Ruekert/Mielke Inc.
W233 N2080 Ridgeview Parkway, Waukesha
www.ruekert-mielke.com
Industry: Municipal engineering
Employees: 78
Working behind the scenes might not make Ruekert/Mielke the most recognizable firm in the region, but it is one of the most respected. The company has been engineering solutions for the area’s municipalities for more than 50 years.
The Waukesha-based company is a state leader in municipal water, wastewater, field, financial and planning services. In recent years, the firm’s advanced technological solutions – including geographic information systems (GIS) and other smart systems – has placed the company above the competition.
The company has come a long way since John Mielke and Frank Rukert began a land surveying business in a basement in 1946.
During the Great Recession, budget-strained municipalities expected firms to “do more with less.” Small and mid-sized municipalities found it more efficient to outsource their engineering needs, rather than keep an engineering staff in-house.
Those changes put Ruekert/Mielke in growth mode, said Ryan Amtmann, Ruekert/Mielke vice president of sales.
The company invested its efforts in developing digital platforms for clients and project managers. The firm’s GIS system places a detailed map of a town’s infrastructure at a person’s fingertips, and laptops are now brought into the field, giving parties instant communication and feedback, ultimately reducing costs and lengthy paper trails.
“We wanted to bring more to our clients,” Amtmann said. “We are trying to do more with less and meet the demand.”
In 2005, Ruekert/Mielke stretched beyond Waukesha County into Madison, and Kenosha. The company maintains long-standing relationships with Oconomowoc, Mukwonago, Pewaukee, Sussex and Franklin, to name a few of its key municipal clients.
“We want to continue to do good work with established clients, as well as new markets,” Amtmann said. “We care about our municipalities. We put their needs before us.”
