Masonry Magazine February 2006 Page. 12
Contractor
to Contractor
MCAA MEMBER CONTRACTORS RESPOND TO THE INDUSTRY ISSUES OF THE DAY.
Fred Kinateder
Fred Kinateder Masonry Inc.
Waukesha, Wisc.
For two decades, Fred Kinateder Masonry Inc. (FKMI) has been revered as an industry leader in Southeastern Wisconsin, winning dozens of excellence awards and working on such prestigious projects as the Milwaukee Theatre and Miller Park. Engineering News-Record (ENR) has consistently ranked FKMI as one of its top mason contractors in the country, and clients have applauded FKMI's team dynamic, timeliness, professionalism and vigilance to safety concerns. The man behind it all, owner Fred Kinateder, spoke with us about FKMI's history, growth, successes and business approach.
Masonry: Since the inception of your company two decades ago, what do you think have been the keys to your company's success?
Kinateder: We really pride ourselves on doing a good job and making sure we do things right the first time. Now, that doesn't always happen, unfortunately, but we still make sure that if something does go wrong, we take care of it and stand behind our work.
The other thing is that we've always looked at our people that work for us as a resource- as a very valuable resource. So, we've tried to take care of them and make sure that they have the safest possible working environment. I think that's one of the best ways.... We have a core group of guys we always try to keep busy and keep working to avoid peaks and valleys where guys are laid off, then you hire them back, then they're laid off. We try to make it so it's a full-time, year-round job for them, which is quite a challenge.
Masonry: Your mission statement stresses the need for "controlled growth" of the company. What strategies are you utilizing to achieve this goal?
Kinateder: When we started it was pretty easy. There were some contractors that had near that time retired, so there was a void in the market. Because it was our goal to do the best job possible, the growth took care of itself. We were in demand and a lot of people wanted us on their job. Because safety has become such a big issue for general contractors, they also wanted us on their jobs. We had some big projects in this area going, so it was pretty easy to grow.
Now, we're looking at some other things. We're looking at installing some other materials to add to our growth. We have a subsidiary company that installs air barriers and does caulking and brick washing. We're installing some precast and stone panels and trying to get into that market. Geographically, we've expanded out to some other areas in Wisconsin, looking for work or looking for other jobs. Consequently, we're building up some relationships with some of the generals that work in those areas.
Masonry: Since February 2005, FKMI has participated in the Chase-Wisconsin Partnership program, which recognizes the importance of safe work environments. How has participation in this program strengthened your work environment and allowed day-to-day operations to run more smoothly? What can you say for companies that neglect these safety practices?
Kinateder: The Chase partnership was developed between the AGC and OSHA here and it's received some of the normal regulations. It's given us a good relationship with OSHA. It's improved our relationship with the general contractors. And again, it protects our workers, who, like I said, we look at as a resource. We're making a safe work environment for them, so most of the guys really like coming back to work.