New York, Washington D.C., even as far away as Qatar: These local companies provide their services to expansive projects all across the globe.
| 2017 Q2 | story by Bob Luder, photos by Steven Hertzog
US Capitol
The same can be said of the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Or, a number of state capital buildings throughout the Midwest. Or, the inside infrastructure of any number of city and county government, or health-care and educational buildings throughout the country.
Just because Lawrence is a mid-sized college town located smack in the middle of the country—“flyover territory” as many coastal dwellers call it—that doesn’t mean its reach can’t extend from coast to coast, border to border.
One of the most profound ways the city impacts the rest of the country is through the many businesses that, while local in housing its headquarters in town, operate on a national or even international scale. In terms of the aforementioned structures, it’s our local companies that help design, build and maintain many of the nation’s prominent landmark buildings that give Lawrence residents reason to be proud.
Matt Travis (left), vice president of operations for PROSOCO, and Paul Grahovac (right), who’s in charge of new business development for Build SMART (sister company of PROSOCO), are pictured in PROSOCO’s warehouse facility
Build SMART, a sister company of PROSOCO, creates prefabricated wall panels and foundation systems that have been used for veterans housing projects in the Philadelphia area.
Treanor architecture firm has designed buildings or completed restoration projects on 90 college campuses in 42 states, has worked on several state capital buildings and even completed a $600-million project in Qatar in 2012.
360 Energy Engineers has upgraded core building infrastructure systems, with a focus on energy efficiency, in education, hospital and government buildings throughout the Midwest and beyond.
These companies do business all over the country and the world, and they’re proud to call Lawrence home.
“We’ve found that we can support projects very efficiently from Lawrence,” explains Scott McVey, division vice president, lead engineer and cofounder of 360 Energy Engineers. “It’s very accessible to an airport (Kansas City International) and accessible to every corner of the U.S.
“And, it’s a great place to live and raise a family.”
Here’s a closer look at each of these four nationally prominent companies.
PROSOCO
Tom Stalnaker, laboratory manager for PROSOCO, looks at an unusual stain on brick.
It started with cars.
Selling used cars was young Al Boyer’s calling and talent in the late 1920s and early ’30s, and despite America being in the throes of an economic depression, he thrived, for a while anyway. Also a skilled mechanic, he found a solution to the mineral deposit buildup problem that plagued car radiators back in that day and purchased a descaling formula from a chemical engineer.
Thus begun Solvent Process Co., which later would be reshuffled to Process Solvent Co. and then PROSOCO. Boyer traded his shares of the car business in Kansas City, Kan., for his partner’s shares in the solvent company.
The company received its big break years later when a ready-mix concrete company discovered that Boyer’s initial product, Sure Klean #1, was effective in washing hardened cement dust off the side-mounted radiators on their trucks. The company renamed the cleaner Sure Klean 101 Lime Solvent and marketed it as a truck-washing compound.
“Those trucks were going out to construction sites every day,” says Matt Travis, PROSOCO vice president of operations. “(Boyer) would follow those trucks to the construction sites and sell.”
Meanwhile, ready-mix operators in Texas began selling the lime solvent as a brick cleaner. Jerry Boyer, Al’s son, who studied chemistry in high school and college before following dad into the business, reworked the lime solvent formula for bricks.
That led to the company’s first major contract: the 14-story Mountain States Telephone Building in Denver. The city’s tallest structure needed cleaning as part of a renovation project, but current cleaning methods were too abrasive for the delicate terra-cotta surface. Jerry Boyer created a solution that cleaned the masonry without damaging it, and PROSOCO’s reputation for cleaning structures flourished.
Customers of PROSOCO are often surprised to talk to a real live person right away when they call corporate headquarters. Pictured are customer care representatives Colleen Peters and Ted Barnekoff.
The company built the plant it uses today in Lawrence’s East Hill Business Park in 1999, closed the plants and warehouses around the country, and consolidated its operations in the ensuing few years.
PROSOCO has not only cleaned the Empire State Building, the Capitol and countless others, it’s also cleaned wine stains from concrete in California wineries and even King Kong’s blood. When Paramount Pictures shot a remake of King Kong in 1976, the film’s climax had Kong fall from the top of the World Trade Center to the paved terrace below. Jerry Boyer was brought in to clean the Karo syrup and red food-colored blood off the terra-cotta.
