Bill Jarvis Reviews 38 KA Years

Photo Above: Bill Jarvis on the 1980 KA Softball Team, back row, third from left.

Bill Jarvis, Vice President and Construction Executive, retires this month following a 43-year in construction- 38 of those years with Kraus-Anderson. He shares some perspective on his own career path, and thriving in our dynamic industry.

What got you interested in construction as a professional path?

BILL JARVIS: I began in the Industrial Education program at UW- Stout and enrolled in an introduction to Industrial Education class my first semester. I realized that being a K-12 teacher was not for me. I found that they had a program in Building Construction which sounded interesting, so I made the change.

Did you ever work in the field? For what company/what projects?

BILL JARVIS: Yes, I worked as a carpenter apprentice for a homebuilder, Quality Homes, during my summer break prior to graduation. Internships within a large construction firm were uncommon.

You started with KA in 1979 as a Cost Control Manager, and very early on you were working on two very significant projects in downtown Minneapolis- 100 Washington Square and Pillsbury Center. What stands out for you about those projects?

BILL JARVIS: I started on site (with Craig Francois) at the 100 Washington Square project. The complexity of the project was overwhelming. The 22-story building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, world renowned designer. The building is only supported by a center core and four corner columns. The interior is column free, designed for flexibility.

The Pillsbury Center office building, now US Bank Plaza, is a twin tower, 22 and 40 stories, concrete structure that KA built for Hines in 1980. Ironically, this is the same client we are currently working with on North Loop Green.

What else do you recall about KA’s work, clients and culture in those days?

BILL JARVIS: As I recall KA Construction was structured with three offices within the Twin Cities: Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Building Company. There was also an office in Texas. Within the Minneapolis office there were several divisions, I remember the Commercial and Institutional, Construction Management, Industrial and Light Construction.

Document sharing and communication were much slower then. The use of U.S. Mail and desk phones were the norm. All correspondence with the architects and engineers was by mail, or a delivery service. The use of e-mail and cell phones was many years away.

As project manager and later as project director, you have served a number of R&D projects, ranging from ongoing updates, repairs and remodels on the Boston Scientific campus, to new state of the art lab and office facilities for 3M and Coloplast. How do these differences in scope and deliverables impact the project management approach?

BILL JARVIS: Many different building systems are influenced  in these types of facilities. Understanding the end use requirements early in the design is critical for the success of the project. For example, the structural requirements will vary due to vibration considerations and future flexibility.

The design of the mechanical and electrical components are critical- the requirements must be defined early in the design phase to provide the most cost effective and efficient system. The end user may require several different gases and unique exhaust systems for the space to function appropriately. Clean room constraints also lead to complicated air and humidity requirements.

You were project director for the phased VAST project for Valspar (now Sherwin Williams); a historic renovation of turn of the century warehouse space into high-tech laboratories. Talk about some of the unique challenges of that project. 

BILL JARVIS: The coordination of preserving the historic requirements of a century-old building and converting it into a state of the art office and lab building were considerable.

Valspar’s goal was to repurpose the buildings for the sake of stewardship. Reusing the existing facilities and providing a state of the art office and lab facility would accomplish this objective. An immense amount of time was spent on planning the work in consideration of the approvals required by the historical preservation authorities.

The lab spaces were built in the concrete structure, while the offices were located in the timber framed wood structure originally built in the early 1900’s.

As project director for the Kraus-Anderson Block, you had a lot of stakeholders, including the City of Minneapolis, neighborhood groups, third party tenants and development groups, and your own co-workers, who consolidated from multiple offices to occupy the new KA headquarters. What stands out to you about the challenges and the achievement?

BILL JARVIS: The teamwork and dedication from everyone was outstanding. All of the KA family of companies were involved in the project. From the initial vision, to working with the city and their approval process. Ultimately this led to the groundbreaking of the office building through the completion of the Elliot Hotel. It was truly a team effort.

Now that we have been in our “new home” for several years, it is great to see how the completed Block has been a wonderful asset to the neighborhood.

In recent years you’ve been leading KACC’s Commercial Construction group as Construction Executive. What would you like to share about this group and the resources it brings to our clients and business partners?

BILL JARVIS: The group of individuals in the Commercial Business Unit have a client bases and expertise in specific product types. Many of the team have experience with different types of buildings. This allows the group to be flexible and capable on many different projects. The group extends beyond the project management team. It also includes the field staff and all of the support personnel from accounting to the project coordinators. All parties are needed to be successful. It truly has been a pleasure to work with the members of this team. All have been willing to do whatever is asked and they do it with a smile.

When you think about the contribution you and KA teams have made over your tenure here, what are you especially proud of?

BILL JARVIS: When I look back, I realize how important relationships are to be successful and make your career enjoyable and fulfilling.

Standing at this end of your career, what advice would you have for young professionals entering project management?

BILL JARVIS: Like anything, what you get out of something is proportionate to what you put into it. It is up to you as to how far you will go.