be a daunting experience. And Joseph Douglas Homes has the team to see its clients through the journey—with little fuss and with undeniable results.

The post Fulfilling Client Visions With Boutique Projects<p class="company">Joseph Douglas Homes</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

As a result, its diverse skill set has proven invaluable in weathering the pressures of a fluctuating economy and other challenges. Based in Waupaca, Wisconsin, this construction firm proudly serves its customers with an open-minded approach to building and an undeniable commitment to delivering consistent quality. The result is a large selection of deep-rooted skills and manpower available for each project, ensuring that every job benefits from the team’s full attention.

From luxury, custom, and hybrid homes to most of the trades needed to complete them, Strongwood provides peace of mind for every customer on every project. As its capabilities have grown, the company has continued adding services to enhance its offering. These include automation, audio-visual installations, security systems, and appliances. In the process, Strongwood’s breadth of expert capabilities has become a draw for clients looking for dependability and guaranteed outcomes.

As the company’s reputation grew, requests for interesting sports additions followed. As a result, sports simulator installations, putting greens, and turf projects have all joined Strongwood’s portfolio. Moreover, a fully equipped design team provides everything from home design to interior design and all services related to the creative aspects of the process. “We have three brilliant women who bring visions together for people who have a hard time doing that,” says Aaron Green, recently appointed President.

All these services translate into what is, perhaps, the most challenging yet most coveted aspect of contracting today: control. With the means to manage its in-house teams while regulating quality and timelines, unlike many of the more construction coordination-focused operators available today, Strongwood is the solid partner project owners need when making large home investments.

Building the firm, and its reputation for excellence, was not always easy. Achieving its current level of success has meant diligently addressing and solving expansion issues and the challenges these have presented over the past 20 years or so. Green is proud of the approach the company has taken. “We did a good job managing our growing pains to become this successful,” he says.

Originally established as a builder of log homes, Strongwood grew steadily until the recession of 2008. Suddenly, demand dwindled as the product became a luxury few of its former target market could afford at the time. Owners Thad Marcom, Chief Executive Officer, and Amy Marcom, Design Director, saw the need to diversify—fast.

Pivoting strategically by shelving log home construction for a time, the company focused on a bigger, more sustainable market for fully customized homes. The move resulted in its indelible Strongwood stamp of excellence across the region of Waupaca—especially along the city’s exquisite lakefront areas. Going from an exclusive log home builder to having around 14 framers on its 50-strong staff and more services than it could have thought possible, the company certainly earned its reputation for outstanding quality and trustworthiness.

Committed to maintaining the family-owned business atmosphere that brought the company success in the first place, the Marcoms and their team love nothing more than welcoming and serving new, existing, and repeat business with the same amount of heart that the firm was built on. This distinct and refreshing lack of corporate officiousness translates into a company atmosphere of warmth and genuine care where employees are treated like equals and everybody’s health and well-being matters.

The same approach applies to Strongwood’s customers, who benefit from a generous approach to ensuring their dream is delivered on time and within budget. “We really make our customers part of the Strongwood family. Our design services come nearly free of charge when building with us,” Green adds, highlighting the firm’s focus on transparency.

This approach extends to Strongwood’s sports simulator installations across the U.S., where every client is treated with respect and each project is custom-designed and built to meet their unique needs. That level of care and communication has earned the company a partnership with Golfzon— a strong testament to its top-quality service.

In it for the long haul, Green is full of praise for Strongwood’s owners and its teams. For him, getting a team of 50 this synergized is an accomplishment in itself. And so it’s no wonder that this business runs mainly on recommendations from happy customers. “Our mission is to make sure that every client is smiling and welcomed home,” he says.

With this can-do attitude and crisp positivity infused into everything the company touches, its team is prepared to say “yes” wherever possible. For this reason, when it comes to the latest technology, it is surprisingly well-equipped for a comparatively smaller outfit. Extensively kitted out with laser measuring equipment, layout technology, and BuilderTrend management software, Strongwood can give customers full access to progress reports, images, and transparency across financial and most other aspects of projects.

Joining the company from the commercial construction industry after meeting the Marcoms when they built his home five years ago, Green headed Strongwood’s recently established concrete division when he first arrived. After only two years in operation, this department earned one million dollars’ worth of work in its first year of operation—another understandably proud moment for the firm.

This was followed by the addition of a plumbing division established through acquisition, and a Marketing Director who has helped drive sales. The firm’s rearranging itself for optimal organizational flow has been trying at times, but also fun, Green points out. It is during these times that its family approach perhaps becomes the most valuable.

