Matthew Bratzke, Director of Project Management at Opus Design Build, L.L.C.
Company address: 330 E. Kilbourn Ave., Ste. 222, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Website: http://www.opus-group.com/
Industry: Construction & Development
Number of employees: 14 in the Milwaukee office
Family: Wife, Tara; Children: Lauren, Cameron, and Addison
What was the smartest thing Opus did in the past year?
“We’ve made a stronger push to become more involved and visible in the community to make sure that people are aware that we are not only a developer, but we are a design build contractor as well. In fact, our company began 60 years ago as a design builder. It is the core of what we do. We’ve also worked to better position ourselves for the rebounding industrial market and see it as a great opportunity to leverage our design-build expertise. We’ve built millions of square feet of industrial buildings in this area but due to the downturn in the economy and slow development market over the last several years, that segment of our business has been slow. Our experience with industrial design-build gives us unique insight into how best to meet the specific needs of industrial clients. We believe it will position us well as the industrial market continues to rebound.”
What’s new at your company?
“Over the last year, we implemented the use of tablets for our field superintendents and field engineers and are migrating our project management software to a new platform. It’s an exciting change that will streamline our project management process and improve efficiencies both in the office and in the field. These increases in efficiency will allow us to further reduce project costs, and provide enhanced services to our clients.”
What will be your company’s main challenges this year?
“The industry is starting to rebound and show signs of improvement. This is a great opportunity, and one we are certainly excited about, but it brings with it some challenges. An influx in new projects could mean challenges related to the availability of labor in the construction trades. As we look to new projects in 2014, we will be closely monitoring the availability of highly skilled construction workers.”
What has kept you at Opus for the past 15 years?
“The people I work with each and every day. They are a very talented and energetic group of individuals that take their work very seriously but still know how to have fun doing it. We are one big family.”
What project are you proudest of from your time with Opus?
“Personally, I’m most proud of my time as project manager on the Northwestern Mutual Franklin Campus. We had a great team with Northwestern Mutual, Eppstein Uhen Architects and our subcontractors. It was a very large project that had a lot of people paying attention to it. It was energizing to be a part of such a great team that worked so well together to accomplish a huge task.”
Do you have a business mantra?
“Balance work with your personal life.”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to?
“I had the great pleasure of working with individuals like Les Blum and Larry Krause at Opus, Mike Lochmann at Staff Electric and Tom Ganey at Marquette University. I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years but these individuals stand out the most to me because they display the highest integrity, dedication to their clients/others, great communication skills, and are just good people.”
What was the best advice you ever received?
“’Do what you say and say what you mean.’ People will respect that you follow through on things and they will appreciate your honesty.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“Spending time with my family, coaching my kids sports teams, golfing, biking, and home remodeling projects.”
