H
ello again, and welcome to our second edition of Midwest Building! In today’s
market, new construction financing has become more critical than ever, in
part because of interest rates, banking changes, security issues, and overall
market concerns. So for this issue, we concentrated on our pre-engineered building
expertise. Highlighted in this issue are buildings that are efficient to build, multifunc-
tional, and can even be designed to limit potential future obsolescence. Whether you
are a small business just starting out or a large business that is expanding, we can
customize an engineered building for you.
Steve Kuepers
Executive Vice President
Kuepers Inc., Architects & Builders
MN LIC 0002599
Doug Kuepers
President Jeremy Adams Project Management
Steve Kuepers Property Management & Bruce Weaver
Maintenance Manager Dan Kennedy
Executive Vice President
Cale LaVoie
Dan Kuepers Ray Austin Paul Reier
Production Manager Field Operations Manager Mike Hays
Jennifer Solseth Todd DeChaine Roger Lorenz
The Hearth Room Landscape & Irrigation Supervisor Eric Halbert
Nate Holzer
Executive Vice President
Dan Richter
Michael Patrick Joe Klemmetsen
Controller, CPA Project Development
Kristopher Solseth
Leah Heggerston Eric Carder Interior Design/Showroom
Director of Marketing Amy Collins The Hearth Room
Sean Kaneski Lee Wangstad
Director of Project Development Dale Ditter Sara Raimann
Ryan Blank Gwen Burggraff
Mark Cross
Architect, AIA, NCARB Genevieve Kec
Architecture Alyssa Barkley
Michael Angland Eric Larson Paula Kovatovich
Architect, AIA Sam Koob Catherine Deutschlander
Andy Waletzko Kendra Johnson
Chris Raimann
Sarah Goodrow Laurie Meller
Architect, AIA
Sarah Schmidt Kate Johnson
Michael Carpenter Sarah Rutz Anna Struss
Mechanical Engineer, PE
14643 Edgewood Drive, Suite 115 • Baxter, MN 56425 • (888) 829-0707 • (218) 829-0383 fax • www.kuepers.com
in this issue
Features
Minnesota Inboard Water Sports
An industrial building that
doesn’t look industrial .............................................. 5
Tanner Honda
Redefining the pre-engineered
steel building .......................................................... 12
Industry Reports
Operating Kuepers Green
Environmental protection goes
beyond just building ‘green’ ..................................... 8
5 12 21
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(888) 860-2442 or visit us on the Web at www.qcmedia.com. April 2008
MIDWEST BUILDING 3
4 MIDWEST BUILDING
After lunch was over, Pam kept the
napkin and the couple went looking for
an architect and builder to help them
turn their second location into a reality.
One of the firms they talked to was Kue-
pers Inc., Architects & Builders.
The Muellers chose Kuepers for a
number of reasons, not the least of
which was its ability to match its designs
with what Pam had in her mind — and
on her napkin. “I brought the napkin to
Kuepers and said this is what I want. I
came back a week or two later, and
F
or Pam and Joe Mueller, build- an existing structure that was right for on,” she said. “There was hardly any-
ing a store in Baxter all began them, so they decided to start from thing we needed to change as far as the
with a sketch on the back of a scratch. They found a suitable piece design.”
napkin. The couple owns and operates of land, and on the afternoon that they As it turns out, Pam and Joe’s
the Excelsior, Minnesota-based boat and closed on the property, Pam and Joe experience matches up with the very
marine equipment dealer Minnesota went to lunch at a local restaurant to talk approach with which Kuepers prides
Inboard Water Sports. When they about their plans. itself. “We have a philosophy at Kuep-
decided to expand to a second location Excitedly, Pam began drawing a ers that ‘we’re not the ones who live in
in the fall of 2005, they settled on the sketch of what they wanted their new the building, our customers are,’” said
Brainerd Lakes Area, a popular boat- building to look like on the back of a Mark Cross, the architect at Kuepers
ing and water sports region in North napkin. “If we didn’t have this business, who designed the Mueller’s building. “As
Central Minnesota. The area is home to I think I would be a designer because a result, we don’t shoehorn projects into
a large number of the company’s cus- I love working with how things are laid a design style. We are custom builders,
tomers in the summer months when the out and the design of buildings — both and with that in mind, we design what-
population of outdoor recreation enthu- inside and out,” she said. The Muellers ever fits the customer’s needs.”