To illustrate, Green describes the increased workload as not contributing to any sudden knee-jerk reactions from its teams to become generic or stereotypical in how they treated customers—even under pressure. Instead, they diligently continued building authentic relationships with customers, making the Strongwood team worth its weight in gold. “I just want to say thank you for your commitment and hard work,” Green says to the people who work hard and are committed to improving the company daily. “It’s fun to have a second family in Strongwood.”

With exciting new projects featuring modern, mid-century designs on the horizon, this team is poised to continue making magic. Green is confident that everything is ready and in place to take these upcoming projects to new heights. “Bringing that all together is tough on its own, but having such a good design group and our architect on board makes it all come together,” he says of the firm’s future commitments.

With continued growth on the agenda, strategic planning leads the way. To this end, relevant appointments ensure continuity and foresight. Strongwood’s new General Manager, Nate Berra, former Director of Sales, joins Green in taking care of the greater Strongwood team while Marcom continues developing its offering and commercial outlooks. While expansion is very much a given for this talented company, maintaining its sense of quality and warmth promises to remain a quintessential part of its presence. Because, as we all know, there is nothing more valuable than being welcomed home.

The post Welcoming You Home<p class="company">Strongwood</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“We put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope,” explains Chief Executive Officer of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, Brian Sonderman.

For more than 40 years, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity has brought people and resources together for the common good. Through its builds, its Critical Home Repair (CHR) program, and its ReStore operation, it continues to facilitate change by supporting affordable homeownership projects that are transformative on every level.

Building homes and community
More than providing a safe and adequate place to call home, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity breaks down barriers for first time homeowners earning below the median income ($47,590 in Wisconsin as of the most recent figures), while supporting those who require critical home repairs to preserve homeownership.

The organization was founded in 1984 by 12 visionaries from the faith community who sought to solve some of the bigger problems that were plaguing the community at the time, chiefly poverty and inequality in Milwaukee’s near north side neighborhoods that were chronically underserviced.

“They didn’t go to the easiest areas to build,” Sonderman explains. “They went to some of the hardest places because they were the most underserved and where people had, in many regards, been left behind. We really stand on the shoulders of that group and continue to honor that legacy by pressing forward and trying to do more,” he says.

To date, the organization has helped over 1,500 families empowering them with a hand up, not a handout, made possible by a dedicated staff and hundreds of skilled volunteers affectionately referred to as “Habituals” who come together at build sites, warehouse facilities, and ReStore locations to help build community. “Habituals contribute upwards of 40,000 hours on the build site and over 20,000 at our ReStores,” explains Al Smith, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity’s Chief Operating Officer, of the contributions of the team.

This team also includes some very generous corporate sponsors. Sargento and Komatsu have each sponsored and built 41 homes in the city, while Milwaukee Tool has donated over $600,000 in tools and batteries that are imperative to the builds.

The Brewers Community Foundation sponsors a home each year and its players chip in on the build site each spring as the build season is kicked off, which is an especially exciting time of year.

The builds are further supported by A. O. Smith, which supplies water heaters; Johnson Controls, which contributes furnaces and air conditioners; Kohler-supplied faucets, toilets, and sinks; and Whirlpool appliances, the latter of which is a global partner committed to equipping homes at build sites around the world.

Coming together for change
For 40 years, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity has worked tirelessly to combat inequity through the provision of affordable homeownership, a mission that has only gained importance over time. As it stands, North America is facing a deepening housing crisis, making the work of the organization ever more valuable. Since 1990, home prices in the U.S. have increased six times faster than income, and as Smith notes, “There is a critical shortage of affordable housing that we see, especially for families earning anywhere between 30 to 80 percent of AMI in terms of their income.”

In Milwaukee, one in three renters are spending half or more of their monthly income on housing, as the average cost to rent is $1,800 a month—while the average mortgage is $2,300 if you own your own home. The figures are even more daunting when race is considered.

As Sonderman explains, “In the city of Milwaukee proper, the proportions between white families and African American families that own the home that they live in is about 50 percent and 25 percent respectively. In the Milwaukee Metro Area, the gap is 50 percent: 75 percent of white families own the home they live in, while only 25 percent of African American families do, which is the second largest gap in the United States.”

Habitat for Humanity addresses many of the barriers to homeownership through the creation of affordable pathways for first-time home buyers and the creation of new housing opportunities to renew the aging housing stock in the city. A Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity homeowner, for instance, is paying only $950 monthly to own their own home and they get the opportunity to have a hand in building it themselves, alongside a community of volunteers that are unified in their efforts to make life more affordable and rewarding for the communities of which they are a part.

