Madison construction firm thrives despite economic downturn

Tamira Madsen  —  1/07/2009 6:58 am

When Dani Michels returned to Madison more than six years ago, she landed a job as a project manager at Carlson Co., a Madison-based construction company that manufactures interiors for large retailers.

Michels was pleased to find that her new employer operated its own day care next to its offices. That allowed Michels to easily drop off and pick up her young son, who was five months old at the time, as well as to occassionally check on him during the day.

When it came time to start her own construction firm, Michels remembered her own good fortune and worked flexibility and a family-friendly work atmosphere into her business model for Commercial Interior Contractors.

"I was motivated to create a place to work that was comfortable for people," said Michels. "I don't keep track of comings and goings. I have high expectations, but if everybody does what they need to do, I don't mind if they take an afternoon off or take time off."

Equipped with a laptop, cell phone and vehicle, the single mother started her company from the coffee table of her Madison condominium. CIC, which opened in 2005, specializes in commercial construction for businesses that are looking to remodel within a pre-existing space or unfinished building.

So how did a woman armed with a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison find herself drawn to construction? Michels, 41, said she became attracted to the business after helping build custom furniture with a friend in New Jersey.

"One thing I can say for certain is that I wanted to work with something tangible," Michels said. "The thing I love about construction is you're producing something tangible and physical."

Michels eventually went on to obtain a masters of business administration degree from the University of Chicago, and to hone her manufacturing, design and project management skills working for Chicago-based Ready Fixtures. The company manufactures standardized interiors for large retailers, rolling them out as "interior packages" at locations throughout the country. Clients included Sears, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and Circuit City.

While working at Carlson Co., Michels accumulated more management experience, including helping to oversee the installation of HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems. This prompted Chris Carlson, president of Carlson Co., to urge Michels to draft a business proposal for CIC.

"I was getting more and more involved in the decisions our clients were making with respect to finishings and design of their space. Eventually Chris said, 'I think you might have a business here,'" said Michels, who spent three years working at Carlson Co.

"Fortunately I had a pretty decent network established already from working with Chris. I started making some phone calls, got some projects, executed them really well and it's kind of snowballed from there."

The company, which now has four employees in its Middleton office, ended 2008 with a slight increase in performance from the prior year, bringing in more than $2 million in sales. Michels said she hasn't felt much of a sting from the sluggish economy, though some projects took a bit longer to get going.

Michels is not alone among women pursuing jobs in the construction industry. According to the National Association of Women in Construction, more than 9.6 percent of the industry's 2006 workforce was made up of women.

Michels said she hasn't had problems being a woman in a male-dominated industry, though she wondered if her gender had something to do with the fact that a couple of subcontractors declined to provide work estimates when she first opened her firm.

"People in the construction community have been supportive," said Michels, who employs two women in her office and has done business with several companies operated by women. "There is an ever-growing number of women working in construction, so it's not as unusual as it used to be to see women in our business.

"I just work really hard to make sure that things are good for my clients through the process ... and to leave a trail of happy people behind me."

One of those satisfied customers is Dione Laufenberg, who opened Indulge Spa on Madison's east side in 2008.

Laufenberg talked with five different construction firms, but said Michels and CIC were the best fit for creating her spa in an unfinished, new space.

"She definitely went above and beyond, and her employees were really supportive," Laufenberg said. "It was very collaborative and we were in constant contact during the planning and construction process."

Restaurateur Telly Fatsis also was impressed with the personal attention he received from Michels and her firm throughout his project.

Fatsis hired Michels when he decided to turn Cleveland's Diner into a Greek restaurant. The entire interior of the East Wilson Street storefront was gutted and Plaka Taverna opened in July 2008 with beautiful wood finishes, including a custom-designed counter bar and wood floor.

"We wanted it to be warm and cozy, and it all seemed to fall into place easily," said Fatsis, whose wife, Beth, has a design background and worked closely with Michels on the renovations and created the faux walls at Plaka Taverna. "We had one other company that we were talking with, but the relationship was strictly business. And they didn't ask what we wanted or what we wanted to achieve in the end with the project.

"It was more than just a remodel to Dani, and she had a personal stake in the project."

 

Tamira Madsen  —  1/07/2009 6:58 am