Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Happy Mother’s Day from Prairie Construction

We’ve been celebrating a special day for Moms in the US since 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill designating the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day.

The celebration of Mother’s Day can be traced back to 16th century England when “Mothering Sunday” was designated as a day for families to gather together to celebrate mothers and families.

These are unusual times, but looking forward to Mother’s Day helps things feel a little more “normal”. Now more than ever, the focus is on family – whether we are staying home together, or missing time spent with family.

Moms cherish time spent with loved ones more than anything. Whether it’s together, or through video and Facetime, help the Moms in your life connect with family this Mother’s Day. Show her how much you appreciate her love and support, especially during these challenging times.

All of us at Prairie Construction join you in honoring mothers everywhere, and thanking them for nurturing our families and bettering our community.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Update from Prairie Construction

The threat of the coronavirus has impacted all of our lives and each of us has had to make adjustments to how we live, learn and work. These certainly are interesting times!

We want to assure you that the Prairie Construction team is here for you. As we continue to work on projects, the health and safety of our clients and our crew members is our top priority. We are carefully following safety guidelines outlined by the CDC and the US Department of Labor and we will continue to monitor the changing situation carefully.

We are committed to providing the same quality service that you have come to know and trust from Prairie Construction. We are working closely with our partners and suppliers to keep projects on track and we

We continue to schedule projects and are busy preparing for spring and summer construction projects. Contact us today to discuss your construction projects.

Take care and stay well!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

A Renovation of Our Own at Prairie Construction

The Prairie Construction team is excited to announce the launch one of our most exciting projects of the year – our own!

Prairie Construction was founded in 1989 and we are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year. What better way to mark the occasion than by treating ourselves as the client and launching a major office renovation!

Our offices are located near 133rd & B St. in southwest Omaha. Over the years, styles and trends have changed. We have helped design and build attractive, efficient spaces to meet our clients needs, and now it is time to do it for our own company!

The project will include a complete update and renovation of our existing office space. The front entryway will be modern and inviting. The offices and conference room space will be redesigned with collaboration and efficiency in mind, and will be a reflection of our style and craftsmanship. Our overall look and color scheme will be updated to reflect our progressive and innovative style.

This project gives us an opportunity to work with many of the partners we typically collaborate with on projects, but this time as the client. For example, Signworks of Omaha will create new exterior signage for the updated storefront.

Demolition has already begun and we expect the project to be completed at the end of January. We will share updates throughout the project to showing you the finished project soon!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Industry News

Commit to Your Construction Project in 2019

January is typically the time of year when people commit to getting organized – clearing the house of unnecessary items, organizing files and offices, and creating a budget for the year ahead.

The team at Prairie Construction thinks this is a great time to plan for that construction or remodel project you have been considering. A construction project of any size for business or property owners is a big decision. And the decision to commit is often the biggest hurdle.

Once you commit to the project, experts and professionals will help you through every step of the project. Here’s a look at what you can expect:

  • Initiation: You have decided you are ready for the project, and now it is time to get started. Choose a designer and contractor, get the budget squared away, and commit to a start date. Now the fun begins!
  • Planning: Work closely with your contractors and designers to nail down the plans, secure necessary permits and logistics.
  • Execution: Once the project is underway, while some monitoring and decision-making may be necessary, you can leave the heavy lifting to the professionals.
  • Closure: This is the point when you get to enjoy the final project – whether it be a new home, a remodel project or new office or work space!

Make 2019 the year you commit to that project. Don’t wait until your office is overcrowded. Do it now so you can enjoy it. And of course, the experts at Prairie Construction are here to help!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Holiday Greetings from the Prairie Construction Team

As 2018 comes to an end, the Prairie Construction team is taking time to pause and reflect on the successes of the last year.

We appreciate the many subcontractors and partners that we are fortunate to work with every day. We value your continued support of Prairie Construction and your commitment to helping us provide excellent service to each of our clients.

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve each of our clients. Thank you for your referrals and your trust in our team. It is our pleasure to serve you and help you make your construction dreams a reality.

We owe a huge part of our success to our team of dedicated professionals. We are grateful for each member of our team and we appreciate your dedication and loyalty. Thank you for your commitment to providing excellent service to our customers.

We wish you warmth and joy in this Holiday season, and health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year. Happy Holidays from all of us at Prairie Construction!