Transformational work
Indeed, volunteerism is a key part of the organization’s success. From build sites to ReStores, volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization and power the wheels of change. And they too, see benefits from the dedication of their time and effort. The experience is transformative for staff, volunteers, homeowners and their families, and for the communities that receive this love, demonstrating the power of a helping hand and the impact of a caring heart.

“That changes people from the inside out,” says Sonderman of the work the organization does. “One of the best parts of the work that I do is I sign the satisfaction of mortgages each month when people have paid off their mortgagee, because what that tells the homeowner when they get that document is ‘I’ve paid it in full and I own this; it’s mine and I can pass this on to the next generation.’ The pride in those homeowners—in what homeownership has done and the generational change that has occurred—is really remarkable,” he continues, noting that health outcomes improve, educational outcomes improve, and a ripple effect of positive change takes root in the community.

“It is not just shelter; it’s oftentimes the launching point for children to find academic success. It’s oftentimes the launching point for homeowners to form small businesses, to pursue advanced degrees themselves or certifications to advance their own employment opportunities. It is the launching point for neighborhoods and communities.”

Because Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity focuses on clustering its homes, it creates intentional Habitat communities within the larger community that can continue to give back and have a wider impact, which includes global outreach. In addition to its local impact, the organization devotes 10 percent of unrestricted donations to the international Habitat community in El Salvador and Zambia where the work to achieve housing affordability, adequacy, and racial equity continues on a global scale.

Ramping up efforts
Given that demand for affordable housing is at an all-time high, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is working closely with several community partners and municipalities to ensure that housing needs are being met and that barriers to homeownership continue to be overcome. This includes building 34 new homes and completing over 100 critical home repairs this year.

As one of the top 30 producing Habitat affiliates in the U.S. for new house production and critical repairs, Sonderman plans to step up the organization’s efforts.

He wants to “meet the moment,” to “step into a place of greater responsibility in terms of helping meet this housing affordability crisis,” he says. “And so our goal is to double in size, which means twice as many volunteers and twice as many funds that need to be raised.”

A tremendous feat to achieve, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is up to the task, poised to continue its good work centered on facilitating affordable homeownership and overcoming societal barriers to equality, planting the seeds of change that will have a lasting impact on the communities it serves.

“When homeownership is strong, safety improves, economic stability and opportunity improves,” Sonderman says. “We know how powerful it is, and so it really calls us back to our mission and our vision where everyone has a decent place to live.” This drive fuels the organization to build its capacity to bring affordable homeownership to an even greater number of people in the Milwaukee area and beyond.

The post Breaking Down Barriers by Building up People and Communities<p class="company">Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

As a nonprofit corporation that acts as an economic development coordinator for all of Oneida County, OCEDC supports individuals investigating the practicality of going into business, assists existing businesses to expand and preserve economic viability, and works to bring in new business to develop its economic base and provide employment options to Oneida County residents. In addition, OCEDC is an effective conduit between government and business at the local, regional, state, and federal levels.

“We’re also proud to be good stewards of Oneida County’s land and water,” adds Executive Director Tony Pharo. “Economic development here isn’t just about growth; it’s about smart, sustainable growth that respects the natural resources that make this region unique.”

OCEDC also runs a sister organization, the Northeast Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (NEWEDC), which manages a revolving loan fund, helping OCEDC offer flexible financing options for businesses that might not qualify for traditional lending but have strong potential to grow and create jobs.

Business and broadband
Executive Director since June 2024, Pharo’s first objective was to tackle the broadband challenges within the county, he says, as currently about 18 percent of the county does not have access. OCEDC helped bring in state and federal funding to expand high-speed coverage, especially in rural areas. “That work continues, and we’re pushing toward full countywide access,” he says. Reliable internet is no longer optional; it’s a requirement for business, education, and quality of life.”

While OCEDC strives to get the rest of the county up to date with broadband, it also continues to strengthen the local industry landscape and startup activity. Oneida County boasts a healthy mix of established and emerging sectors, with the county seat of Rhinelander acting as the backbone of manufacturing, where companies produce everything from paper products to industrial components. “In contrast, communities like Minocqua and Three Lakes thrive on tourism—hospitality, retail, and seasonal businesses are their lifeblood,” says Pharo.

