Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Happy Anniversary Cindy!

What is a DOA? It’s a Director of Awesomeness – and anyone who has called or visited our office knows it’s the perfect title for Cindy Wollenburg, our office administrator! We wouldn’t be who we are without her!

Cindy joined the Prairie Construction team in 2004 after a career in the grocery industry. As the front desk receptionist, she is the face and voice of Prairie Construction, greeting visitors, contractors and clients.

“There is very little that happens here that Cindy doesn’t have a hand in,” said Matt Schuman, owner of Prairie Construction.

Steve Rease, co-owner, summed up Cindy like this: “Cindy is the DOA! She makes sure we get things done and meet our deadlines, and you can’t help but like her!”

There is no typical day at Prairie Construction, but on any given day Cindy helps with accounting, insurance certificates, and contractor registrations. She balances invoices and supports contractors and subcontractors, and helps keep all the moving parts on schedule so we can complete our projects on deadline.

“I love being part of the Prairie Construction team,” said Cindy. “I appreciate the small, family atmosphere, and I really feel like I’m part of a great team here.”

Cindy is an important part of What Makes Us Work at Prairie Construction. We appreciate her every day. Congratulations on your 15th anniversary, Cindy, and THANK YOU for your loyalty and dedication to Prairie construction!

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Is That a Troll Under the Bridge?

No, you aren’t seeing things – there is a giant blue troll under the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in downtown Omaha.

Local artist John Labja was commissioned by Visit Omaha, the Omaha Convention & Visitor’s Bureau to create the troll to inspire people to visit Omaha. His name is OMAR – short for Omaha Metro Area River troll. He is blue with orange hair and measures 4 feet tall.

Moving the 300-pound clay and bronze statue is no small feat, and that is where Prairie Construction got involved.

Prairie Construction was tasked with installing the troll to his “cottage” under the bridge. Omaha residents are encouraged to visit Omar and take your picture with him. You can learn more about Omar HERE.

Installing a 300-pound blue troll under a bridge isn’t a typical day at the office for us – but it was a fun project to be involved with!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Ashbury Hills Elementary School Project

Prairie Construction was pleased to break ground on Ashbury Hills Elementary School in Papillion.

The 55,000 square foot school is located at 120th & Schram Rd. near Werner Park. The School will welcome students next Fall for the 2020/21 school year.

The elementary school will have a very similar floor plan as Prairie Queen Elementary, another Papillion Elementary school that Prairie Construction built.

While they may look the same, the construction of the two schools will differ in some ways. The outside walls of Ashbury Hills will be built with insulated concrete forms (ICF) for maximum energy efficiency. This is a new trend in school construction, and one that Prairie Construction is excited to implement in the Ashbury Hills project.

Building schools has become a passion of ours. Click HERE to see other school projects we have completed. We are looking forward to completing the Ashbury Hills project over the next year!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Investors Realty

We recently completed an office relocation for Investor’s Realty, an Omaha-based real estate company. They had outgrown their previous space and relocated to the former Western Electric building at 125th & I St.

The building has served as an anchor for the Millard business community, serving as home to many companies over the years, including Western Electric, AT&T, Lucent and Kiewit. The 15,000 square-foot project provide space for continued growth for Investor’s Realty.

The new space utilizes an open concept to encourage collaboration. Cubicles, offices, meeting and huddle spaces, an employee lounge area and an inviting reception area were all created in a modern, colorful design.

The finished project is a bright beautiful space – and Prairie Construction was happy to collaborate with Investor’s Realty on this job!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Westside High School Welding Program Expansion

Prairie Construction is involved with a renovation project at Westside High School that will expand the existing welding lab. The Welding Program at Westside High School was established in 1955 and is one of the most distinguished programs in the state. The project was recently featured in an article in the Omaha World Herald.

The lab expansion project is part of the Engineering, Manufacturing and Fabrication Expansion at Westside High School. Construction on the project began in early October with the demolition of the old lab on the west side of the building.

The project, which has been made possible through the support of generous supporters, will double the existing lab space from 1200 square feet to 2450 square feet. In addition to welding, the lab will serve as a space for robotics, engineering and architecture classes and programs.

The expansion will accommodate the growing interest in the welding program. The district is committed to incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs into the high school curriculum resulting in a surge of interest in the curriculum and courses. Each year, more than 200 students are enrolled in the program.

The expansion in lab space will allow for the program to accommodate an updated technology known as TIG (Gus Tungsten Arc Welding) which incorporates mills and sheet metal work. The larger space will include smaller welding labs for more efficient instructional time.

