Budget saver

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Team preserves $250,000 for Quad/Graphics

The site of the new Quad/Graphics distribution center in Menomonee Falls was a dump.

Littered with large volumes of buried concrete and debris, the former dump site needed a drastic transformation to serve as the future home of the printing giant’s 388,800-square-foot distribution facility.

Further complicating matters, the site also was home to six defined wetlands and a sandhill crane habitat.

From the start, core team members from Riley Construction Co. Inc., Kenosha, and Stephen Perry Smith Architects Inc., Menomonee Falls, knew they had to stay organized to successfully tackle the complicated $17.8 million project.

“It was a long process, but we knew right away about all of the challenges we faced,” said Mike Duffek, project manager at Riley Construction. “We all met early and often to establish our goals right from the start, and there was a lot of outside-of-the-box thinking and more coordination to achieve those end goals.”

The crew not only kept the project on schedule and under budget but transformed the site into a thriving, sustainable industrial park that will pay economic and ecological dividends for years to come.

Much of the savings came from the crushing and re-use of 30,000 cubic yards of concrete buried under the site, Duffek said. He said that saved money on importing new material and disposing of original debris.

The team’s extensive site work also included remediation for contaminated soils and maintenance and expansion of the wetlands. Landscaping features native plant species that require no permanent irrigation, eliminating the use of potable water.

The site design also incorporates the possibility of a future rail spur. To accommodate the anticipated needs of the railroad and Quad/Graphics, crews moved 600,000 cubic yards of on-site fill to elevate the building site from its original grade.

“So much coordination and effort was put forth by the engineers, the owners, the (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources), the contractors and subcontractors,” Duffek said.

The project team saved Quad/Graphics more than $250,000 and actually created more wetlands, he said.

“Everyone’s cooperation and communication really enhanced the project,” Duffek said, “and together we were able to really enhance the site itself.”

Quad/Graphics Distribution Center

Location: Menomonee Falls

Submitting company: Riley Construction Co. Inc., Kenosha

General Contractor: Riley Construction Co. Inc.

Architect: Stephen Perry Smith Architects Inc., Menomonee Falls

Engineer: The Sigma Group, Milwaukee (civil)

Owner: Quad/Graphics Inc., Sussex

Project size: 388,800 square feet

Project cost: $17.8 million

Start date: June 2, 2008

Completion date: April 1, 2009