Startups are a growing part of the picture, he adds, with OCEDC working hands-on with entrepreneurs to help with business plans, marketing strategies, and funding options. “There’s a lot of activity in the county of people wanting to start smaller companies, and since December, I think we’ve helped about 25 startup companies, with six of them getting loans or startup funds in the amount of $300,000,” he shares. “We’ve been very active in working with organizations for startups.”

Pharo is particularly proud of these numbers given the present economic uncertainty. “To have that many people think about starting a company in the last four months, and we were able to help fund six of them—we’re happy about that.”

From bakeries to tattoo parlors, a variety of different service offerings are hoping to make their mark in an area that looks to be blossoming. “We also have three manufacturing companies right now that are talking to us about bringing manufacturing to our county,” says Pharo.

The housing hurdle
With business thriving, housing remains a top priority, Pharo stresses, with a “critical” housing study launched in January and projected for completion by the end of June to help developers remedy the situation. “We’ve heard loud and clear from employers in schools, colleges, and manufacturing that workforce housing is in short supply,” he says. “People want to live and work here, but they can’t find housing they can afford.”

This study will give OCEDC the hard data required to push forward with targeted development that precisely meets the communities’ needs. “Schools can’t hire teachers because they can’t find any housing, so they turn the job down,” Pharo says. “It’s the same with manufacturers—they can’t find housing at present. So that’s one of our big hurdles.”

Resolving these concerns means being proactive, he stresses. “On housing, we’re using study results to guide real-world action. We want to see shovel-ready developments, not just reports.”

An additional challenge is that approximately 52 percent of the houses in Oneida County are considered second homes and are located on the lakes, meaning many permanent residents are priced out of ownership. “We have to be careful,” Pharo stresses. “A lot of people come to Oneida County because of all the lakes, forests, hiking trails, fishing, and boating. We need to look at how we can move our county and economy forward but also be good stewards of the land.”

While developing an area is important for growth and future success, it’s vital to treat the environment with the respect it deserves. “That’s the key thing,” says Pharo. “We have to understand who we are—we’re in tourism and manufacturing, and we must understand where we’re at in that situation. That’s why housing and housing studies are focused on the entire county, but it’s the three cities of Minocqua, Three Lakes, and Rhinelander that house most of the population.”

Feeling festive
Tourism in particular plays a large role in the county, he adds, and it’s one sector that is important to encourage. With three strong Chambers in the county, there are a wide variety of festivals to enjoy, such as Minocqua’s Beef-A-Rama, held on the last Saturday in September, which brings in 16,000 people, as well as other unique events hosted by communities year-round.

“There are a lot of festivals,” Pharo says. “In the summer, people come here to go boating, fishing, and hiking, and in the winter, a lot come for ice fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country snowshoeing, and ice skating.”

OCEDC also helped businesses weather the pandemic, a major challenge and accomplishment. By supporting grant applications and advising on pivots, OCEDC helped keep doors open while making progress on bigger-picture issues like broadband expansion and startup support. But challenges such as housing, childcare, broadband, and workforce remain, and are all linked.

“Addressing one helps the others, but we need to tackle them all together. We’re also mindful that economic growth must go hand-in-hand with environmental stewardship. Preserving our forests, lakes, and clean air isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also key to sustaining tourism and quality of life.”

Childcare – critical to the county
Pharo is also concerned about the state of childcare and how it continues to affect local development. “We’re noticing that more and more women are getting out of the workforce because they can’t afford to send their infant-to-four-year-old to childcare, and a lot of our manufacturers have said they’ve lost workers this year because of that.”

Additionally, Oneida County has lost “probably half” of its licensed childcare centers, unable to keep their doors open due to the cost they’d have to charge and what they’d have to pay their workers. “Childcare is one of the biggest hidden barriers to workforce participation,” Pharo adds. “Parents want to work, and employers want to hire, but the lack of reliable childcare is a serious obstacle.”

To alleviate that, OCEDC is working with local and regional partners to find ways to expand capacity, support providers, and come up with funding solutions. “It’s part of our broader goal of making Oneida County a place where families can live, work, and thrive,” Pharo says.

The organization has also noticed that more and more young families are having to rely on relatives to care for young children when childcare can’t be found or the costs are prohibitive. “We’re at a ratio of about four infants to one available slot, which means about 75 percent aren’t finding a place,” says Pharo. “We’re noticing that a lot of 55-to-65-year-old people are retiring early to help take care of their grandchildren. What will happen with them is a concern, and if retirement funding isn’t there, what will happen to them down the road?”