The project is funded through the Westside Foundation. You can learn more about the Westside High School Welding Program and how to support the Engineering, Manufacturing and Fabrication Project HERE.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Elkhorn High School Stadium Project

School is out for summer, but that doesn’t mean things are quiet on the Elkhorn High School campus. Prairie Construction broke ground on a stadium expansion project at the high school located at 1401 Veteran Drive in Elkhorn, NE.

The 4,400 square-foot athletic team building will include training rooms, locker rooms, restrooms and concessions. The team building will be an upgrade to the current facilities, and the home and visiting teams will appreciate the new accommodations before, during and after games. Brand new locker rooms and a training facility will be popular with the Antlers, and the visiting teams!

Fans and visitors to the stadium will enjoy the updated restrooms and concessions area, as well the addition of grandstands on the east side of the football field. And everyone visiting the stadium will appreciate the expanded parking area, which is included in the project.

The project is underway – but there is a strict deadline. Football season will be here before you know it – and we are looking forward to an Antlers winning season!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Expansion Project at Blue Sage Elementary

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were busy building Blue Sage Elementary, a brand-new elementary school in the Elkhorn Public Schools District. It actually wasn’t that long ago – we completed construction on the 11th elementary school in the Elkhorn district in time to welcome students for the 2018/19 school year. We have already returned to the school for an expansion project.

This summer, we are back at Blue Sage Elementary School for an expansion project that will house an early education department for the school. The 8,400 square-foot addition will be the home of the preschool program for the school and will include two classrooms, flex rooms, restrooms and office space. The project will be completed in March 2020, and a new class of students will fill the rooms in the fall of 2020.

The expansion project is in response to the population boom in the Elkhorn community, one of the fastest growing communities in Omaha. At Prairie Construction, we love building schools – and we have built a lot of them! We are excited about the opportunity to return to one of our school buildings and contribute to its growth and expansion.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Construction to Begin on Elkhorn Middle School

Prairie Construction is excited to begin construction on the new Elkhorn Middle School #5 project!

Construction on the $29 million-dollar project will begin this summer and the school will be open for students in the Fall of 2021.

The new middle school will be located near 183rd & Ida St. and will accommodate the growing population of students in the Elkhorn area. Elkhorn Public Schools has quickly grown to the 5th largest district in the state.

The Prairie Construction team is looking forward to working with the Elkhorn Public School District and the architects at Jackson and Jackson Associates on this project.

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Madison Campus Project in Council Bluffs

One of our current projects is a example of thinking outside the box – or in this case, the box store.

Much-needed updates and improvements were approved for both Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools in Council Bluffs, and the school district needed a solution to house students during the renovations.

While it doesn’t resemble a traditional school, it turns out the empty Target store at the Mall of the Bluffs was a good solution. Prairie Construction has been renovating the former Target store to provide temporary education space for the middle schools.

The space is referred to as the Madison Campus and includes 49 classrooms, dining area, media room, multi-purpose spaces, music and art rooms, restrooms, office spaces and emergency exits.

The Madison Campus project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2019/20 school year when students from Kirn Middle School will move in while their building is renovated. Wilson Middle School students will occupy the building during the 2020/21 school year. Once completed, the space will look like a school, not a retail space.

You can learn more about the project here – and visit our website this summer for photos of the completed project!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Facilities Management Project at Creighton University

We know a lot goes into deciding on the right contractor for a project, and every time we start a new project, we consider the trust the client has put in our team.

That was especially true as we made plans to start the new Facilities Management Office for the facilities crew at Creighton. We have done several projects on the Creighton campus, and we felt especially honored to be trusted to complete a project for this campus team.

We knew from the beginning that this project had many tight deadlines, but in our experience with previous Creighton projects (LINK), we have found great partners on every project. This project was no exception. Communication was great, everyone was easy to work with and we appreciated the team approach from everyone involved with the project.

The new Facilities Management Office had been housed in the Jelinek building located near 18th St. and Burt St. Plans for the project include office space and equipment, completed through involved four phases, the third of which we just completed at the end of February. The new facility is located at 20th & Izard St. in the former 3E and is part of the northward expansion that Creighton has been undergoing in recent years.

The fourth and final phase is underway and should be completed in the coming weeks. It involves finish carpentry and welding, and the completion of the building and grounds. The new facility is approximately 34,000 square feet.

Prairie Construction takes a great deal of pride to be trusted again for a project on the Creighton University campus. We would like to congratulate the facilities crew on your new space – we are proud to take a role in the university’s continued growth and expansion, and we look forward to more projects on the campus!