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 […]

Imagine you’re pulling an all-nighter for a crucial exam at the University of North Dakota, downing enough Red Bulls to fill a bathtub, when you’re suddenly overcome by a craving for a Chick-fil-A sandwich. What do you do? Drive to the fast-food alley in Grand Forks, of course. Before long, though, that late-night run won’t […]

Most six-year-olds spend their days playing with toys or watching Paw Patrol, Odd Squad or SpongeBob SquarePants. It was different for Bruce Meyer. As a young child growing up in rural Illinois, Meyer would sit at a small table with paper, a pencil and a ruler, drawing his family’s house. He’d re-imagine the floorplan so […]

Be careful when you start working on what seems to be a small, seemingly straightforward construction project, says Jonathan Hunley. Likening that situation to finding a stray thread on a sweater, he says if you pull on, it everything can unravel. But even if that happens—as it did with his first project at Bon Secours […]

If you’ve recently stepped into a chain hotel and marveled at the contemporary look and feel—crisp architectural lines and muted colors, registration areas of faux brick and glass, comfy and spacious common areas with fireplaces and modernistic lighting, grotto-like pools and outdoor patios with firepits—chances are it was designed and built by Alpha Construction and its proven team […]

It’s gratifying when the company one’s been affiliated with for over four decades can, in a matter of speaking, go with the flow when it comes to efficient treatment of water and wastewater. So says Mark Gasvoda, the long-time chairman and former owner of B.L. Anderson, an industrial manufacturer’s representative of all things water and […]

Wichita, Kansas, is in the heart of Tornado Alley, the swath of south-central U.S. states especially prone to the most severe wind and hailstorms. According to the Tornado History Project, since 1950, Kansas has seen more than 4,000 tornados. Hundreds of those have passed through Wichita. Then, there’s hail. According to the National Oceanic and […]

When Bialosky Cleveland designed its new office, the 67-year-old multidisciplinary design firm had an opportunity to practice what it preaches, “building more with less.” Housed on one floor of a former automobile manufacturing facility in midtown Cleveland, the loft-like design studios embrace a minimalist, industrial aesthetic that is true to the building’s original character. By […]

Founded by Henok Tekeste, Claycomo, Missouri-based Blue Nile Contractors Inc. is a full-service utility contracting company serving municipal clients throughout the state. Born in Ethiopia, Tekeste says the company represents his idea of the American dream. “When I came to the United States, I never intended to work for somebody,” says Tekeste, president and founder […]