The core of Oneida County
The issues facing OCEDC are challenging, but the team is up for the challenge. Pharo wants to see housing developments break ground based on the current study, and is also aiming for full broadband coverage across the county, while on the childcare front, he’s working toward scalable, community-backed solutions.

“We’re also looking to grow the impact of our revolving loan fund through NEWEDC and keep expanding services for entrepreneurs,” he says.

“At the core of it all, we’re focused on building a sustainable, inclusive economy that respects the unique character of Oneida County—its people and its natural environment.”

The post Smart, Sustainable Growth – Living and Thriving in Oneida County<p class="company">Oneida County Economic Development Corporation (OCEDC)</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Established in 2010 by co-founders Thiago (TJ) Davila, Chief Executive Officer, and his wife, Michelle Sanchez, President, the business is the couple’s second enterprise, focusing on smaller boutique communities, single-family residences, and townhomes. With US Aluminum—a Screen Enclosure company that builds pergolas, sunrooms, pool enclosures, outdoor kitchens, pavers, and more—as part of its portfolio, Davila Homes benefits from having access to top-notch products including patio pavilions, awnings, and other hardware.

As a general contractor with a keen sense of attention to detail, TJ Davila began his construction career building homes in the early days, growing the business based on effusive customer referrals, which have had a key role to play in taking the team to where it is today.

Now, more than 800 residential units later, Davila remains as well-known in the Central Florida construction industry as ever, running a successful company alongside his wife and business partner. Thanks to their vision and the stalwart dedication of their team, the company has forged a reputation for bringing designers’ wildest visions to life. With owners who know how to inspire their team to achieve the impossible, Davila Homes’ capabilities come as no surprise.

The results of their combined efforts are many happy customers and awards recognizing the firm’s commitment to excellence and the industry. These honors include the Grand Award by Parade of Homes, which the firm received in 2019 in the Custom Homes category for its Lakeshore Model. The same model won first place in the same contest that year for units between the $1.8 million and $2.2 million range. The following year, the team brought home the Merit Award for its Florencio Model in the Custom Homes division of Parade of Homes.

Following these successes, in 2023, Davila Homes won first place for its Savannah Model in Parade of Homes—again in the Custom Homes category for units priced between $1.9 and $2.9 million. This year was in fact no exception on the awards front, with the company bringing home the Parade of Homes Lake-Sumter 2025 Merit Award for Best Outdoor Living Space for a custom home with its Savannah model.

Naturally, it takes strong leadership company-wide to achieve such prestigious recognition.

One of these outstanding leaders, Otavio Camara, Chief Operations Officer, has been with the firm since 2019, starting as just its fourth employee. At the time, the company was completing around 15 to 20 custom-built homes annually. Today, Davila Homes employs 35 people, a truly formidable team of professionals. “We grew pretty quickly,” says Camara. “We have a great staff, and I think that’s a big part of it.”

Davila Homes doesn’t exclusively build custom homes, however. With its years of experience in designing custom plans, the team has selected a few such plans to add to its portfolio and make available for clients who want to build their dream home without going through the process of designing a custom home from the ground up. Clients can incorporate a number of high-end, custom options as standard offerings, saving them money and precious time. This is where the firm’s design team shines in presenting the vast range of available material and finish combinations in a warm and supportive way. Once visualization presentations are complete, clients meet their project manager while permitting gets underway.

This process is followed up with scheduled site walks at specific stages to ensure that customers are up to speed and able to give their feedback, and to guarantee that they are satisfied with the final product by the time it is completed—just about a month or so later. During this time, a project manager is always on call during business hours. Thanks to modern technology and the company’s dedicated project management software, it is possible to digitally access real-time project information and make changes to the design as needed.

Davila Homes decided to further hone its processes by ensuring that it has full control of these in-house multi-unit development projects, putting material choices, timelines, floor plans, and every other design and construction aspect into the hands of its team rather than external contributors.

The result of this decision has been a wonderful selection of marquee projects. These include, among many others, the Golden Oaks Reserve, a collection of seven custom luxury, single-family homes starting at $4 million each. There is also Preserve at Lakeside in St. Cloud, a community comprising 10 single-family units that start at $1 million. Moreover, Lakeview Village Estates boasts a boutique community featuring 14 townhomes and 26 single-family homes in downtown Winter Garden, starting at $600,000 per unit.

A far cry from the typical profit-based development strategy one sees so much of around the globe, Davila Homes is motivated by quality instead. “We are trying to create a different identity. Even though we may have 50 to 100 homes in one subdivision, we want high-end products—houses that stand out,” Camara says.