In 2005, PROSOCO, today run by a third-generation Boyer, Jerry’s son, David, diversified its product portfolio with the introduction of R-Guard, a line of air- and water-resistive barriers for walls.
In 2007, the company launched another new line of products designed to treat and protect polished concrete floors.
Build SMART
Build SMART wall panels are pre-fabricated in the company’s Lawrence headquarters in the East Hills Business Park, just south of PROSOCO’s national headquarters.
R-Guard plays a large role in Build SMART’s relationship with PROSOCO.
Adam Cohen is the architect behind what is known as “passive house construction,” which is a list of rigorous energy-efficiency standards resulting in less of an ecological footprint and lower energy costs. In 2010, PROSOCO began promoting R-Guard and its fluid-applied flashing to the passive house community, and that community was receptive. Cohen started Build SMART and joined forces with PROSOCO. He serves as Build SMART’s founder and technical director, while David Boyer is that company’s president, as well.
Build SMART panels offer an affordable and simple building methodology to achieve an extremely energy-efficient building standard called Passive House.
Whitehall, a three-story, 49-apartment building in Spring City, Pa., that provides U.S. war veterans safe, comfortable and affordable housing, is Build SMART’s most prominent national project to date. But there also have been projects in Canada, Kansas City, Kentucky, Ohio, northern Ontario and Virginia.
“You can achieve passive house performance with any number of strategies,” explains Paul Grahovac, new-business development with Build SMART. “We think Build SMART has one of the best solutions.”
Treanor
Lobby of Treanor offices in Lawrence
Treanor was established in 1981 in Lenexa, Kan., but quickly moved to Lawrence, where it has established its legacy and history.
Hullabaloo Hall Living Learning Center at Texas A&M, Photographer: Timmerman Photography Inc
“Toward the late ’90s, we reorganized into two practices of architecture,” says Dan Rowe, Treanor president. “The first was general practice. The second was specializing in certain building types and positioning ourselves as experts.”
Those building types gravitated toward student-life buildings on college campuses and justice buildings at the county level. Once the firm made the move toward specialization, it was only natural that the company grow beyond its local and regional roots, Rowe says.
Interdisciplinary Research Building at The University of North Texas Health Science Center, Rendering by TreanorHL
Today, Treanor employs about 150. Most are at the company’s studio space in downtown Lawrence, but there also are offices in Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Kansas City, San Francisco, St. Louis and Topeka. Still others work remotely.
In Lawrence, Treanor designed the University of Kansas (KU) School of Engineering. It also has completed a lot of work on university buildings in Texas, including a $180-million project at Texas A&M, and Arkansas. Its work on justice buildings extends as far east as Vermont.
“We’re focused on becoming nationally present and known,” Rowe says. “We’re thought of as a Midwest company that practices nationally. We want to be a national company that practices nationally.”
Another goal for Treanor, he says, is to one day make it into Architect magazine’s Top 50 Architecture Companies in the U.S.
360 Energy Engineers
The 100 kW solar installation, utilizing renewable energy, is an excellent project for the City of Lawrence, and illustrates the breadth of projects 360 develops and implements for clients as part of our portfolio of engineered energy-saving projects. Justin Pape, 360 Construction Manager, Doug Riat, 360 VP of Business Development, and Nick Pedersen, 360 Electrical Engineer.
360 Energy Engineers was founded in April 2010 by friends and colleagues Scott McVey, Joe Hurla and Aaron Etzkorn. Four-and-a-half years later, the company was acquired by Willdan Group Inc., headquartered in Anaheim, Calif.
360 specializes in renovating existing building systems—mechanical systems, controls, lighting, electrical and plumbing systems—with a focus on energy efficiency.
“Starting out, we were almost exclusively doing projects for public institutions in Kansas,” McVey says. “We opened a Denver office in 2012 and expanded into Nebraska, Wyoming, Arkansas and Missouri.”
360 Engineers: boilers and chillers and complexity of piping
“We’ve done some jobs for private hotels in Salt Lake City and in Arizona,” McVey says. “But public institutions has kind of been our bread and butter.”
