Build Me Up

In past episodes of Build Me Up, we have focused on some of the challenges in the construction industry, including the general lack of diversity in the male-dominated field. We've discussed how we can create more opportunities for women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups.

The LGBT+ community has its own unique set of challenges in the workforce. Today we will be shedding light on the T: The transgender community. According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, there are more than 2 million people in the U.S. who identify as Transgender. They are an extremely diverse community, and are family members, public officials, business owners, colleagues, and friends.

In the latest episode of Build Me Up, Maertens-Brenny Construction Company Project Manager/Estimator Jennifer Richmond discusses her experience as a transgender woman in the construction field. Kraus-Anderson Project Coordinator Krystal Burton also joins the conversation on how we can all be better allies to the Transgender community.

As cities evolve and grow, it's important to preserve and remember their history. The construction industry is responsible for shaping skylines, and Kraus-Anderson's 122-year history in the Twin Cities has involved many landmark buildings. KA has a full-time archivist, Matt Goff, to organize the company's historical archives and artifacts, and to tell the story of many culturally significant buildings throughout the Twin Cities. To discuss construction's history and the ever-evolving Twin Cities skyline, we are talking to Matt Goff and KA Director of Business Development John Campobasso.

The North Park School for Innovation, part of the Columbia Heights Public School District in Minnesota, is changing the way students prepare for a 21st-century world. The PreK through 5th Grade building has a focus on STEM, creativity, and sustainability with flexible learning studios that facilitate hands-on learning programs for students.

North Park was designated as a Green Ribbon School, one of less than 50 schools nationwide honored by the Department of Education for leading the way in reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring high-quality environmental education programming that prepares students with sustainability skills and concepts.

North Park Principal Jeff Cacek and Director of Teaching and Learning Tara Thukral discuss the North Park School for Innovation.

When we talk about construction, it's easy to jump right to the multi-million dollar projects like skyscrapers, multifamily housing, stadiums and event spaces. These multi-phased projects can be complicated and take years to complete. But a lot of the behind-the-scenes in construction involves smaller scale projects, like tenant improvements, renovations, buildouts, maintenance, and more.

While they may be labeled as Small Projects, they are vastly important to the client, and require attention to detail, flexibility, and diligent planning. Kraus-Anderson's Special Projects team performs over 300 projects a year that are under $500,000. These projects range from installing plexiglass in office spaces for social distancing to emergency response projects that require tight turnarounds. No matter the project, no job is too small or unique.

KA Vice President Doug Jaeger and Senior Project Manager Bob Janssen discuss the smaller projects in construction and the unique challenges and opportunities they bring.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness and empower people to play a role in making great childhoods happen. CornerHouse, an accredited Child Advocacy Center based in Minneapolis, has worked over the past 30 years to address the traumatic effects of child abuse – supporting children and families throughout the disclosure, investigation, and legal processes. Most recently, CornerHouse expanded its services to provide therapeutic healing through mental health and advocacy services.

CornerHouse Executive Director Mitzi Hobot and Kraus-Anderson President and Chief Operating Officer Al Gerhardt, who has been involved with CornerHouse for over 20 years, discuss its innovative approach to reducing trauma in child abuse investigations and how the physical environment impacts the process.

The past year has brought countless changes and challenges across nearly every sector of the economy. But perhaps no industry has been as deeply uprooted as the hospitality industry. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the U.S., hotels and event centers were forced to close their doors. But construction of the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, a 14-story, 320-room hotel loaded with amenities, part of the Viking Lakes mixed-use development in Eagan, Minnesota, persevered throughout the pandemic.

The luxury hotel opened its doors in October with a full-service spa, two dining spaces, an outdoor terrace and bar, 35,000 square feet of event space, and more. Kraus-Anderson Senior Project Manager Mark Miller, ESG Principal Architect Terry Gruenhagen, and Omni Hotel General Manager Brent Glashan discuss the innovative Omni Viking Lakes Hotel and how it came to be amidst a pandemic.

The past year of challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of healthcare access to the forefront of the conversation. But those who live in rural communities can face a variety of barriers to receiving proper health care. According to the CDC, rural Americans make up about 15 percent of the U.S. population, and are more likely than their urban counterparts to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke.

St. Croix Regional Medical Center (SCRMC), located in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, has been an innovative leader in rural healthcare access. Heading into 2020, CEO Dave Dobosenski was leading SCRMC in a new direction, with a new mission, vision, and values. Then came the pandemic.

Within a 3-week window, SCRMC shut down elective care to conserve PPE, developed a drive-through respiratory screening clinic, and created a virtual care visit platform. This rapid innovation didn't stop their longterm strategic plan, just delayed it slightly. On the latest episode of Build Me Up, Kraus-Anderson Vice President of Strategy & Innovation Tom Emison and SCRMC CEO Dave Dobosenski sit down to discuss rural healthcare access and strategic innovation planning amidst a global pandemic.

After the tragic death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests and civil unrest, almost every industry has had to look in the mirror – reflecting on overt, covert and systemic racism that exists, and which creates barriers for people of color and other underrepresented groups. The construction industry is no different.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 88% of construction workers are White, compared to 78% in the overall workforce. In Minnesota, only 4.8% of the construction workforce is comprised of people of color. How can we create more opportunities for people of color in this industry?

The North Central Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents union members across the Midwest, is taking steps toward equity. They launched the Carpenters in Action program, which aims to pipeline local, diverse community members into the carpenters union. The first cohort was directly involved in rebuilding the Lake Street corridor, which was hit hard over the summer following the Minneapolis riots. The long-term goal is to provide well-paying careers that build wealth and equity in the industry.

We discuss the Carpenters in Action program and how we can create more diversity in the construction industry with KA's Director of Inclusion and Diversity Laurie Trousil; Barb Pecks, who is the Union business representative of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters; and Kennoshia Fullilove, who graduated from the Carpenters in Action program this past summer.

The City of Virginia, located along Minnesota's Iron Range, is booming with new development projects. When Mayor Larry Cuffe took office in 2014, he was faced with a unique set of challenges that have been impacting Minnesota's mining communities. High unemployment rates and the need for a more diversified local economy are challenges now made more complicated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the City of Virginia has taken on multiple large-scale construction projects, including a complete rebuild of the Miners Event and Convention Center, bringing new life into the deteriorating facility that will serve as a gathering space for the region.

Virginia Mayor Larry Cuffe and Kraus-Anderson's Tracy Pogue and Bob Fitzgerald discuss how the City of Virginia is positioning itself for the future of the Iron Range.

The silent epidemic of mental health is hitting the construction industry hard. According to the CDC, suicide rates for people in the construction industry are twice as high as the United States national average. 1 in 5 construction workers suffer from mental health challenges, but it is often a silent battle. What factors contribute to mental illness, and what can we do as an industry to end the stigma that can prevent people from recognizing problems and seeking effective help?

To discuss the effects of mental health on the construction industry, we talked to Bob Swanson, retired president of Swanson & Youngdale, a Minnesota-based paint and drywall contractor. Bob is a suicide prevention advocate for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). He was named the Minnesota chapter's 2019 Volunteer of the Year for the countless hours he has dedicated to educating and speaking up about suicide prevention across the country. We also talked to Brendan Ward, who is a Construction Engineer at Kraus-Anderson, about his personal experience in the industry and his own mental health.