With a dedicated sales team always ready to assist, Davila Homes provides its natural sense of good service with as much elegance as the rest of its offerings. Cultivating a relationship of trust and respect with every customer, this relatively new team has already proven its worth, demonstrating professionalism and dedication with every project and every client interaction.

Indeed, the company’s commitment to creating robust internal systems that form a safety net for project success has been integral to its success. Camara is especially proud of the firm’s ability to keep everyone on the same page by providing ample information and design capabilities in sleek, modern ways. “I think that this transparency with clients and being able to give them what they expect of their dream house is very important,” he says.

These standards of excellence and clear communication apply not only to clients but reach every employee of the firm as well. By creating a healthy and mature workplace ecosystem, Davila Homes’ creativity and problem-solving skills have the space to shine. Moreover, its sincere sense of care for its employees and theirs for one another makes it an even better workplace where design and construction could be called a happy team sport. “Part of our success is bringing in people who are in line with our core values,” Camara adds.

A key aspect of these core values includes doing genuine good in the world. Davila Homes’ non-profit organization, Above and Beyond for Change (ABC), was founded by President Michelle Sanchez during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization facilitates everything from Cultural Day to holiday parties and STEM Club, alongside providing essential items, clothing, and food to underprivileged children. Having identified a need for digital and financial literacy, parenting skills, health and wellness information, and more, Sanchez’s dream is to create a community center for the group that will provide education and skills training to youth and adults. “We hope to make life better and easier for as many people as possible,” she says, highlighting the importance for the Davila family to be part of something bigger than themselves.

The company also has its own expansion plans underway. Set to house its stunning new office and design center, its new facility will inspire all who visit. Another exciting project is its new Richmond Model home in Bella Collina—an idyllic place that’s perfect for its most recent creation.

Beyond this breathtaking new address, Davila Homes aims to further diversify through new projects that continuously explore sophistication, beauty, and quality in ever-evolving ways. By blending classic craftsmanship with leading technology, and by empowering its team with rich opportunities for work-life balance and ample room to grow and develop both professionally and personally, Davila Homes is inspiring and transforming its future—and that of its clients.

The post Ready to Empower, Inspire, and Transform<p class="company">Davila Homes</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Transitioning the company from a handful of owners to an ESOP means Matern’s employees have an ownership stake in the business and a hand in its future and financial success. The move has deep meaning for Strandquest, who started with the Maitland, Florida-headquartered firm as a mechanical engineer 27 years ago, working his way up to President.

“ESOP is a six to eight-year process,” says Strandquest, “and we are in year two. We are considered an employee-owned firm in progress.”

Douglas P. Matern founded Matern Professional Engineering in 1984 and remained sole owner until 2013, when he invited three senior leaders to become shareholders and subsequently Senior Vice Presidents. Strandquest and Senior Vice President and Director of Engineering, Adrian Baus, were two of those shareholders. The third shareholder retired after 25 years with the firm in 2021. Like other successful engineering firms, Matern has been approached to sell by larger firms; but for this company’s leadership team, money wasn’t the key factor.

“The motivation was, we didn’t want to sell and have our culture change,” says Strandquest who, along with Doug and Adrian, decided it was more important to sell back to the employees rather than sell out to another firm and be acquired. In the next few years, Matern will completely transition to a 100 percent employee-owned company. “My hope is employees realize that and have a more vested interest in the firm and its success,” he adds. “Working diligently to make us profitable also makes their retirement fund even bigger.”

Although Matern is still in transition, it is already seeing benefits of the new ESOP. The business is more transparent as Strandquest conducts a quarterly debrief with the entire company, along with Director of Marketing & Business Development, Erica Shay. “Every three months, we go over the projected numbers for that quarter or the previous quarter, talk about what’s projected for the future, and look at where our revenue stands,” he explains. “There’s a lot more transparency in this process than there was before when just three of us had stock, and employees have also been more willing to speak up.”

Steadily building its offerings over the decades, Matern offers a wide range of services including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy, commissioning, fire protection, and technology engineering. The company executes sustainable design, lighting design, and project management, among other pursuits. With a team of 65 dedicated staff, Matern tackles building system assessments, leads design and construction teams for MEP upgrades, and engineers systems for aviation, commercial, community, corrections, energy, government, healthcare, higher education, public safety, and other markets. The key to its success, Matern has earned a reputation for its outstanding work in aviation and K-12 education, with such professional services delivered through the dedicated aviation and education teams.