siasts explodes. had some clear ideas about what they The 7,211-square-foot building Kuepers
As operators of a successful busi- wanted to see in their new location, such created for Minnesota Inboard needed
ness, the Muellers knew what they as a large stone fireplace in the main to meet two key requirements simulta-
wanted and went looking for a build- showroom. “I had in my mind exactly neously: it needed a large showroom
ing in the area that would serve their what I wanted, and I actually drew it on space yet had to be easy to convert into
needs. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a napkin,” she said. another type of business should >>
MIDWEST BUILDING 5
the Muellers decide to sell the build-
ing at some point in the future. As the
exclusive dealer statewide for the popu-
lar and respected line of Malibu boats
and other water sports equipment, Min-
nesota Inboard also wanted the best
possible showroom for its products.
And Kuepers delivered.
“When a customer wants a building that
can be remodeled, it means that structur-
ally, we think about it as if all the interior
walls will be torn out and it can be one
big open box,” Cross said. “As a result,
you design it in an entirely different frame
of mind. In this case, we created a hybrid
system, integrating post-and-beam con-
struction with a conventional continuous
concrete footing system, and that really
worked well for the project.” The building,
which boasts approximately 5,000 square
feet of showroom space, had to meet the
city’s architectural guidelines that called Minnesota Inboard was built as a post-and-beam structure so that it could easily be remodeled for a
different purpose if need be.
for an “up north” feel for the exteriors of
new buildings. As a result, the new build-
ing has log siding and a green roof, which Finally, the Muellers also had some clear For her part, Pam Mueller says every-
is what the Muellers wanted as well. The ideas about how they wanted to position body at Minnesota Inboard Water Sports
building site contained part of a wetland, their display boats around the property. is pleased with the result. “The folks at
which required Cross and the rest of the “So we created some multi-dimensional Kuepers — from Steve Kuepers himself
Kuepers team to build a storm water sites for the boats to sit and built up some to everyone who helped construct the
containment system and design an eco- landscaping so you can see the boat and building — were so easy to work with,”
logically sensitive parking scheme. not the trailer,” Cross said. she said. “Everything went smoothly.
From the very beginning, I walked the
site with the guys and they always
listened to my ideas.”
Pam and Joe were so pleased, in
fact, that they ended up asking Kuepers
to do some remodeling work on their
vacation cabin. “I think you can genu-
inely tell the employees enjoy working
there,” Pam said. “We built the new
location throughout the winter, and
despite how cold and miserable it got,
everybody I talked to genuinely loved
their work. It was a really good experi-
ence, and I have recommended them to
many people.”
And the napkin? As far as Pam
knows, it stayed with Kuepers in their
project files, an integral part of the com-
In the spring of 2006, the Muellers opened a dealership in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Minnesota In-
munication necessary to build a good
board, open year-round, provides residents with a diverse selection of direct drive inboard boats. building.
O
perating “green” whenever possible is as important There are many other ways that Kuepers prevents construc-
as building “green.” Kuepers continues to take steps tion waste
in its day-to-day functions to maintain and promote •U
sing durable products, such as stone and ceramic tile
green operations. We recycle as much waste as possible in the •U
sing building products made from recycled material
office and on jobsites. •U
sing salvaged or reclaimed building materials
Materials such as •M
inimizing the use of products with excessive packaging
cardboard, oil, scrap •B
uying locally produced building materials, which reduces
metal, and copper energy use and transportation pollution
are always separated •P
rotecting trees and topsoil during construction
from the rest of con- •C
entralizing cutting operations to reduce waste and simplify
struction waste on sorting
jobsites for recycling. •E
ducating our crews about recycling procedures
Kuepers will recy- •D
onating salvaged items to local organizations like Habitat
cle anything at the for Humanity
request of the client; however, it may be at additional cost and Kuepers continues to look for more economical ways to oper-
time. In the case of a demolition for remodels, a project has to ate green, from purchasing recycled office supplies to providing
be taken apart piece by piece, dramatically slowing down the project managers with fuel-efficient cars for driving to and from
building schedule. jobsites.
