Wanta

Milwaukee preps for minority contracting preference

By Marie Rohde Milwaukee is cautiously building toward a law that would direct more public contract money toward women- and minority-owned companies. The caution stems from a 1989 U.S. Supreme […]

Politics could again cause sewer fix to go down the drain

By Marie Rohde

staff writer

Dick Wanta, the executive director of the Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association, gave members of the commission that oversees the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District a history lesson the other night.<[...]

County Materials expands reach in concrete industry

By Marie Rohde The pending sale of American Concrete Pipe to County Materials Corp. is forcing underground contractors to assess the industry’s power structure. “There’s still a lot of competition,” […]

Sewerage district funnels $20 million to ease flooding (UPDATE)

By Marie Rohde Property owners wanting a flood of relief from sewage backups during heavy rains will see a dribble instead. They also could get a bigger tax bill and […]

Contractor group vows to lobby Congress to ban bid preferences

By Marie Rohde The Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association will ask Congress to ban bid preferences by amending the Clean Water Act, the association’s top official says. Richard Wanta, WUCA’s executive […]

Milwaukee targets contractor for city site

By Sean Ryan An attempt to use a city property to lure a construction company to Milwaukee must overcome the business trends that push contractors away. A Milwaukee Department of […]

Powers Lake Construction files for bankruptcy (UPDATE)

By Paul Snyder Twin Lakes-based Powers Lake Construction Co. Inc. has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. Jerry Kerkman, an attorney with Milwaukee-based Kerkman & […]

Milwaukee County inches toward bidding preference

By Sean Ryan Milwaukee County soon could give a bidding advantage to the contractor that hires the most county residents for a project. The goal of the county resolution, sponsored […]

Industry groups support wage law changes

By Paul Snyder Three contractor groups are aligning themselves with the Department of Workforce Development in support of changes to the state’s prevailing wage law. Those groups — the Construction […]

Local preference fight fails again

By Sean Ryan Contractors trying to win public works contracts in Milwaukee are continuing their attempts on multiple fronts to overturn the city’s local preference law. American Sewer Services Inc., […]

Contractor targets Milwaukee with federal lawsuit (UPDATE)

By Paul Snyder Underground Pipeline Construction Inc. intends to sue the city of Milwaukee for discrimination in failing to award a sewer contract to the company even though it was […]

Local preference lands on national stage (UPDATE)

By Sean Ryan The battle contractors are waging against Milwaukee’s preference for local bidders has sparked nationwide opposition to similar laws across the country. “This isn’t just in Milwaukee,” said […]