“We understand the unique requirements of efficiently maintaining buildings that are in perpetual use while maintaining occupant safety and comfort. This knowledge and the partnerships we have developed have enabled us to have an average 75 percent repeat client base,” says Shay. “Doug laid a secure keystone for us to build upon for generations to come.”

“Schools have always been pretty strong for us, about 65 percent of our business, and then we have our government clients,” says Strandquest, who believes government entities—schools and municipalities alike—will continue to see steady growth. “I don’t believe those markets will go down—they are the one constant, always in demand, and the infrastructure will require renewal as a result.” Strandquest also sees healthcare as an emerging market that’s going to continue to grow.

Although it isn’t clear where markets like energy are heading, Matern realizes that public and institutional buildings need to function today and for years to come. “The thing we know is facilities have to be built and have to be renovated and maintained cyclically. You need education, civic services, and healthcare, so those three areas will not go away. We have also seen incentives for workforce education and transportation expansion with the new Brightline High Speed rail coming into the new Terminal at Orlando International Airport. The need to replenish the workforce pool and move people fluidly through Florida is long overdue,” Strandquest says.

A believer in corporate responsibility, Matern’s values include giving back to the community, sustainability efforts, and inclusivity initiatives. Over his years with the company, Strandquest has also seen the benefits of Matern’s client-focused approach. As an engineer himself, he realizes that engineers are often set in their ways: ‘this is how we’ve always done it, and that’s how we’re going to do it.’ “What we instill in our younger engineers is that you listen to the client first, figure out their need, and you give your solution around that need,” he says. “Don’t go into the conversation or design or meeting with a preconceived notion of exactly how it’s going to go. You can have ideas that you bring to the table, but ultimately, listen to your client and figure out the solution based on what they need.”

This client-focused approach also influences the people Matern hires. Technical knowledge and the ability to produce are important, along with the ability to listen. “We also look for project managers, senior project managers, and people in the firm in hierarchy positions that can speak to clients, market to clients, listen to them, and articulate a solution that fits what they need. So it affects who we hire,” says Strandquest. The firm will welcome six new interns this summer, two of whom are returning for a second consecutive year.

Matern has amassed a large portfolio since 1984, including work across Florida, numerous other U.S. states, and Europe. Clients include over 100 government agencies and institutions throughout Florida, nine states, and the Federal Government. For projects in Europe, Matern works with an established team, presently engaged in several school projects in Germany, with more in the works.

The recipient of numerous awards over the decades, the firm was most recently honored at the FEFPA (Florida Educational Facilities Planners’ Association) Architectural Showcase Awards. Matern received the Elementary Schools Award of Merit: Lee County School District Franklin Park Elementary School, and High Schools First Place: Orange County Public Schools Innovation High School.

The company has also seen a lot of work thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, launched under the previous administration with the objectives of boosting energy use and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Initially aimed at transportation, energy, and infrastructure throughout the U.S., it expanded into other areas such as HVAC, solar panels, water source heat pumps, thermal storage, and battery storage. This resulted in growth in the thermal energy storage (ice storage) market in Florida, and more projects for Matern. Recent projects include Flagler County Public Schools, Flagler Palm Coast High School, Seminole County Public Schools, English Estates Elementary, Alachua County Government Justice Center, and the School District of Osceola County, AAA High School.

In recent years, this energy transition has resulted in significant cost savings for clients, and what used to be private has expanded to public facilities. “Under the IRA, tax-exempt entities like school districts and government bodies can now receive a direct payment, rather than a tax credit, for qualifying projects. This means the IRS will literally issue a check back to them, potentially saving schools upwards of $1.5 to $2.0 million, depending on the project’s cost,” Strandquest explains.

The company and its leadership are optimistic about the future. Solidifying its existing footprint and possibly adding more staff is on the horizon for Matern, and there is a chance that, by the end of this year, the first third of the ESOP process will be completed, two full years ahead of schedule.

“For me, knowing that my retirement is coming up in the next 10 years, the future includes the growth of leadership in the firm, and grooming them to take over positions of current leadership,” says Strandquest. “Our focus has to be in that direction—getting them up to speed in how the firm needs to operate, what we need to do, and how to keep the forward momentum.”

With Strandquest and some others in leadership positions set to leave in the next decade, it is important for the torch to be passed to the next generation. “I know that’s a longer-term vision, but we need to do some things now and over the next five years to make that happen,” he shares. “It needs to be measured, our growth. It has to be sustained and smart growth.” It sounds like Matern is on the right path to achieve exactly that.