T
he unpredictability of Minnesota weather won’t affect your Kuepers’ Heating, Cooling, and Ventilating
comfort level when you work or live in a building environ-
ment with a heating and cooling system from Kuepers • Commercial and Residential
Inc., Architects and Builders. Our in-house mechanical experts • New Construction and Remodeling
design heating, cooling, and ventilating systems (HVAC) with your • On-call Service Technician 24/7
year-round comfort in mind. • Seasonal and Preventive Maintenance Programs
There are many benefits to having an in-house mechanical
team. As a mechanical engineer I am involved early on in new Types of Equipment/Systems
construction and remodeling projects. I work alongside our Numerous options are available at Kuepers:
architects to ensure that each building’s climate and moisture Forced Air Furnaces — Multiple or single zone furnaces heat
control needs are properly addressed. The sizing of equipment, and circulate air through a ductwork system. They are rated
placement, and number of supplies and returns are all factored for energy efficiency by an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency
into the design. We install equipment known for optimal perfor- (AFUE) percentage. The higher the AFUE rating, the higher the
mance, reliability, and energy efficiency. system’s efficiency.
Kuepers will learn your heating and cooling needs, assist you In-floor Radiant Heat/Hot Water Boiler System — Water
with any challenges, and customize a mechanical system so it is heated by a boiler through flexible tubing beneath the floor.
works for you. Heat Recovery Ventilators — Today’s tighter buildings are
designed to improve energy effi-
ciency by eliminating heat loss
around doors, windows, and other
areas prone to drafts. Without a heat
recovery ventilator (HRV), pollutants
can be trapped inside, creating poor
indoor air quality. HRVs provide
better ventilation by bringing fresh
outside air into the building while
expelling stale polluted air. The core
transfers heat from the outgoing air
to preheat the incoming fresh air.
Central Air Conditioning —
Central air works with a furnace
or air handler to remove heat
from indoor air. Cooled air is then
transferred throughout the build-
ing through ductwork. The level
of energy efficiency is mea-
sured by the Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The
minimum SEER standard is
currently 13.
When your HVAC system is
designed by Kuepers, you can be
assured that we have looked at the
big picture without overlooking the
smallest of details.
MIDWEST BUILDING 11
Tanner Honda
Redefining the pre-engineered steel building
MIDWEST BUILDING 13
the building exterior were chosen to showcase the signage weeks to more than 14 weeks. This instability of the company led
by providing a suitable backdrop highlighting the essential to a last-minute decision to find another steel building supplier
image elements who could fulfill the contract and meet the timetable. Design and
• service center placement near front of facility to give the engineering processes previously initiated with the first company
same degree of courtesy, respect, and professionalism to had to be repeated with the subsequent steel building supplier.
the customers as demonstrated in sales areas Site Work — One of the early goals was to complete the
• showroom areas, reception, information center, kids’ play exterior concrete and base course of paving prior to winter.
area, vehicle displays, and sales consultation stations Before this could begin, extensive site work had to be accomplished.
designed to create an inviting, nonthreatening customer An existing 50x100 pole building on the property was dismantled
environment and donated to a local nonprofit group. Originally, the site had been
used as a concrete ready-mix plant (thus the industrial zoning), and
The Kuepers’ architectural staff came up with a preliminary one corner of the property had been used as a dumping ground for
design for the pre-engineered steel building, tailoring the HDIP unused concrete — 2,907 cubic yards of concrete rubble had to be
design elements with Tanner’s requirements. Negotiations removed from the site. A fiber optic line also had to be moved before
between Honda’s architect in California, the owner, and Kuepers’ site grading and building excavation could begin.
architectural staff went back and forth until the parties involved Construction Phase — Concrete work began in the fall.
arrived at an agreeable design. By the end of September, the storm sewer system was being
installed and underground rough-in utilities and inflammable
Obstacles to Overcome waste system were under way. By October, the concrete slab
Zoning — During the preliminary plan review process with the and sidewalks were being poured. When the steel building con-
city, it was discovered that the previous dealership did not have tractor’s progress in setting the steel began to lag, it had to
the necessary zoning classification changes to the property. increase the size of its crew to get back on schedule.
