Architecture Adventure in Two Rivers, WI

View from the stairs.

Our weekend started with a pleasant, almost fall-like, drive from Saint Paul to Two Rivers, Wisconsin. We had a wedding to attend in this quaint town. The drive took about five hours and was smooth sailing with little road construction (at this time). The trees had started turning and there was an abundance of nice Wisconsin farms alongside the road. We arrived in Two Rivers and checked into our hotel on the Lake Michigan waterfront. The hotel wasn’t great, but the location was. We were within walking distance of the historic downtown and only about 5 minutes from the wedding location.

The wedding was held at the Bernard Schwartz House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This example of his Usonian style houses was completed in 1940 and Wright referred to the house as “Still Bend.” The horizontal lines were prominent throughout the brick, wood and concrete home, and the built-in desks and furniture, decorative wood detailing at the windows and lights screamed Frank Lloyd Wright. We were able to experience the house during the day and at night and though, in my opinion the house wasn’t cozy, it did have some fine details and was a respectable house designed by an infamous (though respected) architect. Its concrete floors were a nice touch, especially with it being a historic home (before concrete was really discovered as a flooring type for a living space). The second floor was about 95 percent wood, — floors, walls, doors, railing, etc. Artificial lighting inside was minimal, but during the day, sunshine came in through the many windows. Each room upstairs also has access to an exterior deck and walls of glass mixed in with the wood. It was a great quiet location for a small, casual wedding with a nice green yard, stairs to the adjacent river and cranes sending their call throughout the day.

Between the wedding ceremony and reception, a few of us headed into town to grab some ice cream at the Washington House Museum and Visitor’s Center. They had 16 flavors to choose from and we received a warm welcome when we walked in. Two Rivers (we learned) is after all home of the Ice Cream Sundae! The wedding was held the same day as Two Rivers’ Ethnic Festival with food, music, crafts and gifts. Though we didn’t have time to visit the festival, it seemed to be a big to-do, shutting down the main street through town and requiring a detour around downtown. It not being a very “ethnic” town, residents enjoy the festival, but also poke a bit of fun at it. Other highlights during our short stay were a visit to the Hamilton Wood Type Museum where they have 1.5 million pieces of wood type and still produce various pieces of the type made from Rock Maple. Both the Museum Director and Assistant Director were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and eager to show us what their museum has to offer. The museum had various machines and pieces of equipment, working seminars and classes, souvenirs, artist’s prints, furniture and more. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. Our trip wasn’t complete without having breakfast (two days in a row) at one of the only breakfast places in town, the M&M Lunch and Catering Restaurant. This was a great place to go for breakfast on the cheap. Their pancakes were huge, though the booths a bit small; it was also within walking distance from our hotel.

Overall, Two Rivers was a really cute, albeit historically industrial, town on two rivers at the Lake Michigan coast. People were friendly, attitudes were laid back, and the town had a quite a bit of history to go along with its historic factory buildings and downtown.

Think Green – Benefits of going paperless

I know we’re all somewhat de-sensitized to the words “environmentally friendly” and “go-green” as companies abuse the terms as marketing approaches, such as labeling something “low fat” when it’s so high in sugar the full fat version would probably be healthier! ANYHOW… We, at APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties, feel that we live on a pretty cool planet and would like to do our part where we can to take care of our neighborhood. In doing so, we are also finding ways for us all to save a bit of “green”, dollars that is!

We’ve made the switch over the past few months to create our subcontract agreements, change and purchase orders, and other documents using Adobe software so that we are able to send them via e-mail. The benefits in doing so are:

Quicker turn around time = more efficiency on the job site and increased workflow, this benefits the Owner of our projects tremendously by getting the projects started on time and keeping them on time!

Better communication = less chance for confusion and increased accuracy. Whether the job is here in Minnesota or on the plains of North Dakota or Montana, if there’s wireless coverage the subcontractor can view contracts or change orders in their e-mail inbox vs. needing to “check back at the office”. Any changes to the contract can be easily communicated with the Project Owner for review as well.

More $ in everyone’s pockets!!! By opting for electronic contracts, we are able to reduce the amount of supplies used, including: printer ink, paper, envelopes and stamps, the savings passed on to the Project Owner as well! Once the signature pages are printed and signed, they can be faxed or e-mailed back to us, therefore saving the subcontractor the cost of stamps and envelopes, along with providing a peace of mind that their documents will arrive quickly and safely to us.

Easy filing – We are saving our documents in PDF files so that they can be stored electronically to access for years to come. Once we scan all supporting documents and signature pages with the contract, change or purchase order, we e-mail a copy to the appropriate person(s) for their records, helping everyone to “be green”.

Call APPRO Development to discuss sustainable construction services for designing, constructing or remodeling energy efficient buildings.

Construction update!

APPRO Development has completed footings and is in the process of installing the Wells Concrete wall and roof panels at ConAgra Foods in Lakeville, MN. APPRO Development is the design build general contractor for the project.