The post From a Founder’s Vision to an Employee-Driven Future<p class="company">Matern Professional Engineering</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Martin and Howe are also part of a new middle management line to the leadership structure, which acts as a filter for the vision of upper management—like Vice President Ian Scanling—funnelling that vision down to the various production teams so that innovative ideas and day-to-day workload can be better balanced.

For CCW, continuous improvement of its processes remains a significant focus. For instance, the team recently identified that it was lacking in the areas of effective communication and using the technology tools at its disposal (i.e. Microsoft Office and energyERP suites). This deficiency led to an environment wherein the stresses of growth were taking a toll on the company’s leaders, who were stretching themselves thin. Howe says that, with the new ERP skill set implementation, CCW has a lot of data that it is using to create key performance indicators or department scorecards, which are important in driving changes to existing processes.

The ability to make data-driven decisions is already a major factor in making decisions around which company processes need improvement. Thanks to these recent improvements, CCW is now able to find out the cost of an open job at any moment during its process and make timely decisions in response. This is critical in both process improvement and keeping the company agile in its marketplace. “It’s not gut decisions,” says Howe. “It’s data-based decisions for us.”

Martin explains that another ongoing process improvement is in the area of accountability, with very detailed records of who is responsible for what within the internal processes of the businesses. This begins with accountability charts and the establishment of defined rules, then looking at the root cause of a problem, gathering information, finding out where processes can be adjusted, and filling in the gaps to prevent the same mistake from happening again.

For example, Howe says, CCW deals with a lot of metallic laminates because it provides a valued product to customers; however, working with these laminates on the shop floor can be challenging because they damage easily and require a specific skill set to work with. In tracking the company’s work requisitions on damaged product coming through the shop, detailed lists can be populated of incidents on the shop floor and how products like laminates can be damaged. From there, leadership moves into meetings to ensure these products move through the shop in an effective manner, with attention paid to their specific handling so as to create a robust process and workflow.

With regard to general product quality, Martin says that the company’s finishing processes—particularly staining—have been modified to include a number of quality checks prior to sealing and top coating to achieve consistent colouring. This may involve laying out the entire project to make sure the colour matches or using practice panels prior to production. Every project involves a multi-step verification when it is assembled, prior to subsequent disassembly and packaging, and multiple people are part of this process to ensure correctness. In other departments, newer drawing technologies can allow for a faster turnaround for the CCW finishing department by increasing the team’s drawing capacities.

Howe says that, although CCW is most concerned with internal improvement, its current targets are not focused on expanding the company for growth’s sake but on increasing its overall bottom line. Its goals for the next three years are to build a strong business foundation that will be there when the company inevitably experiences another growth period, as well as ensuring that the right people and processes are present in the organization to take advantage of it. This will mean that CCW will never be overly reliant on a single person in a process. “Our bottom line will grow thanks to clear accountability and goals, so there are no more blurred lines for our workers,” Howe says.

CCW’s current direction is taking shape within a period of turmoil and uncertainty for many industries based in North America. Howe says that things in the industry have gotten a lot more competitive in terms of estimating, due in part to ongoing issues in the U.S. such as tariffs and the general political climate, both of which are affecting the company’s native Canada as well as the world at large. Many would-be clients are asking about prospective projects but are also holding back on turning them into anything tangible, as there is hesitancy around how things will turn out in the next two to three years, according to Howe.

Financial aspects like interest rates are also affecting businesses like CCW, again making it harder for prospective clients to start new projects. This is especially true in the condominium market because buyers are not purchasing in the same ways as they used to years ago; in this instance, condominium projects need to have sold around 60 to 80 percent to kick off a project, a figure not achievable due to the current circumstances.

During times like these, the company’s internal practices will continue to be a foundational part of its success. Martin says that CCW sports a truly great culture, one that the team will continue to strengthen by defining it through its values. These values will help the company grow and hire more great talent, as well as manage performance.

“A lot of foundational bricks for the next big growth spurt” are being laid, says Martin. Over the next year and change, CCW will be keeping its bottom line as its priority while looking at some changes to its plant layout and minor planned improvements with respect to modest capital investments. Martin says that the latter will be applied to improve automation as much as possible. The company is looking to build its engineering capacity and further develop its niche in unique products.

A big update that is nearing the end of the approval phase is CCW’s digital integration program, which will help the company go paperless while beefing up the provision of real-time information. The company is in the process of going after an Ontario Centre of Innovation grant that will help this project reach the next level. CCW is eager to make sure that, no matter where its clientele finds out about its expertise in architectural millwork, it will always be ready to follow up with its trademark unified approach.

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