Doug Jandro Looks Back

VP Business Development Doug Jandro retires in January 2022, wrapping an eventful KA career spanning four decades and the management of over 11 million square feet of construction across a wide range of commercial and industrial development.  Recently he shared some perspective on a career spent building buildings, and relationships.

You initially joined Kraus-Anderson in 1978 as a project manager. Talk about those early days.

DOUG JANDRO: I went to work in the KA Building Division (KABLD) office, originally at 1211 South Eighth St., alongside the old KA Yard office. It was just a few years after KA opened that office to address smaller projects. On my first day I shadowed Len Colson. Len had just completed work at the IDS Center (55 stories and the tallest building in Minneapolis) and wanted to test my resiliency. We rode the elevator to the top floor. Switched to the stairway and up two flights to the roof. Len proceeded to ask me to follow him to the roof edge and look down at the new roof drains he had installed on the roofs one level below. Being the new guy I did it.

Who were some of your early clients?

DOUG JANDRO: First client was Hennepin County, doing TI work for numerous facilities under the annual contract… this grew to working on numerous Hennepin County facilities like clinics, medical, jails, maintenance facilities offices etc.

The KA Yard and KABLD relocated to 2500 Minnehaha to make room for the HHH Metrodome in the early 80s. KA did work for several other area businesses having facilities that were displaced by the coming of the domed stadium, including for Star Tribune and Wolkerstorfer Company. KA Building Company was at the heart of the city and county.

Another early project was Girard Terrace, a 92-unit apartment housing HUD renovation at 55 and Humboldt, driven by Hennepin County and federal funding.  Another client was KA Realty. We did tenant improvements at several of the KA properties, a testing ground for new construction projects later on.

You took a couple of sabbaticals from KA.

DOUG JANDRO: Leslie and I moved to Colorado in 1980 following a dream. I was working for another contractor opening their office there.  On one of my trips back to Minneapolis, I stopped in at the KA Building office to say Hi to the Family. Dave Zeman saw me and asked to talk. He opened with “YOU DON’T LOOK GOOD.” I had just driven straight through from Colorado. His next question was, “Do you want to come back to KA and build in Colorado? KA Development had been looking at building Mountainside of Silver Creek in Granby, Colorado. They needed a PM that understood Colorado construction and markets. KA ended up building two phases at The Mountainside and Saint Moritz in Winter Park.

Upon completion of The Mountainside, KA was getting a lot of recognition and I was blessed to be welcomed back and participate in that growth period. KABLD had great collaboration with numerous clients and architects. With that came a lot of well-earned repeat business including ADC Telecommunications, United Health Group, Holiday Companies, Dayton Hudson and later Target, Fairways foods, Super MOM Jerry’s Foods, Cub Foods, White Castle, Great Clips and Musicland.

Besides our Minnesota-grown clients, you also established significant relationships in and from other parts of the country. Talk about that.

DOUG JANDRO: KA established a strong relationship with Liberty Property Trust (LPT). We assisted with land searches, entitlement and construction of Diversified Pharmaceutical, 10400 Viking Drive, Flying Cloud Corporate Center, Medica Date Center, all local projects; and Vanguard in Scottsdale, AZ.   We were first introduced to DPS thru RSP Architects. We competed against 3 other GC’s and won. The first project was a small renovation. The second project was the DPS Campus in Bloomington, later renamed Express scripts.  In the late 90s DPS was KABLD’s largest project up to that time–  six stories, 325,000 SF. Soon followed by ADC and Graco.

KABLD persevered thru 3-4 years of phenomenal dedication and growth. Some of those large corporate office projects included a 200,000 SF corporate restack for GMAC-RFC; and a 350,000 SF. operations center renovation for Daytons (later Target). KABLD went on to convert 3 Carson Pirie Scott stores to Mervyns in 4 months.  In the following years we were involved with numerous Target stores for Oppidan and others, along with 7 Target Stores in Kansas City.

At the same time, you were part of a team building repeat business with grocery retail clients.

DOUG JANDRO: A lot of the grocery store growth came building so many grocery-anchored retail Centers for numerous Developers like KA Realty and Friends of Lloyd Engelsma. Many of these later relationships have spanned 30 years or more.  KA has completed work from minor renovations, storm and fire damages, land acquisition and new construction and expansions. The repeat work has come from the consistency of the employees of KA to put the customer first. We have also expanded our services beyond traditional construction services.

Another repeat client was United Health Group. Any takeaways?

DOUG JANDRO: We were invited to our first interview with UHG thru the architectural firm Walsh Bishop. It was a Data Center and the key to our success was alignment with mechanical and Electrical subcontractors that were experts in Data Centers. At that time UHG had 30,000 SF of real estate. KA became known as the go-to Contractor and Due Diligence team member along with RSP Architects, MMC, and Parson’s Electric.  We had remodeled over 3,000,000 SF of buildings ranging from Minnesota, Utica New York, and San Antonio, Texas.

What did you gain from your remote project opportunities?

DOUG JANDRO: Building out of town is very challenging. One needs to rely heavily on existing subcontractor relationships. Talk with the local building officials and trade organizations to vet out good talent. Your best boots on the ground is your superintendent and their counsel. Have a strong architect that’s experienced in the geographic, geological and environmental conditions. Nothing like tapped experience to help smooth out the process. Know what a fair price is for all trades.

What was the significance of the Vanguard office project in Scottsdale?

