At 43,500 sq. ft., the new John Deere store in Sauk Rapids, MN is big. And it’s a showplace of sorts, with an eye-catching 100’ x 160’ consumer display section and a retail counter that greets visitors with a colorful prairie scene that includes an old country barn and a depiction of the original 1-bottom plow that launched the John Deere machinery company in the mid 1800s.
The store is the newest of nine owned by Midwest Machinery of Glencoe, MN. It is expected to open in early December 2010, said Gene Seipel, General Manager. “This is the start of the Christmas shopping season so our consumer goods section will be full of John Deere toys, clothing, bikes, backyard barbeque tools, lawn and garden items, even Gators. Because we’re next door to St. Cloud, we’re making our grand opening a public event for both farmers and non-farmers.
Seiple said when he first announced plans to build a new store in Sauk Rapids, he got flooded with contractors wanting to bid on the project. I whittled it down to five general contractors bidding this project,” he explained. Of the five, Kiehm Construction, won the job because of the siding material it proposed.
The product suggested by Marty Kiehm was a 3"-thick 300A Azteco® stucco-embossed insulated panel manufactured by Kingspan Insulated Panels. In addition to providing the desired look and an R-25 thermal resistance rating, the panel also installs quickly. Thanks in part to the choice of cladding, Kiehm Construction completed the project a month early and brought the job in under budget.
At the south end of the new building—providing access to the 100’ x 200’ shop—is an 18’ x 30’ Schweiss Hydraulic Door, manufactured by Schweiss Doors, Fairfax, MN. The installation of the Schweiss door was based on a suggestion early on from Seipel.
“We knew about Schweiss. I had lived and worked 20 some years in southwest Minnesota so the Schweiss name was nothing new,” he related. “So I suggested to Marty Kiehm that he get a price from Schweiss because I wanted to try something different. I’m totally satisfied with the results.”
A 70’ x 100’ aircraft hangar was Marty Kiehm’s start in the construction world 32 years ago. Today, Kiehm Construction Inc. continues to build hangars plus office buildings, warehouses, industrial projects and specially-designed environmentally-controlled storage facilities. Growing up on a farm, Kiehm said he learned his work ethic from his father and grandfather. But getting into the construction world didn’t happen until after earning a business degree in college.
He describes his firm as a value engineering company, meaning they don’t seek sub-contractors just because they work cheaper. “We look for qualified people that will do the project at a fair price. The fact that we brought this project in under budget and ahead of schedule is a tribute to our sub-contractors. You can do all the managing you want, but if you don’t have the right crews doing the right things, you simply don’t have a good project.”
Unique at this new John Deere store are the special walls utilizing a composite polyisocyanrate panel with R25 insulation value and a steel skin, both outside and in. Kiehm calls it a structural wall panel presenting a clean, attractive look with far more durability than your typical metal panels. Purchased from a California manufacturer, it comes precut in various lengths depending upon placement location. He says this material is quicker and more easily installed, thus cutting costs appreciably. “Your in-place cost is about a third of precast. It’s just a fantastic product,” he said. His firm has nine years experience working with this product.
Working with Schweiss doors, either bifold or hydraulic, is also old hat for Kiehm. He has done many aircraft hangars where the Schweiss bifold is the preferred choice among aircraft owners.
In the case of the John Deere project, The need was for a 20’ clear height opening 30’ wide. With those requirements, the Schweiss hydraulic model was perfect, said Kiehm. “Everything seems to be top notch in their products, and if any service is needed, they react quickly. They just make certain all the bugs are worked out and when you’re dealing in doors, that’s a must,” he said. The Kiehm crew fitted the Schweiss door with the same panel material used in the walls of the building.
He notes that doors, regardless of usage, have become much more a central feature of many new buildings. Architects and contractors realize that outfits like Schweiss can build doors with virtually any design feature thus making the door both more functional and more attractive. “In essence, the Schweiss people will customize your door to exactly the dimensions and artistic appeal you want,” summed up Kiehm.
Kiehm said skinning the doors with a foam panel convenient and highly effective way to build more insulation value and structural integrity into both bifold and hydraulic doors while also presenting a more attractive appearance to the entire structure.
For more information about Kingspan Insulated Panels, visit www.kingspanpanels.us.