Building Beyond Boundaries: CCI’s Award-Winning Projects In January, Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI) was honored to be awarded three prestigious Gold Awards at the ABC of Wisconsin Projects of Distinction (POD) Excellence in Construction Awards, acknowledging our dedication to safety, quality, innovation, and teamwork. Furthermore, one project, The Grain Mass Timber Development, was nationally recognized with a Pyramid Award at the 35th Annual ABC Excellence in Construction® Awards Gala in Las Vegas. These projects underline CCI’s commitment to construction excellence, sustainable innovation, and community enhancement. Here’s a look at the awarded projects: The Grain Mass Timber Development in Delafield, Wisconsin: This project transformed a former downtown service station lot into a multi-use space featuring mass timber construction, which offers environmental benefits like reduced carbon emissions and improved indoor air quality. Owned by Hendricks Commercial Properties and designed by Johnson Design, The Grain features two fourstory structures with 60,000 square feet of office space, 18,000 square feet for retail and restaurants, and underground parking with 125 spaces. The use of dowel-laminated timber (DLT) allowed for quicker construction times and prefabrication off-site. Despite challenges like poor soil and material delivery delays, the project was completed successfully and is expected to generate 600+ jobs for the area. National Recognition: In late February, Corporate Contractors, Inc. main office: 3800 Milwaukee Road, Suite 200 | Beloit, Wisconsin 53511 phone: 608.362.2912 | fax: 608.362.8970 | email: info@cciwi.com | website: cciwi.com Winter 2025 continued on the next page
Award-Winning Projects… CCI was honored at the 35th Annual Excellence in Construction® Awards Gala in Las Vegas, hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Here, CCI earned a prestigious Pyramid Award for The Grain project, celebrating their leadership, innovation, and excellence in merit shop construction, highlighting their ability to transform challenges into opportunities for success. St. Charles Catholic Parish Expansion in Hartland, Wisconsin: This expansion project aimed to create an architectural landmark that respects both traditional and modern construction methods. Designed to accommodate over 1,170 people, the 33,800-square-foot addition enhances the church’s role in serving its growing congregation and the broader community. Devised by Zimmerman Architectural Studios, the Romanesque-style addition features a striking domed rotunda, a 100-foot bell tower, and intricate Italianinspired elements like the Carrara marble altar. The church’s vibrant interior includes a choir loft, ornate hand-painted murals, restored Tyrolean stained-glass windows, and other beautifully designed religious-themed artistic elements. The project faced challenges like poor soil conditions and labor shortages, but was managed with phased construction and increased safety measures to keep the existing church and school operational. Transforming the Village Supper Club in Delavan, Wisconsin: The renovation of the Village Supper Club on Lake Delavan transformed an 1880s establishment into a modern dining experience while preserving its historical essence. The project involved creating an 8,400-square-foot dining area with features including an amphitheaterlike dining room, panoramic views of the lake, and a multi-layered woodfinished ceiling. The custom finishes, some sourced from Europe, demanded meticulous craftsmanship, and the team’s collaboration and dedication to precision ensured flawless execution. Highlights include six fireplaces, a custom-crafted, oil-rubbed bronze mesh case above the bar, and outdoor seating with a design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, featuring a 29-foot-tall stone hearth. Owners Allan & Loretta Kaplan, along with DMAC Architecture & Interiors, collaborated with CCI to blend past and present in this incredible dining destination. Each of these award-winning projects reflects CCI’s ability to innovate and expand the boundaries of conventional construction techniques. From The Grain’s mass timber approach to St. Charles Catholic Parish’s historical reverence, and the Village Supper Club’s revitalized charm, they showcase how CCI works hand-in-hand with clients, architects, and local communities to realize visions that not only meet functional requirements but also enrich the surrounding community. The awards, both local and national, highlight CCI’s leadership in innovative construction practices and our unwavering commitment to quality and safety.