The building boom of the 1990s has assured that 360 remains busy. Most, if not all, of those buildings today are in need of refurbishment. McVey says his company currently is doing work on about 40 buildings in Lawrence. It has an ongoing maintenance contract with KU, are performing a retro study with Johnson County Community College. And then there’s all the work in other parts of the country.
“We bring a lot of engineering expertise to develop a building on a holistic level,” McVey explains. “We don’t think there’s any area of a building where we don’t see opportunities.”
A Place To Call Home
A midsized college town smack in the middle of the country: It might seem an odd, or at least disadvantageous, place to operate a business on a national/international scale, but these four companies have never seen any reason to consider anyplace else.
“The Boyer family is from (Kansas City, Kan.); we’re a very deep-rooted family business,” Matt Travis says of PROSOCO. “But it also makes sense geographically. You can go 360 degrees here in the middle of the country. We’re shipping a lot of weight, so air doesn’t work. Our trucks here can ship to either coast in about the same amount of time.”
There are plenty of benefits to being in Lawrence for Treanor architects, as well, as Rowe is quick to point out. Not only are the company’s heritage and foundation here, there are two excellent schools of architecture (Kansas State University having the other), making it easy to recruit top-notch talent. And, the quality of life for families of employees is hard to beat.
“Also, I think there’s great clout given to Midwestern values,” Rowe says. “There’s a certain thing that comes from Midwestern values that’s hard to quantify, but it’s there. It’s just a level of credibility and respect that’s hard to find anywhere else.”
112 Comments
In this great pattern of things you get an A+ just for hard work. Where exactly you actually misplaced everybody was on the specifics. As people say, the devil is in the details… And it could not be more true at this point. Having said that, allow me reveal to you what exactly did work. The writing can be extremely powerful which is most likely why I am making an effort to comment. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. 2nd, while I can notice a jumps in reasoning you come up with, I am not really convinced of just how you appear to unite your points that make the actual final result. For right now I will subscribe to your position however hope in the future you actually link the facts much better.
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Fantastic blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely confused .. Any tips? Kudos!
Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, great blog!
Hey there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding expertise so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.
Yet another issue is that video games are normally serious anyway with the major focus on learning rather than fun. Although, there’s an entertainment feature to keep your kids engaged, every game is generally designed to develop a specific set of skills or course, such as math concepts or research. Thanks for your posting.
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
A great post without any doubt.
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Thank you for sharing indeed great looking !
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to return yet again since i have saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, however I actually thought you would have something useful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you can fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I certainly loved every little bit of it. I’ve got you bookmarked to look at new stuff you post…
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Incredible story there. What occurred after? Thanks!|
Nice answers in return of this question with solid arguments and describing the whole thing regarding that.|
There’s certainly a great deal to find out about this topic. I like all the points you’ve made.
Performing arts, visual arts, and literary arts.
I used to be able to find good info from your content.
Wonderful article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.|
Houston Tiger and Rev.
Spot on with this write-up, I actually believe that this website needs much more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the advice.
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this website. I am hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own blog now 😉
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your website. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility problems? A number of my blog visitors have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox. Do you have any solutions to help fix this problem?|
The investment objective describes the type of income that the fund seeks.
After I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service? Cheers.
Excellent web site you have here.. It’s hard to find high quality writing like yours these days. I seriously appreciate people like you! Take care!!
This website really has all of the information and facts I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always exciting to read content from other writers and practice a little something from other sites.
You should take part in a contest for one of the greatest sites on the net. I will highly recommend this blog!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article and also the rest of the website is also very good.
Hello, i think that i noticed you visited my site so i got here to ?go back the favor?.I’m attempting to to find things to enhance my site!I guess its good enough to make use of a few of your ideas!!
I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this blog. I’m hoping to view the same high-grade content from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own blog now 😉
Currently it sounds like Expression Engine is the preferred blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?|
I could not refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!
Wow, awesome blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is excellent, let alone the content!|
My brother recommended I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!|
I’m excited to uncover this website. I want to to thank you for ones time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely savored every little bit of it and i also have you saved to fav to check out new information in your web site.
After checking out a few of the blog articles on your blog, I honestly appreciate your way of writing a blog. I book marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my website too and tell me how you feel.
What’s up i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i read this post i thought i could also create comment due to this sensible article.|
Hello friends, nice piece of writing and nice arguments commented at this place, I am genuinely enjoying by these.|
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you, However I am having problems with your RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx.
Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the issues. It was truly informative. Your site is very useful. Thanks for sharing.
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly believe that this website needs far more attention. I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the information.
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you should write more about this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but usually people do not talk about these topics. To the next! Best wishes.
I was able to find good advice from your content.
The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me just as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, but I really believed you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something you can fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
I used to be able to find good information from your content.
After I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service? Cheers.
Very good post. I am going through some of these issues as well..
Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after going through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m certainly delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we communicate?|
I got this web page from my friend who informed me concerning this web site and now this time I am visiting this site and reading very informative articles or reviews at this time.|
Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we communicate?|
Your means of explaining everything in this post is genuinely pleasant, every one be capable of easily know it, Thanks a lot.|
Hi there Dear, are you actually visiting this web site on a regular basis, if so then you will without doubt obtain fastidious know-how.|
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me dinner simply because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your web site.
Howdy! This article could not be written much better! Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to forward this information to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo subject but typically folks don’t discuss such subjects. To the next! Kind regards.
but does impact frequency because partners need to redefine sexual intimacy to be less focused on traditional definitions of sex.オナホ ラブドールTransitional periods can be tough on sexual frequency,
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this information.
I need to to thank you for this very good read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I’ve got you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…
Howdy, I do believe your site could be having internet browser compatibility problems. When I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, great website.
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously believe this web site needs far more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the information.
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this site. I really hope to check out the same high-grade content by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own site now 😉
Hi there, I do think your blog may be having web browser compatibility issues. When I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, excellent blog!
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular article! It is the little changes that will make the most significant changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Howdy, I do think your website could be having internet browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, fantastic site.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I can’t join it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may come back yet again since I saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Can I simply just say what a comfort to discover somebody that really knows what they’re talking about on the net. You actually realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people must look at this and understand this side of the story. It’s surprising you’re not more popular given that you certainly have the gift.
After looking over a number of the blog articles on your web page, I truly appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I book marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my website too and tell me your opinion.
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post plus the rest of the site is also really good.
I was able to find good info from your blog articles.
You have made some really good points there. I checked on the net for more information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
Very good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the good writing.
This is a really good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you ought to write more about this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but usually folks don’t speak about these issues. To the next! All the best.
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me just as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read, however I really thought you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you can fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
Very good information. Lucky me I came across your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later!
Your selections are then restricted to accountants who stay close by or can travel there when necessary.
Good blog post. I certainly love this website. Keep writing!
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both equally educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.
Excellent article! We are linking to this great post on our website. Keep up the good writing.
Listed below are 10 things to be sure to ask your employer earlier than you head home to bond together with your new child.
Introducing to you the most prestigious online entertainment address today. Visit now to experience now!
Very good info. Lucky me I found your website by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve saved it for later!
5. Collaterals: The shareholders may pledge their shares to financial institutions as collaterals for certain financing activities, either for the company or personal.
Hello there, There’s no doubt that your blog may be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in IE, it’s got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Aside from that, excellent blog.
This is the right web site for anybody who hopes to find out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that’s been written about for a long time. Great stuff, just great.
You are so cool! I do not believe I’ve read a single thing like that before. So great to find another person with genuine thoughts on this subject matter. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This site is something that is needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality.
I seriously love your blog.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you make this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal site and would like to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Thanks!
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Take care! Where are your contact details though?
Everything is very open with a very clear explanation of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!
If you wish to make your hair’s natural texture stand out, go for charming blonde curls for mid-size locks.
Right here is the right website for anybody who hopes to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a topic that’s been written about for ages. Excellent stuff, just excellent.
I was pretty pleased to uncover this web site. I want to to thank you for ones time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every bit of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to see new information in your web site.
This page definitely has all of the information I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Very good post! We are linking to this particularly great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
Your style is really unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this web site.
After I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service? Kudos.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this post plus the rest of the site is really good.
Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Taking the time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.
I love it whenever people come together and share views. Great site, continue the good work.
I blog frequently and I truly thank you for your information. This article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your website and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed too.
Good post. I am facing many of these issues as well..
Looking for a gold investment option, they you can try gold deposit scheme, gold mutual fund.
Very good article! We are linking to this particularly great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.