Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/407833
22 | I NSIGH T • N o v e m b e r 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m neighborhood evokes a range of memories and stories, from the house he grew up in — yes, it still stands — to an early location of the company to the ravine where he tore his new knickers while playing on a Sunday aernoon. "Back then, getting something new was a treat," he says. "Fortunately, my mother was able to sew them up." When it was finally his time to lead the family company, O.C. nearly took a pass. As family legend tells it, O.C. Boldt struggled with the reputation many attached to working in the construction industry. As a whole, the industry was not always considered a reputable business at the time his father was deciding his future, says Tom Boldt. Even with the values established by his father and grandfather, O.C. agonized over the decision. "Our industry was not always known for its honesty," says Tom Boldt, the current CEO and fourth-generation to lead the firm. "My father was really challenged by this. Could he do it his way and be successful?" Fortuitously for Boldt Co., Appleton and thousands of clients across the continent, O.C. chose the family business, "Building can be a stressful experience," says Bob DeKoch, president and chief operating officer for Boldt Co. "If you treat the customer right, you can do great things. at's part of everything we do." HUMBLE ORIGINS T he origins of Boldt Company trace directly back four generations to Martin Boldt, who in 1889 announced the opening of his carpentry shop with an ad reading "honest and reliable contractor." at credo built a lasting foundation for Boldt Co. Oscar J. would take over the business and guide it through a period of expansion and incredible difficulty. His leadership during the 1920s through the 1940s would see the company expand into commercial and manufacturing construction, but also struggle through the Great Depression. Despite the struggles, O.C., who would take over for his father following World War II, has fond memories of those days, even some of the projects that didn't go so well. One of those included a very short stint by the family into the bakery business. "My father originally built it for a baker, who basically went broke before he could get started," O.C. says, pointing to a nondescript brown brick building across the street from the Fox Cities Performing Art Center. "It was the Depression. Another baker took over, but he didn't last long, so my father took over the bakery to try and recover the building costs." "I can still smell the bread," he says, as the car passes the building. O.C. accompanied this writer for Insight on a driving tour of landmark buildings the company has worked on during its 125 years. Ultimately, the bakery failed. e building is still there, though, sitting on what would be the outer edges of the neighborhood where O.C., 90, grew up. A trip through the The Boldt Co. timeline 1889: Martin Boldt opens a carpentry shop in Appleton. 1900: Martin's sons Oscar J., Robert and Arthur, join the business. 1920: Boldt enters construction market and incorporates as Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company. 1940: Oscar C. Boldt joins the family business. 1950: Oscar C. Boldt becomes CEO. 1960: Boldt enters industrial, pulp and paper and health care markets. 1970: Boldt is listed in Engineering News Record magazine among the nation's 200 largest contractors; First projects in Saudi Arabia. 1990: Oscar C. Boldt becomes chairman and Tom Boldt becomes CEO; Bob DeKoch joins as COO. 2002: Bob DeKoch becomes president; Boldt pioneers Integrated Lean Project Delivery process. 2005: Boldt enters wind market and erects more than 600 turbines in first year; Awarded $1 billion Sutter Health project, the largest in the company's history. 2006: Built the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, the "greenest building in the world." Boldt also is selected as one of America's Safest Companies. 2010: Awarded three biomass power projects; Achieves 2 million work hours without a lost-time incident. 2011: Begins restoration and renovation project on the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Memorial Union; Achieves 4 million work hours without a lost-time incident. 2012: Sutter Health project reaches 1,000 days without a lost time accident; opening of 14th satellite office in Green Bay. 2014: Celebrates 125th anniversary. Source: The Boldt Company Quite a ride continued "(O.C. Boldt) has curated a responsibility to helping our customers to get the most they can for the money they are spending and enjoy the experience." – Bob DeKoch, Boldt Co. chief operating officer