DOUG JANDRO:  #1 was that it was the continuation of great relationship with LPT and RSP Architects. It was a negotiated project and speed to market was important. What was also important was learning what building systems performed well in this arid climate that was in a boom period. We vetted and embraced local subs for all major trades except for MEP and Electrical. MMC and Parsons were chosen due to their past performance with our team on other LPT projects in Minneapolis. Surround yourself with trusted partners and appreciate their talents.

You left KA in 2006 to work in an executive capacity at Knutson Construction; later moving over to development at Oppidan, a KA client. what did you learn from these career moves? How did they position you for the next chapter at KA?

DOUG JANDRO: Both of these experiences were rewarding as they enlightened me to what other services are needed and what a developer expects their Contractor to provide in their bid price. The hard bid environment exposed the risk profile of hard bid subcontractors. All risks hinge on the accuracy of the bid documents. It sets up a very controversial environment. In the developer environment the developer is looking for a complete price, early on with limited documents. The key in this environment is competitive pricing while clearly understanding the scope of work. It’s also important to tell the developer what you don’t have and how it may impact their proforma. Understanding the developer’s proforma is important. Once selected, it is imperative that you stay fully engaged during design progression to maintain budget compliance. We need to collaborate as a team with the developer.

You returned to Kraus-Anderson as VP of Business Development in 2010, as the U.S. was climbing out of the Great Recession. Talk about the work we were pursuing as we were moving out of those economic challenges.

DOUG JANDRO: My area of focus was the Commercial, Retail, developers and architects that supported these market sectors. I also focused on past client relationships in these same markets along with assisting KAD. I was also asked what additional services KA needed to supply to support its client base and compete successfully. KA was engaged in strategic planning that enhanced its Marketing, MEP services, BIM Modeling, Preconstruction services, Building Sciences (Due Diligence). These enhanced services, past relationships with Client and Architects, and great prior project and team members experience + competitive GC and Fee lead to the successful 280 Project. This was the second largest project built after the recession second only to the US Bank Stadium. A fantastic team effort!

The redevelopment of the 1920s-era 430 Oak Grove in 2012 was a milestone for KA for a number of reasons. Talk about your takeaways on that project.

DOUG JANDRO: Doug Jaeger received a phone call from Steve Alm at Bonestroo. PM Doug Jaeger and I had previously been involved in the Bonestroo Building. We both went to the interview and I opened up the interview stating that KA’s predecessor company, JL Robinson had built the building initially and we still had the original drawings. KA knew everything the owner would want to know. We won the interview right there. As the project involved it became apparent that the developer needed a partner. It was a historic renovation with both State and Federal tax credits. I mentioned it To KA Development as well. KAD soon became the lead developer with ESG as the architect.

One of the other markets that has helped KA after the recession is the Mixed Use product. KA has been able to reestablish old relationships and create new ones, with owners, developers and architects. We’ve been able to demonstrate our ability to be competitive and a true collaborative partner.

Talk about KA’s and your work with Native American projects.

These projects are very rewarding emotionally for me as KA can be a very important part of the growth of their communities. NA communities are improving their services provided to their members. Most of these enhanced services are in areas of expertise that KA services well– gaming, hospitality, healthcare, and education.

Talk about your connection to the nonprofit Firefighters for Healing.

I was introduced to FF4H thru a vendor relationship. Out of this lunch came a desire to Help FF4H realize their mission of helping burn survivors, fire fighters and first responders as they navigate through medical treatment. We’ve been able to provide temporary housing for HCMC patients at HQ Apartments, thanks to the generosity of Kraus-Anderson Development and the Engelsma Foundation.  And we’ve been part of the business community support led by Sherman Associates that is making possible the creation of a permanent home for the FF4H Transitional Healing Center, now under construction as part of the Moment project downtown. Upon completion in 2023, patients will be able to go directly to HCMC (Hennepin Healthcare) via skyway link.

You began as a construction project manager, and along the way transitioned to a development role. Having lived on both sides, what advice do you have on successful collaboration?

DOUG JANDRO: Basically understand that you are a team not individual entities. Both sides need to be fully engaged with the Development process from beginning to end and well into operational performance. One needs to look well beyond their areas of expertise and see how their knowledge can benefit the project at large. That may include taking on additional risk, but trusting in your employees that they have the tools and knowledge to be successful. Trust and Collaboration are key here.

What, as you look back on your own career, would you offer as advice to those at the beginning of their careers in construction and real estate development?

DOUG JANDRO: Everyone that you come in contact with internally and externally may someday be your source to a client. We need clients to be successful. Trust your clients, but verify. Be trusting. Your next best customer maybe the one in front of you. If you don’t know the answer admit that, but get back to the client ASAP with the answer. Embrace the people that surround you. We are no good as islands. Always bring solutions to the table and more than one. Think outside your area of expertise. Learn from your associates, ask questions of your mentors if you don’t know or understand the path to success. Always be looking for new ways to make yourself more valuable to the client and the company. Meet with your clients on a regular basis and take time to understand what keeps them awake at night and how you can help put them at ease. Again it may be an area that is outside of your area of expertise. Learn how to leverage past experiences into new Market sectors and Locations. Think like an owner and get ahead of their demands– be their “Life Boats.” KA Has a lot of Lloyd- isms, but one that stuck with me is. Deliver what you promised on time and beyond expectations and getting paid by the client will never be a problem. Thank you to the Kraus-Anderson Family and its employees for allowing me to be part of this journey. Enjoy the Ride.