Trivial Pursuits 1) Which of these U.S. cities never served as the nation’s capital? a) Philadelphia b) New York c) Boston d) Washington 2) Which of these particles of matter has a negative charge? a) proton b) neutron c) electron d) neutrino 3) Which type of artisan commonly employs a kick wheel? a) potter b) carpenter c) diamond cutter d) glassblower 4) Who invented the mercury thermometer? a) Anders Celsius b) William Kelvin c) Daniel Fahrenheit d) Galileo Galilei 5) Sable, corkscrew and sickle are terms used to describe which part of a dog’s body? a) tongue b) ears c) hair d) tail —from mental floss Answers: 1) c; 2) c; 3) a; 4) c; 5) d. Any Time Is Good For Exercise And Sleep If you’re not getting enough sleep, your work will suffer the next day. If it becomes an ongoing problem, you could find yourself out of the running for promotions and opportunities that will go instead to more energetic (and well-rested) colleagues. One solution: Work out a little every day. The National Sleep Foundation reported on a study that found that people who exercise for as little as 10 minutes per day tend to sleep better and wake up feeling more rested than those who don’t exercise at all. The belief that working out before bedtime is harmful to good sleep wasn’t borne out by another study, this one from the University of South Carolina. Researchers found that young males in good physical condition reported no sleep problems after riding stationary bikes for up to three hours before going to bed. Exercise—at any time of the day or night—appears to be vital to getting the rest you need. A Rational Approach To Risk Leaders are responsible for strategy and plans—and managing the risks involved in carrying them out. Here are some techniques for minimizing your exposure: • Examine the assumptions in your plan. Ask basic questions to pinpoint the foundations of your strategies, and decide which of your assumptions are built on information that’s incorrect or could change. For instance, the cost of goods that you have calculated in your plan could go up, which could change the amount of profit you project. • Look for warning signs. Identify potential obstacles to a successful outcome. Have other organizations failed at similar projects? Are you assuming that conditions won’t change, or that a competitor won’t strike back? Question your assumptions again to be sure you haven’t overlooked anything. • Take preventative action. Look for ways to reduce your vulnerability. You can’t plan for every possible contingency, but you can prepare for the most likely problems. • Set up a hedge strategy. Split your bet to minimize the risk and maximize your chances of success. For instance, can you develop two new products to test instead of one? Don’t stretch yourself (and your team) too thin, but look for ways to improve your odds by sharing resources as well as risk. Build Innovation Into Your Culture How can you build a culture of creativity and innovation in your organization? Vicki Huff of PwC offers these suggestions on the Strategy + Business website: • Support a sense of pride. Make sure your co-workers and employees know what good things your organization does for your customers and community. When they feel proud of their work, they’ll try harder to find new ideas for improvement. • Don’t punish failure. As long as people are trying their best, don’t make failure something to fear or be ashamed of. Let people know you want them to take risks and fail occasionally on the road to greater success. • Empower people. Let them make decisions about how they work best. If it makes sense for your business, encourage flexible scheduling and working from home to show you trust them to make their own decisions. • Put the customer first. For every idea that comes up, start by asking, “How does this help our customers?” Focus on long-term value so you can create loyal customers who’ll keep doing business with you for years. Creating a customercentric culture will help keep your employees and co-workers focused on what is most important. Sable, corkscrew and sickle are terms used to describe which part of a dog’s body?
