On Tuesday, May 1, 2012 Schramm Construction started the installation of two steeples at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Sugar Grove. After months of planning and weather tracking, the two structures were connected to the top of the 60 foot steeple structure. The largest of the steeples, including towers, measures approximately 72 feet and weighed 40 tons +/- while the smaller is 58 feet tall and 30 tons +/-. Each steeple was custom designed and constructed on the ground at the site by the carpenter contractor.

“Much planning was put into place for the construction and installation of the steeples. Weather conditions have to be just right with minimal wind to ensure complete safety while erecting the steeples,” comments Fred Schramm, president of Schramm Construction. “We’ve been honored to work on a number of religious facilities in the past and are knowledgeable as to the proper process for this installation. Working on St. Katharine has been a real honor as well and we are thankful to be a part of the team.”

The groundbreaking for St. Katharine Drexel Parish, located at 8S055 Dugan Road, was in the late summer of 2011. Since then, Cordogan Clark and Associates Architects & Schramm Construction has laid much of the groundwork and exterior elevations for the 30,000+ square foot structure. When completed, the facility will encompass a 350 seat chapel, administrative wings, classrooms, and a kitchen facility to accommodate their growing congregation. Currently the parish is home to over 550 registered families since its inception only three and a half years ago. While under construction, the parish meets at John Shields Elementary School. The anticipated completion date is middle to late summer 2012.

“We are excited to see the steeples installed, as it means we are one step closer to opening our new parish doors this summer,” says Father Bob Jones of St. Katharine Drexel Parish.

Schramm Construction is happy to announce that Scott Rudolph has joined the Schramm Team as Director of Field Operations. Scott has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry including extensive knowledge of large commercial projects and self-preformed concrete projects. His primary responsibilities within the Schramm organization will be to oversee field operations. Scott’s additional responsibilities will include Schramm’s Quality Assurance program, the safety program, and project scheduling . Additionally Scott will assist in developing new client relationships, upgrading the bid process, and bridging communications between clients and internal team members

As a superintendent with a number of well-known general and concrete contractors, Scott was responsible for the safe, successful, and effective operation of work crews and subcontractors in completing commercial projects. Some notable projects include the 161 room Sheraton Hotel in Northbrook, Metropolitan Water’s Bio-Solids project, Soldier Field Renovations, and Argonne’s Water Chiller Project. Scott has served a Project Manager, Carpenter, Foreman, Superintendent, and General Superintendent. He has worked with a variety of trade professionals and is well versed in the construction industry.

Scott resides in Crystal Lake with his wife and six children. He can be reached at srudolph@schrammconstruction.com or at 630.584.1200 x106.

April 2011 marked the completion of an 11,718 square foot addition for the growing Grace Church of DuPage in Warrenville, Illinois. This marked the second addition to the original structure built in 1986 and encompassed both a gymnasium and kitchen aspect. The church was in need of a multi-use facility that would fulfill the needs of fellowship dinners, their athletic ministries, and various worship events.

After raising the funds, the board of elders and deacons of the church consulted three different general contractors for this job. Based on the referral of another local church, Grace Church of DuPage reached out to Schramm Construction as one of the contractors. The testimony of the original church client, along with the personality and overall presentation of Schramm Construction won them the job.

In July 2010, Schramm Construction broke ground on the addition with the challenge to architecturally match the original church facility. On this particular project, the church had yet to reach out to any architects, therefore Schramm took care of this element for them. Additionally, the project managers worked with the county as they had concerns over the nearby wetlands. “The team at Schramm really streamlined the entire construction process for us. By working with the county on any of their concerns, we were able to focus on our congregational needs,” comments Dr. Byron Tabbut, an elder for the church.

Upon completion of the project, Grace Church of DuPage was happy to have a project that came in under budget and on-time. “We had a very positive experience with Schramm Construction. We would highly recommend them to any church group as they are very familiar with the construction needs of a religious facility,” continues Dr. Tabbut.

Schramm Construction is happy to have completed a number of religious projects throughout the Chicago suburban area, including new construction, renovations, and additions. For more information on their services, please feel free to reach out to Fred Schramm directly at 630.584.1200.

In November of 2010 Schramm Construction was approached by H.A. Phillips & Co. to complete a build-to-suit facility for their newly acquired 2.2 acre parcel of land in DeKalb, Illinois. As a manufacturer of extremely large ASME pressure vessels, the amenities of a manufacturing facility included those not normally found in a 22,000 square foot industrial building. For instance, the 20-ton overhead bridge crane for the Phillips facility alone created a need for multiple columns and a stronger support system. Additionally, the flat bed trucks carrying these one-of-a-kind tanks, measuring up to 12 feet in diameter and up to 35 feet long, require larger than normal overhead doors.  Phillips' facility has a 16w by 18h overhead door in their welding bay. Therefore, it goes without further explanation that this project needed a hands on, design build contractor that understood the business and could complete a facility meeting their unique needs.

Another obstacle Schramm was up against with the Phillips relocation was time. The company was in a holdover clause of their original lease agreement, leading to a larger rental payment per month. In order to save money, Phillips asked Schramm to complete the construction by the end of the year. By the time ground was broken in April, this left a mere 8 months to complete the project from start to finish. In November, Schramm was happy to hand over the keys for the newly completed facility to Michael Ryan, CEO & President of Phillips. Mr. Ryan explains, “We gave Schramm Construction a budget and timeframe to meet when first starting this project. They were able to meet our budget and exceed our expectations on timing.”

H.A. Phillips & Co. had a lot relying on this project, as the site not only manufactures their entire inventory (hundreds of pressurized tanks per year) and ships them out both nationally and internationally, but also houses their sales, administrative, accounting, and engineering personnel. A 3,600 square foot office area was constructed along with the valve and welding facilities of Phillips. Therefore, construction needed to run smoothly so that the company’s administrative end experienced no downtime.

“It’s pretty safe to say that we’d do business with Fred and Jarrott (Schramm) on a handshake going forward. We found them to be honest and reliable people,” summarizes Mr. Ryan.