Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/147468
ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE One Visit In the last 2 years, Ahern responded to more than 10,000 mechanical service calls; 98.5% were completed in one visit. 800.532.4376 | www.jfahern.com Thursday, OcTOber 31, 2013 KI ConventIon Center, Green Bay Become a sponsor or exhibitor, or plan to attend! www.manufacturingfirst.com Join Hundreds of Small Businesses Enjoying Lower Energy Costs Focus on Energy Small Business Program Experience energy savings, high quality lighting and a great payback on your investment. For a FREE energy assessment and energy-saving measures call 877-229-6678. PROGRAM BENEFITS PARTICIPATION ■ FREE energy assessment showing savings opportunities ■ Check focusonenergy.com/utility to see if your utility participates ■ Immediate energy savings from installed products ■ Have your utility bill ready when we arrive ■ Lower monthly energy costs Schedule your FREE energy assessment now! Call 877-229-6678 or visit focusonenergy.com/smallbusiness ©2012 Wisconsin Focus on Energy TMSB-2000-101012 34 | Insight • Au g u s t 2 013 for projects to be done quickly, at the lowest cost possible. We are starting to work with contractors from the very beginning of a project and working in some feedback on design and construction from the very beginning, to reduce the time. The old process of designing a project and putting it out for bid is being shrunk now." For Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc., Appleton (which former owner Paul Hoffman sold to six members of the firm's management team one year ago), an emphasis on niche markets begun several years ago kept business steady through the recession, says Miles Girouard, president and co-owner of the company. "For us, business is going fairly well, which is somewhat surprising, in the sense that a lot of our competitors seem to be still struggling," says Girouard. "With our niche markets, the last two years have been some of the best years of our company's history. We're ahead of budget this year." When the market first began to slow in 2007, Hoffman tightened, kept a lean workforce, integrated technology and deliberately sought projects such as senior living facilities and women's religious buildings. It also branched out to take on projects nationwide. One challenge common to all those interviewed is finding skilled workers as they grow their businesses back to pre-recession levels. "One of our bigger headaches has been hiring," DeLeers says. "The challenge is trying to find good quality employees. In the last couple of years, with construction down, people have taken jobs in other industries. There are also not a lot of students looking at the construction fields for entry-level jobs." Hoffman, which hired five people in the last year, has also experienced a hiring challenge. "It's extremely hard to find good people," Girouard says. "Everybody is trying to steal good talent." w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m