Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Mike Mann Celebrate Ten Years With Prairie Construction

This month we recognized Mike Mann as he celebrates his 10th anniversary with Prairie Construction. Mike joined our team in 2008 as a general laborer and is now one of our interior finishers.

Mike is a skilled worker who came to Prairie Construction with close to ten years of experience as a drywall finisher. “When the housing market started to shift, I was looking for something new to try, and I landed at Prairie Construction,” said Mann. “Every day is something new, anything from pouring concrete, to roof blocking, to interior work – I love the variety day-to-day.”

Mike was recently honored for his anniversary at an employee meeting. “It can be difficult to find a loyal and dedicated employee like Mike,” said Steve Rease, co-owner of Prairie Construction. “He is dependable, and we know when he shows up, he is going to work hard, and bring quality work to every project.”

Mike has been a key team member involved with recent school projects we have completed. “The best thing about a school project is that when we show up, it’s just a pile of dirt, but when we walk away, kids are going to school there,” he said. “There is a real sense of accomplishment and I feel proud when I drive by a school that was built by Prairie Construction.”

Mike enjoys spending time with his wife Donna and his daughter Sydney. He loves his job, and spends his free time fixing things at home, or helping friends with home projects. He is a valuable member of the Prairie Construction team – congratulations on your 10th anniversary Mike!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

City of Omaha Projects Completed in Time for Winter

In 2017, we completed two City of Omaha projects that will be put to the test this winter. Last Spring, we finished the City of Omaha maintenance facility in northeast Omaha, and in October we finished a 10,000 square-foot salt shed in Elkhorn. Both facilities could face a test with the first significant storm of the season.

The Northeast Street Maintenance facility, located in northeast Omaha at 18th & Jaynes St., houses City of Omaha snowplows and street treatment mixtures. While this isn’t the first time the snowplows will hit the streets this winter, this first storm of 2018 looks to be a challenge for street crews. Temperatures are expected to drop quickly and dramatically, leading to the potential for a measurable snow to fall on ice-covered streets throughout the morning commute. The condensed nature of the storm, coupled with the timing of the morning commute, will present a challenge to crews to keep the streets safe, and we feel proud that the facility will maximize their efficiency.

As the City of Omaha has grown, so has the need for additional snowplows to keep all streets safe in winter conditions. The building replaced the former facility that was no longer large enough to meet the demands of the city as it has grown.

The facility includes a nearly 20,000 square-foot garage for equipment, vehicles and office space. There is an additional 16,000 square-foot building for materials, including a 1,000 square-foot bring mixing facility that includes a 90,000-gallon brine storage tank.

The entire facility was designed with efficiency in mind. Trucks can quickly enter, refill with treatments, and get back on the road so the streets can stay safe in winter conditions.

In October of 2017 we completed a salt shed building located in Elkhorn. The 10,000 square-foot building stores the salt and sand used by the City of Omaha maintenance street crews. While no one wants to see compromising conditions on the streets, we are proud to be involved projects that were designed with the city’s safety in mind.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Sarpy County Better Homes & Garden Real Estate Project

We recently completed the renovation of an empty suite in a new strip mall to allow for a rapidly growing real estate company to expand into Papillion. Better Homes and Garden Real Estate expanded into the Midwest in October 2015 with the opening of its first office in Omaha. The company has been growing rapidly ever since.

The strip building located at 90th & Highway 370 in Papillion was ready for tenant renovations, and was ideally located to allow the real estate company to expand in the area. The 3500 square-foot renovation includes modern offices, a spacious conference room and an employee break room space.  The new branch location will allow the real estate company to expand into Sarpy County, and continue its growth in the Midwest.

We worked closely with agents Tom and Jennifer Simmons on the project. “Tom and Jennifer were great to work with,” said Steve Rease. “We are very proud that we could be a part of their growing success.”

The renovation project took ten weeks, allowing us to meet the owner’s desired completion date. It is exciting for us to see local businesses experience growth in our community, and we were grateful for the opportunity to play a role in that growth!