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Steve Rease Speaks to Omaha Executives Association

Steve Rease, executive vice president of Prairie Construction, spoke recently at an Omaha Executives Association (OEA) meeting. The presentation included a history of Prairie Construction, tips for choosing the right contractor, and highlights from some recent projects.

OEA was formed in Omaha in 1924 as a networking group for business owners and executives. Members exchange business information, networking and leads during weekly meetings. A current OEA members presents a craft talk – an informative presentation about their business – at each meeting.

Steve’s craft talk included an overview of Prairie Construction and the services we provide. Steve provided an overview of the process of hiring a contractor for a project, including the initial project design and the bid process, and finishing with the build!

He provided a brief over view of some recent projects that Prairie Construction completed, including the St. Patrick’s activity center, recent Creighton University projects, the Excel Physical Therapy expansion, the Lockbox Storage facility in Bennington, and some recent school projects. Steve highlighted unique features of each project and showed photos during construction and the finished build.

We have been fortunate to help several OEA members expand and grow their businesses through renovation or new construction projects. We enjoy the opportunity to talk about the things that make Prairie Construction different from other construction companies in Omaha. We hope you will think of Prairie Construction!

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

New Oakdale Elementary School Will Welcome Students in the New Year!

In 2016, voters in District 66 approved a bond to rebuilt multiple schools in the district. Among those was Oakdale Elementary School, located at 98th & Center St. We were honored to be chosen for the project that entailed rebuilding a new school on the site of the former building.

We were proud to complete the project on deadline and in enough time to welcome the student body of about 300 students back in January, after the holiday break. The modern design of the new school includes updated safety features and an efficient use of space, and the end result is a beautiful new building!

The Prairie construction team recently attended a ribbon-cutting event that officially opened the school. Current students as well as members of the Oakdale Elementary Class of 1936 were among the first to see the brand-new building.

This was a fun project for the Prairie Construction team to be involved with because we love to think of the students’ excitement about learning in a brand-new school.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is Long-Anticipated Facility

At Prairie Construction, every new project brings us some level of excitement, and that is particularly true when we have a personal connection. We recently completed a new addition at St. Patrick’s school and parish in Elkhorn, NE and we are particularly proud of this project because Steve Rease, co-owner of Prairie Construction, is a long-time member of the parish.

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is a two-story, 27,000 square foot addition to the original school building. The building has been long-anticipated and provides much needed spaces including a gymnasium and stage, cafeteria and kitchen, music room and office space.

Construction of the project lasted one year, after a year of designing and planning. Special planning, such as excavation over the winter months, was required throughout construction in order to accommodate the busy school and parish activities that take place nearly every day, year-round. “School was in session for most of the construction phase, and the Prairie Construction team was very flexible and accommodating,” said Vicki Payton, business manager for St. Patrick’s. “Communication between us and Scott, the foreman, and his team, was excellent. They were more than willing to work around our busy school and mass schedule, and planned noisy projects accordingly.”

Steve’s personal connection as a parish member and father of five children who have been educated at the school, added some unexpected pressure. “My daughter was graduating from 8th grade last Spring, and she and her classmates really wanted to graduate in the new activity center,” said Steve. “We finished the project three months ahead of schedule, and the ceremony took place in the brand-new space.”

The Catholic elementary school had no gymnasium before the addition, leaving hallways and the outdoors as the only space for sport team practices and physical education classes. The new gym includes bleachers that can accommodate 400 people, 10 x 13-foot LED screen scoreboards and state-of-the-art lighting and sound, as well as a stage, for multiple purposes. The new space can accommodate receptions and special events, and included an extensive outdoor plaza and patio area to enhance events.

“The new activity center has been highly anticipated by many people for a long time, and when it was finally completed, it was emotional for a lot of people,” said Vicki. “I can’t say enough about what a pleasure it was to work with the Prairie Construction team. We got to know the workers who were here every day for a year, and we were so touched by how much each of them put their heart into the project.” The new activity center was officially dedicated on August 23, 2017. “The day of the dedication, a team member from Prairie Construction was here sweeping the sidewalks, making sure every last detail was perfect. That was not necessary, but it was those small touches that made working with Prairie Construction so special for us.”

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center at St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn is just one project we are proud to have contributed to in the Omaha-metro area, and we look forward to many more!