Klermund helps carry Hunzinger’s work on big projects through pandemic

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Dave Klermund – Hunzinger Construction

Dave Klermund – Hunzinger Construction

Dave Klermund, a veteran superintendent, is driven to deliver projects the right way.

Klermund has spent the better part of a decade specializing in office build-outs for Hunzinger Construction, where he’s spent more than 25 years. He has overseen the construction of offices for Johnson Controls, Milwaukee insurer MGIC and, most recently, the law firm Foley & Lardner.

Klermund said his commitment to keeping communications open between clients and construction crews is indispensable in complex projects.

“I am able to address all sorts of constructability issues because I have seen them all,” he said. “I am a huge advocate of open, two-way communication, and I love the teamwork on projects.”

With Klermund leading the way, Hunzinger recently completed a total gut renovation of Foley & Lardner’s 162,000-square-foot offices, which occupy seven-and-a-half floors of the U.S. Bank Building in downtown Milwaukee.

The project, designed by Eppstein Uhen Architects, replaced drywall with glass — providing unobstructed views from the east and west sides of the tower — and added conference rooms, renovated kitchens and restrooms.

The day-to-day work on the project, which began in mid-2019, changed after the onset of the pandemic. Hunzinger enacted strict social-distancing and mask requirements, and Klermund took various steps to stop the spread of the virus and keep the work on track.

Hunzinger crews cleaned the jobsite many times a day, monitored workers for symptoms and maintained safety protocols set by Foley & Lardner, the U.S. Bank Center and the city of Milwaukee.

“The procedures that we all had to work under brought a new element to my job, a new level of supervision and monitoring that we have never experienced before,” Klermund said. “We continue to work under our COVID-19 protocols and we are meeting all project schedules.”