The 27,700 SF addition will be used to expand ConAgra’s current shipping abilities and consists of 16 dock doors, trailer staging areas, and a truckers vestibule and office. The project is expected to be complete June of this year.

APPRO Development was awarded the Design Build General Contractor for another warehouse addition in Lakeville, Minnesota!

APPRO Development is proud to announce that the construction of a new warehouse addition has begun at ConAgra Foods in Lakeville, MN. The 27,700 SF addition has expanded their current shipping abilities with the addition of 16 dock doors and a very large staging area for trailers. Construction is anticipated to be complete June 2012.

Groundbreaking Ceremony – New Building Construction in Farmington for Immanuel Dental

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, August 5th for the construction of a new 3,000 sq. ft. office dental building in downtown Farmington for Immanuel Dental. Construction is anticipated to be complete by mid November for Dr. Linden Dungy to be open for business.

APPRO Development is providing the design build general contractor services for the project. Looking to build a new building or expansion? Contact APPRO Development today to get started!

New dental clinic in downtown Farmington!

APPRO Development is the design build general contractor for this new dental facility.

APPRO Development is proud to announce that the construction of a new dental clinic in Farmington, MN has started. Immanuel Dental will be moving from their current location at 511 Elm Street to their new location at 321 3rd Street upon completion of the project. This new building will be positioned between Gossips Bar and Grill and the Farmington Steakhouse. Construction is anticipated to be complete mid November.

APPRO Development is the design build general contractor!

Commercial Office Design: How to Build a Better Office

Commercial Office Design

office design - image source-jeremylevinedesign Office Design – Image Source: Jeremy Levine Design (via Flickr)

This article on commercial office design is now three years old but still valid, so I thought I would post. The article is food for thought when considering an office remodel project. Helpful tips on why some office designs differ from than others. Some of the ideas and comments in the article cater to large scale offices but some tidbits can be gleaned for almost any office layout regardless of size. Here’s the link to the article by Jane Hodges:

http://www.janehodges.net/?p=39

Not sure where you fit in to all this information, we can help. Contact APPRO and we’d be happy to review your plans with you.

Image Source License.

Determining Your Companies Building Service Needs

Are you looking to remodel or improve your current business space? Are you thinking of constructing a new building? A clear understanding of your needs will save you time and money – think about the following points and analyze what is most important for your company.

  • Business Needs: You may have a vision of what you are looking for but haven’t taken the time to really break down what is a “need”, “want” and “don’t want”. Take the time to write down these three categories and fill them in with as much detail as possible.
  • Financial Reality: Ultimately, the space you expect to create depends on the amount of money available. We have pulled together a few resources that you may find helpful when creating a plan for your new project, preparing to meet with a lender or beginning the financial planning process (see Finance Resources).
  • Location: The physical location of your business is important to you, your employees, suppliers, distributors, and customers. Consider the surrounding area, commuting time and access to public transportation.
  • Size/Features/Appearance/Accessibility: Think about how much space you require. You want a space that is well laid-out, comfortable and welcoming. Depending on your type of business appearance may be very important. Consider all aspects of accessibility from parking and wheelchair access to the proximity of nearby highways.
  • Expandable: If you plan on growing your business you should consider flexibility in your plans for expansion in the future.
  • Security: You never want to be in a position of worrying about the customers or employees safety so think carefully about the security of the neighborhood.
  • Neighbors: It can be important for some businesses to complement each other making it helpful for customers to find a group of related businesses in an area. It also creates potential ties to generate more business.

If you already thought about the above points, have completed drawings and just need a General Contractor to help facilitate the construction of your project APPRO Development can help.

If you don’t have drawings yet for your project, consider a firm that provides Design-Build services such as APPRO Development.

Or maybe you are looking for professional help with the Architectural Design aspect of your project. APPRO Development can assist with this too!

Contact us today to tell us about your upcoming project. We are standing by to learn more about your unique goals and how we can custom build the perfect building or renovate a space for your business.

Check out our Blog in March as we continue to go more in depth on the Tips to Selecting a Reputable, Trustworthy, and Dependable General Contractor. In March, we will go more in depth on Compiling a List of Possible Contractors and Conducting Interviews.

The Advantages of Airlake Industrial Park.

Is your business looking for a home? Airlake Industrial Park may be it. The park is located in Lakeville MN and is home to roughly 1,500 acres, 120 businesses, and 4,200 jobs. This park is conveniently located off of I-35 and County Road 70 giving it a transportation advantage over many other locations. Progressive Rail also operates within the park and offers rail transportation as an option for shipping and receiving goods. The park also has an airport that can accommodate corporate jets and helicopters.

Airlake Industrial Park has options for any size and type of business. There are many shovel ready sites if you need a facility built to your exact specifications. APPRO Development resides in and has been involved with the park for nearly 30 years and is a design-build general contractor that can help you with the design and budget pricing of your new facility. There are also many existing facilities for lease or purchase. Cerron Properties is a sister company to APPRO Development and can help you locate the perfect facility to lease or purchase within the park.

If you would like more information regarding the advantages that the Airlake Industrial Park has to offer please contact APPRO Development or Cerron Properties.