Case Studies Region: Midwest

Bryan Wietrzykowski grew up in Plainfield, Illinois, outside of Chicago. On long and hot summer days, he’d spend hours in a sandbox digging holes. During the dark, cold winters, he’d be inside working on the latest LEGO set, trying to assemble it faster than his previous build. When he was 14, Wietrzykowski started working in […]

Though located in bustling Minneapolis and performing well, by the early 2010s, EVEREVE’s flagship location needed to update its in-store experience. Opened in 2004, it no longer reflected the company enough to be considered a flagship by design, Kari Ihle explains. She adds that many of the other nearly 80 locations at that point better […]

They’re not there just to build a dormitory and depart. The folks at University Housing Solutions would rather build long-lasting relationships with their campus clientele. Such has been the case at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, where the second phase of a living and dining hall was nearing completion in late winter. Having renovated […]

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, adults were contracting the virus at higher rates and with more serious symptoms than children. For pediatric health systems like Children’s Minnesota, this gave time to prepare for the COVID-19 patients staff would eventually treat, which included the facilities team creating negative pressure rooms in one hospital wing. […]

Sometimes, it’s about how to remove and store all the snow that falls in a Wisconsin winter because it can’t sit on sidewalks or block parking areas. Sometimes, it’s about how to arrange the ducts, vents, and controls for a building’s HVAC system so maintenance staff has easier access for repairs. In the past couple […]

John Lewis had been with Collins Community Credit Union as its IT Director for about four months when, in 2014, President and CEO Stefanie Rupert asked him to accept new responsibilities. That can happen in any role. Only, Rupert’s request was a bit different: she wanted to know if Lewis would be willing to take […]

While serving in the Peace Corps in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, after graduating college, Patrick Gavin vividly remembers being bitten by a bug—though thankfully it wasn’t a tsetse fly, a local pest that can cause debilitating illness. Instead, the Michigan native caught the “bug” for construction and engineering. Part of his duties […]

Those adhesive medicated patches and films can be quite the comforter, bringing relief to chronic pain, opioid addiction and Parkinson’s, to name just a few conditions. But while simple in appearance, so-called oral thin films and transdermal delivery systems are quite intricate, each a complex dosage delivery system that requires a sophisticated and robust manufacturing […]

Nobody is sure exactly when Lawndale Christian Health Center’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Wayne Detmer and Windy City Harvest’s Program Director Angela Mason met, but one thing is for sure: their collaboration bore fruit and is helping to feed the City of Chicago. Lawndale’s Facilities and Construction Director Joseph Lesch says their chance introduction occurred […]

As the president of an electric company in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Mark Chappel is plugged into the company’s efforts to support green energy and the planet. It’s the most important thing he does. “We have a standalone department that’s sole focus is on green energy related products,” says Chappel, president of Lemberg Electric. “This team does […]