Company honored for seventh straight year, now has received 15 total AGC awards

Green Bay, Wis. – The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Wisconsin has awarded H.J. Martin and Son two 2013 Build Wisconsin Awards.  The awards were for the following categories and projects:

• Specialty Contractor-Exterior Finishes – Wisconsin Energy Institute in Madison, Wis.
• Specialty Contractor-Interior Finishes – Aurora Cancer Center in Grafton, Wis.

This marks the seventh consecutive year H.J. Martin and Son was honored with an AGC award.  The company has received 15 total AGC awards since their inception in 2003.

“On behalf of all of our employees, I would like to thank the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin for recognizing the work of H.J. Martin,” says CEO Edward Martin.  “Along with service, one of the pillars of our company is quality craftsmanship, even when under a tight work schedule as both of these projects were.  Affirmation of our high standards by others remains gratifying to everyone here.”

Both awards will be presented to members of the H.J. Martin and Son team at the AGC Build Wisconsin Awards dinner, being held Oct. 10 at Truax Gateway of Madison College in Madison, Wis.  Chad Hultman, commercial glass project manager, will accept the Exterior Finishes award, while Tom Sheedy, director of safety and loss control, will accept the Interior Finishes award.

The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) is the centerpiece of clean energy systems research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Located within a new campus research corridor, the 100,000-square foot building with an unmistakable design houses research in advanced fuels, renewable energy and energy-storage systems.  One of the many sustainable features of the WEI building is that the distinctive glass curtain wall allows natural lighting through wall-to-ceiling windows as a way to harness lighting and reduce energy usage.

H.J. Martin handled all of the glass/glazing and aluminum curtain wall installation in construction of the WEI.  More than 18,000-square feet of 1-inch insulated high-performance glass successfully was installed – some units weighing more than 350 pounds – along with over 20,000 lineal feet of finished custom curtain wall.  Ninety percent of the work was performed from as many as six boom lifts at any one time (two reaching as high as 125 feet high) and from swing-stage scaffolding – all on a busy street corner in Madison, filled with students and traffic, requiring extreme safety measures and project coordination.

The Madison office of Mortenson Construction served as general contractor for the Wisconsin Energy Institute, and Potter Lawson of Madison was the building architect.

The Aurora Cancer Center in Grafton, Wis., is a 30,000-square foot outpatient facility offering a comprehensive cancer care program to Ozaukee County and its surrounding community.  Built at a cost of $11 million (without equipment), the building has received LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

H.J. Martin provided steel-stud framing, drywall and interior finishing for the Aurora Cancer Center in Grafton.  The ceilings featured a custom-made architectural design utilizing both inverted and recessed designs.  One on-site challenge was large, unique radius walls and soffits in the entrances that needed to be framed, sheet-rocked and finished without waves or buckles.  Another challenge was seven radiation rooms requiring lead-lined drywall panels that weighed in excess of 600 pounds and took four employees to safely install a single panel.

The Aurora work included 20,000-lineal-feet of metal track, 90,000-lineal-feet of metal studs, 200,000 square feet of drywall and 26 tons of lead board.

Jos. Schmitt Construction of Sheboygan, Wis., was the general contractor on the Aurora Cancer Center in Grafton, and Albert Kahn Associates of Detroit served as the building architect.

The Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin is the leading professional trade association for the commercial construction industry in the state of Wisconsin.  Founded in 1935, AGC of Wisconsin is one of 96 chapters of the AGC of America and promotes skill, integrity and responsibility in the construction industry.  The association provides a full range of services to satisfy the needs and concerns of its members, with the end goal of improving the quality of construction and protecting the public interest.

AGC selects winners of the Build Wisconsin Awards based on unusual design and craftsmanship; innovation in construction techniques or materials; use of sustainable practices; meeting difficult challenges; and client satisfaction.