Procore set out to find the companies, projects and individuals that stood out for their bold achievements in construction. Among the 27 outstanding finalists selected, nine were named winners of the 2022 Groundbreaker Awards. This article is the first in a nine-part series spotlighting each winner.
For over a century, through four generations and across three states, Willmar Electric has held true to their brand promise and core values, which fuel the excellence of each and every project.
Founded by S. B. Chapin in 1920, Willmar Electric has evolved with not only the Chapin family, but also the science of electricity itself. Empowered by a dedicated team, Willmar Electric has grown to three offices, located in Willmar, Minnesota, Lincoln, Nebraska and Lawton, Oklahoma. The team runs on the core values of “Treat Others the Way You Want to be Treated, Merit Shop, Thrifty and Meet Customer Needs.”
“Treating others the way you want to be treated is something that we try to incorporate into everything we do,” says Paul Latimer, Project Manager. “We believe everyone is an individual, that years of service or many of the other ways of looking at people, is not a good way to lump everyone into a certain group. Just because someone’s been here longer than another person doesn’t make them more valuable strictly based on that.”
Willmar Electric also stands out with their use of construction technology. A Procore customer since 2016, the team has used software to amplify their brand promise on every job, working more efficiently and at the best value.
We tend to think of Willmar Electric as being on the leading side of technology. We do more with less, and aren’t afraid to try new things.
– Steve Gardner, Willmar Electric’s VP of Operations
Aiming for New Heights
When recently faced with an unprecedented high-rise project, Willmar Electric put both their talented team and their software to work. The Lied Place Condominium in Lincoln, Nebraska was a project like no other. It was the tallest building the team had worked on and the world was in the midst of a pandemic, but they didn’t let that daunt them.
Lied Place’s first challenge was its height. By law, no building can be higher than or obstruct the State Capitol building, which stands at 400 ft. tall. Lied Place is the second-tallest building on the skyline at 253 ft., an impressive 22-story addition to downtown Lincoln.
This design/build project for Willmar Electric required creativity, dedication and expertise — all of which the team had in plentiful supply. The scope of work included normal and emergency power, lighting, fire alarm, area of refuel and lightning protection, as well as installing raceways for data and communication, and the access control system.
Seven commercial floors, boasting a law firm, restaurant and real estate development company make up the building, along with 15 levels of condominiums. With 118,800 sq. ft. of floor space, there are two electric services to the building with a combined 47 meters.
The complexity didn’t stop there. There are 37 different owners at Lied Place, all of whom bought units at different times, resulting in an Architectural Supplemental Instruction (ASI) to be issued as each unit was sold and designed.
“Meeting the customers’ needs was the biggest core value we put to work on this project. We started out with a development group and a general contractor as our customers. By the time we got done, we ultimately had 15 to 20 customers because every unit that we designed had different asks,” recounts Latimer.
Since the normal cycle of rough-in going up the floors and finishing going back down wasn’t possible, Willmar Electric leveraged Procore to maintain design and construction coordination throughout 82 ASIs, 178 change events and 48 change orders. Throughout this process, the team was able to take in preconstruction learnings that could be applied on future projects.
Off the sheet, onto software
Manual processes are a thing of the past for Willmar.
The first thing that brought us to Procore was getting our drawings off paper.
– Paul Latimer, Willmar Electric Project Manager
The team fed all data in, through and out of Procore, so everyone could stay up to date from their phone, tablet or computer. Procore’s Drawings tool linked each ASI to the right drawings, making it easy for teams to maintain accurate information. With their design team in Minnesota and build team onsite in Nebraska, communication about any changes was of the utmost importance, and mobile updates provided this assurance.
Willmar Electric’s brand promise holds the team to be “Approachable, On Time and Organized” — a promise they find is only amplified by their use of Procore. Core Tools, Project Management, Financial Management and Resource Management were all used to Willmar Electric’s advantage on Lied Place, allowing them to meet and exceed customer expectations. This included factoring value engineering into their prices without sacrificing quality.
“We gave the most cost-effective design and build that we could come up with,” shares Latimer.
“This strikes to the core of our Thrifty value.” Gardner adds. “Providing the right value to the customer at the best cost, without any upselling, was important.”
A Project to Remember
As a new kind of project for Willmar Electric, Lied Place provided the thrill of a challenge for both office and field workers. As a high-profile job, the building’s construction often made the news, which meant the team were even more motivated to do their best work every day.
“From an engineering perspective – there was a sense of pride there. Being handed a high-rise was a unique experience,” says Gardner.
Even though the engineering and build teams were states away from each other, they worked collaboratively which was evident throughout the seamless transition from floor to floor as new work was turned over.
“People were excited and proud to work on the project,” Latimer says. “Our team enjoyed being able to say that they worked on this high-profile project.”
The many customers throughout the project were impressed by the excellence and dedication that Willmar Electric brought to the job. Even with countless complexities and revisions to plans, Willmar Electric continued to strive to meet their customers’ needs no matter what.
“Lied Place LLC enjoyed working with Willmar Electric’s Design Engineering and Contractor team during all phases of the Lied Place,” says Jon A. Thomas, Project Manager, Owners Agent, Lied Place LLC. “The Willmar Electric team performed at an exceptional level during the pandemic when the nation encountered material and delivery shortages. Throughout the project, Willmar Electric led in work performance, quality, design and knowledge to get the project completed on time.”
Latimer, Gardner and their team look forward to applying their learnings from Lied Place to their next projects with the same groundbreaking excellence.
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