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The company also announced it has already partnered with more than three dozen local companies to prepare for the demolition of the company’s east building in downtown Milwaukee. Demolition is expected to begin in December, with construction of the new office tower beginning in the latter half of 2014.

“This construction project will be the most significant office development in Milwaukee in 40 years. We are committed to providing hundreds of jobs to locally based companies through all phases of the project,” said Tim Gerend, Northwestern Mutual vice president and project manager.  “That commitment includes fulfilling our promise to hire local, small business enterprises and women- and minority-owned construction, engineering and design firms.”

Under the tax incremental financing plan with the city of Milwaukee, Northwestern Mutual will hire small, emerging and women’s business enterprises for 25 percent of the total construction cost of the new structure and use Milwaukee residents for 40 percent of the hours on the construction site.

The local firms hired to provide a variety of services for construction of the new office tower include:

• American Design Inc.
• Barrientos Design & Consulting
• Continuum Architects + Planners
• Dakota Intertek Corporation
• Fusion Integrated Solutions, LLC
• Giles Engineering
• Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP
• Graef Engineering
• IBC Engineering Services, Inc.
• Prism Technical Management & Marketing Services, LLC
• Quorum Architects
• Rinka Chung Architecture Inc.
• Roeper P A & Associates
• ZS, LLC

“These initial hires for prep and architecture and engineering are the first of dozens of local companies we expect will be closely involved in some part of the project as we move towards completion in 2017,” added Gerend.

According to Gerend, a project of this scale requires experts in all areas of design, engineering and construction.

“We look forward to providing Wisconsin companies opportunities to be involved in multiple ways throughout all phases of the project as we continue to reinforce the commitment we made to the Milwaukee community,” said Gerend.

Preparing for Demolition

Before demolition can begin in December, the company needs to redirect mechanicals and utilities currently housed in the east building that serve the company’s historic south building on Wisconsin Avenue.

“The south building draws water and HVAC from the east building’s infrastructure, so in order to adequately prepare for the demolition, all of those internal operations for the south building must be addressed,” said Gerend.

Milwaukee-based CG Schmidt and more than three dozen local and Wisconsin-based firms are performing a variety of functions associated with preparing the east building for demolition.

That preparation includes the installation of three water chillers along Wisconsin Avenue and a secondary emergency generator that will remain in place until the overall development is complete. Local contractors will also provide key electrical, structural, mechanical and other components.

Local companies working to prepare the east building for demolition include:

• Architectural Products of Wausau Ltd.
• Best Erectors
• Builders Hardware & Supply Company Inc.
• CG Schmidt Inc.
• Con Cor Company Inc.
• Duwe Metal Products Inc.
• Environ Global
• Giles Engineering Associates Inc.
• Hard Rock Sawing and Drill Specialties
• Hawks Utility Locating
• Hetzel Sanfilippo Inc.
• Hydro-Flo Products Inc.
•  J.F. Ahern Co.
• Johnson Controls Inc.
• KEI
• KMI Masonry LLC
• Kohler
• Midwest Drilled Foundations & Engineering Inc.
• Modern Maintenance Building Services Inc.
• Munson Inc.
• Natural Athletic Turf LLC
• New Berlin Grading Inc.
• Parking Lot Maintenance Inc.
• Potratz Concrete Pumping South Inc.
• R.A. Smith National Inc.
• Ring & DuChateau Inc.
• Rockwell Automation
• Sonag Ready Mix
• Staff Electric Co.
• Stano Landscaping
• State Painting
• Trummel Anderson Trucking LLC
• Wachtel Tree Service Inc.
• WE Energies
• Wisconsin Testing Laboratories LLC
• ZS, LLC