The property was zoned industrial rather than commercial. As a Rains and early snows also put the paving contractor behind
result, formal rezoning process resulted in a one-month delay in schedule, but by the end of October, the base course of paving
the start of the project. was placed. Landscaping crews were planting trees and shrubs
Steel Crisis — Financial strife in the chosen steel building at the perimeter of the parking lot. This gave the owner more
supplier’s company changed initial delivery time from six to eight
MIDWEST BUILDING 15
Environment
A Change in
Scenery
Kuepers’ landscape
design blends nature
and construction
By Todd DeChaine,
Landscape and Irrigation Supervisor
L
andscaping your home or commercial property makes you to consider, including retaining walls, stone, rock, ponds,
an impressive statement and is an important investment. water features, swimming pools, decks and patios, driveways
Additionally, a key focus of landscape design and mainte- and sidewalks, pavers and timbers, pergolas and trellises, nat-
nance today is about promoting and protecting the environment. ural screenings, sod, irrigation systems, landscape lighting,
Landscaping is both science and art, requiring good observation flower beds, trees and shrubs, fencing, beaches, rip-rap, and
and design skills. A good landscaper understands the elements more. If you can envision it, we can design it. When planning
of nature and construction, and blends them accordingly. your landscaping project, let the experts at Kuepers manage
At Kuepers Inc., Architects & Builders, our in-house landscape and coordinate the details. Kuepers’ landscaping department is
design and irrigation specialists are Minnesota Landscape Asso- equipped to handle all aspects of a project, including:
ciation (MNLA) certified. Their training and continuing education
ensures that they are abreast of changing methods, techniques, • irrigation/lawn maintenance needs
original design, and environmental regulations. • drainage and storm water runoff issues, ground water
From perimeter plantings to outdoor kitchens, shoreline res- quality, and topography
torations to swimming pools, recreational courts, or fire pits, the • impervious coverage limitations
design and implementation of each Kuepers landscape project •b each and shoreline guidelines
is a combination of creative planning, accurate estimating, and •p ermitting requirements and processes
beautiful workmanship. Furthermore, Kuepers offers spring and
fall maintenance, lawn care services, and general property main- Kuepers will learn your needs, assist you with challenges, and
tenance — ensuring that your lawn, plantings, and focal points customize your landscaping project so it works for you. Kuepers’
will continue to thrive and look beautiful for years to come. Landscaping Services will ultimately save you time and money,
Landscape planning at Kuepers can occur before or after a and provide you with a fun, creative planning experience, result-
home or building exists. Kuepers has all the options available for ing in a beautifully completed project.
W
ith a year-round population many vehicles traveled the road going Scheduling issues and setbacks were a
of 285 residents, the small past the proposed building site. challenge throughout the project. From
community of Hackensack, The owners wanted to create a state- a bad shipment of concrete to weather
Minnesota, and its surrounding area of-the-art theater, so they traveled issues and delays, the project manager
swells to approximately 100,000 during throughout the state visiting other the- and foreman were busy juggling con-
the summer months and on weekends aters and experiencing for themselves the struction crews to meet the schedule.
year-round as people flock to nearby
cabins and resorts. A four-season tourist
destination, the town boasts 127 lakes in Pre-engineered steel eliminated the load-bearing walls
a 10-mile radius, attracting fishing, boat-
commonly associated with theater designs, reducing
ing, and snowmobile enthusiasts.
To take advantage of this population the amount of functional obsolescence if the building is
explosion in 2005, the Bear Pause The- converted to another use in the future.
ater was built. The location of the theater
required extensive research. Choosing
the Hackensack area for its “Up North” features they thought their patrons would Winter’s early snows and ice, fol-
atmosphere provided the opportunity for enjoy. A great deal of planning went into lowed by spring’s soupy mud made
permanent and seasonal residents alike the Bear Pause Theater project by its maneuvering equipment tricky. Keep-
to enjoy the big screen without having to owners prior to the design and construc- ing the project moving forward was
drive 45 to 60 miles. After choosing the tion of the building itself. The owners’ goal adroitly handled by Kuepers’ Project
Hackensack community, the owners took was to provide the ultimate movie-going Management staff, who brought the
their research a step further and asked experience in the region. project to completion on schedule, with-
the Minnesota Department of Transporta- Site work began in August 2005 and in budget, and, most important, to the
tion to perform traffic counts to see how involved bringing in 10,000 yards of fill. customers’ satisfaction. >>
MIDWEST BUILDING 19
After discussing different types of theater equipment contractor because •T
he building features a Simple Saver
building construction, and with the there were few comparable pro- Roof System®.
owners’ overall budget in mind, pre-engi- jects in the Minnesota/Wisconsin area to •S
pecialty sound control panels pro-
neered steel construction was chosen. learn from. vide additional soundproofing.
•T
here are two layers of gypsum board
on each side of the common walls.
Décor inside and out was carefully coordinated •T
he HVAC ductwork was insulated to
with the interior designers at The Hearth Room, eliminate air rattles.
Pre-engineered steel was chosen for the building construction. This method
eliminated the load-bearing walls commonly associated with theater designs,
reducing the amount of functional obsolescence if the building is converted to
another use in the future.
MIDWEST BUILDING 21
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