Make A Commitment To Workplace Safety Your employees’ safety is a paramount concern, but you can’t protect them all by yourself. They should assume some responsibility for taking care of themselves. Here’s how to motivate employees to create a safe workplace: • Make safety an organizational value. Emphasize safety from Day One. Include it in your employee handbook. Address it on a regular basis. Hold regular safety trainings. Showing your commitment to safety will help employees take it seriously. • Involve upper management. Make sure the CEO supports employee safety in a visible way—by talking about it, listening to employees’ concerns, and following safety procedures him- or herself. • Involve your workforce. Don’t just hand down rules and procedures from on high. Ask employees for their input. What problems do they see? What works, and what doesn’t? Listen to and act on their opinions. • Set high expectations. Don’t settle for the bare minimum when it comes to safety. Let employees know they’re expected to follow procedures without exception. Work with them on setting goals that protect them fully. What You Learned In College Can Help You Throughout Life A terrific grade-point average in college doesn’t guarantee success in life. But the skills you learned in class can help you excel on the job: • Don’t turn in work late. Some professors lowered your grade when you submitted a late paper. Deadlines are even more important in the workplace. • Show up. Professors recognized who was a constant presence in class, and whose attendance was spotty. Your boss will see you as reliable if you’re there every day. • Explore extracurricular activities. When you’re involved in something outside work, you’ll be more productive and organized with your time—and learn skills to use in your career. Neutralize Information Overload To Stay Up To Date You can’t accomplish ambitious goals without the right kind of information—and the right amount of it. Be careful not to get buried in data that’s irrelevant. To become a conscientious consumer of news and information, follow this advice: • Don’t read everything. You simply can’t absorb everything that’s out there. Concentrate on prioritizing data, handing it off to someone who can decide whether you need to digest it, and discarding what’s not useful. • Assess your information sources. Identify sources of information that are essential and trustworthy. Weed out any publication, website or professional association whose information isn’t of the highest quality. • Scan for information. When you open a publication or look at a website, skim before diving in. Focus only on articles or reports that you need to read, not what’s just mildly interesting to you. Stick to what’s important. • Highlight the important stuff. As you read a blog, book, or magazine, highlight or underline key messages. Save online articles in a special folder, and check it every once in a while. If you haven’t gone back to any saved material, discard it. • Be an example. If you don’t want to get bogged down by long emails, texts, or voice messages, keep your own short. Let others know that they should keep their information as concise as possible—and remind them when they don’t. Pet Project You may not be able to claim Fido or Fluffy as dependents, but lots of people do consider their animal companions to be full members of the family. Data analyzed by Forbes Advisor shows that 66% of U.S. households own a pet and were expected to spend $150.6 billion in 2024. In 2018, they spent $91 billion, and, in 2022, it shot up to $137 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association. In its 2024 State of the Industry report, the trade organization said the outlook for the pet industry’s continued growth means there may be $207 billion in pet spending by 2030. SPEED BUMP Dave Coverly
Visit us online at cciwi.com for more information about Corporate Contractors, Inc., our people, our services and our projects. Visit us online at cciwi.com Planning a project? Look to CCI! CCI is your trusted, single-source provider for all your building needs. Whether expanding, renovating, or creating new, the dedicated and hardworking professionals at CCI are uniquely qualified to provide a full range of innovative solutions. Contact us today! Empowering Tomorrow’s Craftsmen—CCI’s Mentorship In The Craftsmen With Character Program CCI is proud to participate in the Craftsmen with Character (CWC) program, which supports youth exploring career opportunities. Earlier this year, a group of Beloit Memorial High School students was mentored by a CCI project team, where they witnessed a large-scale industrial project come to life. Here are the key points about the CWC program: • CWC is a structured, semester-long course that immerses high school students in skilled trades, with 90 minutes of hands-on learning each day. The program is designed to build career skills and character through real-world experiences. • Students rotate through job shadowing experiences with mentors, gaining insights into various trades and professions. This interaction builds practical skills and fosters professional relationships. • Once a week, students attend character education sessions led by facilitators. These classes align with the values of participating businesses, teaching qualities like respect, responsibility, and discipline essential for workplace success. • CWC provides schools and businesses with a structured curriculum and framework to partner effectively. This collaborative approach brings communities together to build a future-ready workforce. • Participating businesses play a key role, offering mentors, rotating job shadow opportunities, and helping with transportation costs. This commitment creates a supportive environment for students to learn and grow. • CWC equips students with the skills, confidence, and values needed for successful careers in skilled trades, fostering economic growth and workforce sustainability within the community. CCI associates Michael N., General Superintendent; Neal B., Assistant Project Manager; Isaiah B., Superintendent, and Ryan N., Assistant Project Manager, celebrated the students’ accomplishments at their graduation. These team members dedicated their time and expertise to mentoring the students on the project site. As a token of appreciation, the students presented them with a plaque and a signed hard hat. This semester, CCI is honored to be a Craftsmen with Character champion site for The Lincoln Academy and South Beloit High School. As a champion site, we facilitate both the program’s classroom portion and serve as a mentor site. We are thrilled to have opportunities to make a meaningful impact on these students’ lives and help guide them in their career exploration journey.
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